Rich gun control groups thought they could get away from telling politicians about the need to tax shooters – but it’s all hot air
Why the elite wanted your money
IN MAY, we wrote an article explaining how cashed-up gun control groups had drummed up a plan to tax shooters in WA to employ more anti-gun campaigners.
The plan was to convince government to slug shooters $10 a years to enable the backers, which have multi-million dollar payrolls, to do more ‘research’.
That’s code for lobbying. It was greedy plan to boost rich gun control groups to make life even harder for us.
They announced the plan at gathering of MPs at Parliament House in Canberra, where the convenor, Terry Slevin, said:
“I have put a proposal to the Western Australian Police Minister Paul Papalia as he undertakes a review of the firearms legislation in that state. I have proposed that an additional $10 be added to the annual firearms license in WA for the purpose of establishing and funding a Firearms Safety Research Institute, which would have the purpose of capturing data relevant to the purpose of the Act as a means of evaluating its efficacy in achieving its stated purpose.”
Click here to see that story.
.. IT WAS AN OUTRIGHT LIE
The NSC put in a Freedom of Information (FOI) to Papalia’s office for more information on what was received, including any response might have been provided.
Importantly we wanted to know whether it was a proposal that Papalia was actually going to consider.
The response we received says “no documents falling within the scope of your Application could be identified.”
In other words, Papalia received no such request. Certainly not in writing.
Sometimes FOIs might reveal documents that do exist but can’t be released for some reason. However the response is clear that the proposal simply wasn’t received.
It also makes it clear there is nothing to point to Papalia considering the matter, such as through the preparation of a ministerial brief by his office – which has to be prepared if he is to sign off on any proposal.
MANIPLULATING POLICY
Bear in mind that the claim was made at a gathering of Federal MP and in correspondence to the Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus.
It was a clear attempt to convince politicians that the tax was a good idea, needed, and worthy of consideration.
That’s why we’ll be writing to those MPs letting them know they were lied to about the proposal which was clearly aimed at suggesting that there as a need for this.
There was no need. It doesn’t even exist.
