Tasmania’s police commissioner urged the state government to limit gun ownership weeks before it publicly ruled out caps, newly released documents show.
Commissioner Donna Adams wrote to Police Minister Felix Ellis on February 5, calling for restrictions on the number of firearms a single person can own.
She cited the Bondi terror attack, the Port Arthur massacre and the death of Constable Keith Smith in June 2025 as reasons to act.
“The murder of Constable Keith Smith … was a confronting reminder that the presence of a firearm can change the outcome of even the most routine policing task,” she wrote.
“You stood with us in the aftermath of the tragic murder of Constable Smith and we now seek your support as we confront the growing risks posed by firearms in our community.”
The letter, obtained by Tasmanian Labor through right-to-information laws, also warned that legally stored firearms still posed a threat if they were stolen.
“Firearms theft means that even legally registered and stored firearms can fall into the wrong hands, enabling serious criminal activity, including family violence,” Commissioner Adams wrote.
“Public safety must take precedence over the privilege of firearms ownership.”
Tasmania has more than 157,000 registered firearms held by about 36,600 licence holders. Nearly 9,000 of those owners have six or more guns.
Commissioner Adams noted the total number of firearms in circulation nationally now exceeds pre-1996 levels and said the impact of post-Port Arthur reforms had diminished over time.
She explicitly backed a cap, writing that she reiterated “my support for the national firearms reform agenda, including a proposed firearms cap”.
Three weeks after the letter was sent, Premier Jeremy Rockliff flatly rejected the proposal.
“We will not be introducing caps,” he said.
Instead, the government announced a separate reform package featuring a buyback scheme, citizenship requirements for gun purchases and the reclassification of high-powered firearms.
Minister Ellis said a cap would penalise responsible owners rather than address the real threat.
“One firearm in the hands of terrorists is more dangerous than 100 firearms in the hands of our farmers,” he said during a radio interview.
He has since taken to social media to campaign against the idea, posting videos and promoting a petition opposing what he described as Labor’s plan to put “caps on Tasmanians”.
“The answer to getting firearms out of the hands of the crooks is better intelligence sharing and tougher penalties for stealing firearms, not unduly impacting law abiding firearms owners,” Ellis wrote below a post advertising the petition.
“… I reckon there are a few Labor members who would sign it, they’re deeply divided on their leader’s decision.”
Labor leader Josh Willie accused the government of lacking courage and said Labor would push for mandatory limits with crossbench support.
“The Liberals want unlimited guns in the community. Labor does not support that and Tasmanians don’t support that either,” he said.
“We support limits on the number of firearms an individual can own because the first job of any government is to keep the community safe.”
He said 157,000 registered firearms in the community and thousands of licence holders owning six or more guns was “exactly why sensible safeguards are needed”.
“When it comes to community safety, Tasmanians expect the government to listen to the police,” he said.
“If the Liberals won’t listen to police and take action. Labor will.”
Government minister Kerry Vincent on Sunday said the government stood by its position and that “the caps do not make the substantial difference”.
“We are still very much focused on getting the guns out of the hands of the people that are going to cause trouble,” he said.
