The shooting of an 11-year-old boy in Sydney’s north-west was a “tragic reminder” of the danger of guns, the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, has said while the opposition defends “backflipping” on a gun buyback. The child was transported to Westmead Children’s hospital in a critical condition on Monday evening after suffering gunshot wounds to his face and neck at a unit in Norwest, NSW police said. Five other people were home at the time, including four 18-year-old men and a 44-year-old woman, none of whom were injured.
One of the men was charged with concealing a serious indictable offence, while two of the other men were arrested and released pending further inquiries. He appeared at Blacktown local court on Tuesday morning via audio visual link, where he made no application for bail. Speaking to ABC TV on Tuesday, Minns said it was an “incredibly distressing situation”.
We just urge anyone that has any information about this horrible event … to come forward.” Minns said the incident was a “very tragic reminder” of how dangerous guns were. She said police were investigating how the gun came to be in the house, as there were no firearms registered to the property and none of the individuals had gun licenses. There have been at least six suspected mistaken-identity shootings in Sydney since the start of last year.
Last week, two teenage boys were charged with murder after the recent shooting death of a university student in Sydney, which police say was a case of mistaken identity. Earlier this month, the state’s police minister denied that gang violence was out of control. Following the Bondi beach terror attack, the state government introduced new legislation to undertake Australia’s biggest gun buyback in 30 years, with the scheme set to begin on 2 November this year.
The Liberal opposition voted with Labor in support of a buyback last year, but on Saturday pledged it would scrap Labor’s firearm ownership caps for primary producers. The NSW opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, instead proposed a commission of inquiry into gun laws and a freeze of any buyback. Caps for farmers and professional shooters would also be scrapped.
The police minister, Yasmin Catley, called the Coalition’s plan a “stunning backflip” and said it that would leave more guns in circulation. Sloane defended the opposition’s position on Tuesday, telling ABC radio that resources should be spent on “red-flagging terrorists” and “additional policing”.
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