More firearms being used as weapons, Liberals still want unlimited guns in the community

At a time when incidents involving firearms are increasing in Tasmania, Felix Ellis is fighting for unlimited guns in the community – in direct contradiction to the advice of his Police Commissioner.

The Tasmania Police’s firearms dashboard reveals an alarming 22 per cent increase in incidents of firearms being used as weapons to 83, a 19 per cent increase in assaults involving a firearm to 64, and a 50 per cent increase in robbery incidents to 12 between June 2025 - May 2026, compared to the year prior. 

40 firearms theft incidents resulted in a total of 155 firearms stolen, with only 29 stolen firearms recovered.  

Right to Information documents reveal that incidents of firearms being used as weapons have risen 62 per cent in the last four years, from 105 in 2021/22 to 171 in 2024/25.

Firearm-related family violence incidents follow a similar trend, with information released in budget estimates showing an increase of 103 per cent over the same period.

These numbers should be deeply troubling for Felix Ellis, who is supposed to be the Minister in charge of public safety.  

Instead, his actions time and time again show he is putting political interest above the safety of Tasmanians and Tasmanian police officers, and Premier Rockliff keeps letting him. 

At a time when it seems like there’s a shooting or a gun theft in the news every other week, Premier Rockliff and the Liberals are advocating for unlimited guns in the community.   

Labor does not support that, and Tasmanians don’t support that either.   

Tasmanians are witnessing a Minister being controlled by the powerful gun lobby, and the Premier needs to rein him in.

We look forward to working with the Parliament to deliver practical reforms that improve community safety while respecting the legitimate needs of primary producers, sports shooters, and recreational hunters.