{"id":369066,"date":"2026-02-09T16:56:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T06:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=369066"},"modified":"2026-02-09T17:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T07:02:52","slug":"qld-to-tighten-firearms-laws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/02\/09\/qld-to-tighten-firearms-laws\/","title":{"rendered":"Qld To Tighten Firearms Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Police Minister Dan Purdie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 9, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

The State Government will introduce new laws into the Queensland Parliament next week to tighten firearms legislation and boost penalties for illegal weapons.<\/p>\n

A media statement on Monday said the Bill would include:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Increased\u00a0penalties for trafficking firearms or ammunition, increasing the maximum penalty to life imprisonment<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      \n
    • Strengthened police powers\u00a0to disrupt illegal firearm trafficking<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
        \n
      • A new offence\u00a0prohibiting the reckless discharge of a weapon towards a building or vehicle to crack down on the rise in drive-by shootings, including those targeting places of worship<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
          \n
        • Expanded powers\u00a0for police\u00a0to consider a broader range of matters when determining weapons licence eligibility, including any history of violence, threatened violence or weapons-related offending<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
            \n
          • New requirements\u00a0for Queensland weapons licence holders to be Australian citizens (subject to limited exceptions)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
              \n
            • A new offence\u00a0prohibiting the possession and distribution of blueprints for 3D-printed firearms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Police Minister Dan Purdie said the laws were not aimed at law-abiding residents.<\/strong><\/p>\n

              \u201cWe are giving police stronger powers to stop illegal firearms from entering our communities and strengthening the laws that determine who is fit and proper to hold a weapons licence,” Minister Purdie said.<\/p>\n

              \u201cThese reforms also target the alarming rise in drive-by shootings, including those targeting places of worship, and crackdown on emerging threats like 3D-printed firearms.<\/p>\n

              \u201cThese laws are squarely aimed at terrorists, criminals and organised crime syndicates not law-abiding Queenslanders, as we continue to make Queensland safer.\u201d<\/p>\n

              Last month, the State Government announced it would not support a national gun buyback scheme, part of the Federal Government\u2019s response to the Bondi massacre.<\/strong><\/p>\n

              Funding for the buyback scheme would have been split between the two governments.<\/p>\n

              Data released in January by the Department of Home Affairs showed Queensland had the second-highest number of registered firearms at 1,143,895, just behind NSW at 1,158,654.<\/p>\n

              Across all of Australia there were 4,113,735 registered firearms with 929,741 licences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              The State Government plans to introduce new laws into the Queensland Parliament next week to tighten firearms legislation and boost penalties for illegal weapons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":359130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,24],"tags":[1132],"yoast_head":"\nQld To Tighten Firearms Laws - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The State Government plans to introduce new laws into the Queensland Parliament next week to tighten firearms legislation and boost penalties for illegal weapons.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/02\/09\/qld-to-tighten-firearms-laws\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Qld To Tighten Firearms Laws - 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