Christopher Dawson
WA Police Commissioner
Via E-mail

March 27, 2020

Commissioner Dawson,

I write regarding the “Closure of Gun Shops” direction issued by you today (March 27, 2020).

To be frank, Commissioner, it is appalling and quite literally the sort of thing we would have expected in East Germany during the Cold War, not a state of Australia in 2020.

How does closing legitimate business which can only be patronised by people with a firearms licence (not an easy thing to get, especially in WA) “ensure public safety during the state of emergency”?

What specific threat are you protecting the public from?

The economic costs from this are potentially incalculable. Every single one of those gun shops had employees with bills to pay, rent or mortgage obligations to meet, and family members relying on them.

Simply put: Why are you destroying an industry and inflicting so much stress and hardship on the most law-abiding sector (licensed firearm owners) in the community?

I urge you to revoke the Closure Of Gun Shops direction with the greatest possible haste.

Yours sincerely,

Graham Park

President, Shooters Union Australia

E: president@shootersunion.com.au | Ph: 0418 700 320