WA updates laws after shocking discovery in a hidden bunker
- Replies 3
The moment when police uncovered a secret bunker at a property in Perth was like a scene straight out of an action movie.
Their discovery of what was inside, however, shocked even the most experienced officers and prompted the WA government to put laws in place in a bid to help protect their citizens.
The Western Australian government ended up outlawing high-powered firearms after the discovery of the secret underground bunker in a Perth home. It was reported that some firearms found were even capable of penetrating police body armour and armoured vehicles.
This bunker was discovered in High Wycombe last year, but its sophisticated concealment – hidden under a rug and lounge – was only shared with the public recently.
As authorities opened the bunker’s door, the lounge lifted to reveal a set of stairs that led down to an area filled with ‘an arsenal of very high-powered firearms being incorrectly stored’.
Former professional fighter David Letizia owns the High Wycombe property. It was reported that beyond the weapons was a workbench, body armour, and an underground shooting range with a motorised pulley system to place targets where the shooter wants them.
David Letizia has already pleaded guilty to firearm-related charges and was fined a total of $3,200. The firearms were also sent for disposal, according to police commissioner Col Blanch.
WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said: ‘Unbelievably, the worst offence this individual has allegedly committed is failing to apply to the local council for approval to build the bunker and underground shooting range.’
‘That’s how outdated and weak our 50-year-old firearms laws are here in WA, and that’s why the Western Australian Police Force has asked us to completely overhaul them,’ he continued.
‘Why he needed that many high-powered rifles in a secret underground shooting range is beyond me,’ the police minister remarked.
The ban will come into effect on July 1, 2023, and will outlaw firearms and ammunition designed to shoot over long ranges. According to authorities, there are 56 types of guns and 19 calibres of ammunition that will be made illegal.
The 248 licenced firearms currently registered in WA will have to be disposed of before then. The government will fund a buyback scheme for the firearms, purchasing them from their owners at their current market value. The estimated total cost to taxpayers amounts to $1.5 million.
Premier Mark McGowan said that these were the sort of guns that can fire four kilometres, can use armour-piercing rounds, and were seen being used in the Ukraine-Russia war.
You can watch the police footage of the underground bunker below:
However, not everyone is pleased with the sudden reform, as pastoralists and firearms traders say they’ve been ‘blindsided’ by the government’s lack of consultation.
Prenti Downs Station manager Jack Carmody said he already spent thousands of dollars managing large feral animals on his property, which is 300 km east of Wiluna in the state’s far northern Goldfields.
Mr Carmody said that access to high-powered firearms would make pest control on his property more effective and achieve better animal welfare outcomes.
He dismissed the minister’s comments that firearms weren’t required in WA.
‘They haven't come to the communities that are having their water sources damaged or destroyed by feral animals, and they haven't seen the animals shot by low calibre firearms,’ he explained.
Mr Carmody alleged that those in government positions ‘don’t see the reality’.
‘There have been zero consultations with people such as myself or other shooting and advocacy groups to find out what the practical use of these firearms are,’ he claimed.
Meanwhile, Geraldton resident Chris Adams said that a history of firearms violence in his extended family highlighted the need for law reforms.
He shared that he’s spent a decade managing wild animals in the Pilbara but mentioned that none of the 56 firearms to be banned by the government were needed to control pests in WA.
‘For everyone to be safe in the city, they need public gun depositories, where you can put your gun in a central base where it is locked tight and secure,’ he stated.
Mr Adams added: ‘If you have an argument and emotion comes into it, people can lose their state of mind, go for their firearms and kill their partners.’
Bevan Steele, WA Firearm Traders Association President, declared that the firearms and agricultural industries had been ‘blindsided’ by the government’s announcement.
‘There was no announcement, there was no inkling — there's been no consultation in terms of a buyback,’ Mr Steel claimed. In his opinion, high-calibre weapons weren’t used by a large number of farmers but were considered ‘critical tools’ for those who did use them.
‘It'd be the same as the government coming and putting a stop on 400 horsepower and above tractors for doing their work,’ Mr Steele concluded.
What are your thoughts on the WA government’s decision to update the current firearms laws? Share your opinion in the comments below.
Their discovery of what was inside, however, shocked even the most experienced officers and prompted the WA government to put laws in place in a bid to help protect their citizens.
The Western Australian government ended up outlawing high-powered firearms after the discovery of the secret underground bunker in a Perth home. It was reported that some firearms found were even capable of penetrating police body armour and armoured vehicles.
This bunker was discovered in High Wycombe last year, but its sophisticated concealment – hidden under a rug and lounge – was only shared with the public recently.
A hidden bunker was discovered in a suburban home. Credit: WA Police
As authorities opened the bunker’s door, the lounge lifted to reveal a set of stairs that led down to an area filled with ‘an arsenal of very high-powered firearms being incorrectly stored’.
Former professional fighter David Letizia owns the High Wycombe property. It was reported that beyond the weapons was a workbench, body armour, and an underground shooting range with a motorised pulley system to place targets where the shooter wants them.
David Letizia has already pleaded guilty to firearm-related charges and was fined a total of $3,200. The firearms were also sent for disposal, according to police commissioner Col Blanch.
WA Police Minister Paul Papalia said: ‘Unbelievably, the worst offence this individual has allegedly committed is failing to apply to the local council for approval to build the bunker and underground shooting range.’
‘That’s how outdated and weak our 50-year-old firearms laws are here in WA, and that’s why the Western Australian Police Force has asked us to completely overhaul them,’ he continued.
Footage of the underground bunker was released to the public. Credit: WA Police
‘Why he needed that many high-powered rifles in a secret underground shooting range is beyond me,’ the police minister remarked.
The ban will come into effect on July 1, 2023, and will outlaw firearms and ammunition designed to shoot over long ranges. According to authorities, there are 56 types of guns and 19 calibres of ammunition that will be made illegal.
The 248 licenced firearms currently registered in WA will have to be disposed of before then. The government will fund a buyback scheme for the firearms, purchasing them from their owners at their current market value. The estimated total cost to taxpayers amounts to $1.5 million.
Premier Mark McGowan said that these were the sort of guns that can fire four kilometres, can use armour-piercing rounds, and were seen being used in the Ukraine-Russia war.
You can watch the police footage of the underground bunker below:
However, not everyone is pleased with the sudden reform, as pastoralists and firearms traders say they’ve been ‘blindsided’ by the government’s lack of consultation.
Prenti Downs Station manager Jack Carmody said he already spent thousands of dollars managing large feral animals on his property, which is 300 km east of Wiluna in the state’s far northern Goldfields.
Mr Carmody said that access to high-powered firearms would make pest control on his property more effective and achieve better animal welfare outcomes.
He dismissed the minister’s comments that firearms weren’t required in WA.
‘They haven't come to the communities that are having their water sources damaged or destroyed by feral animals, and they haven't seen the animals shot by low calibre firearms,’ he explained.
Mr Carmody alleged that those in government positions ‘don’t see the reality’.
‘There have been zero consultations with people such as myself or other shooting and advocacy groups to find out what the practical use of these firearms are,’ he claimed.
Meanwhile, Geraldton resident Chris Adams said that a history of firearms violence in his extended family highlighted the need for law reforms.
He shared that he’s spent a decade managing wild animals in the Pilbara but mentioned that none of the 56 firearms to be banned by the government were needed to control pests in WA.
‘For everyone to be safe in the city, they need public gun depositories, where you can put your gun in a central base where it is locked tight and secure,’ he stated.
Mr Adams added: ‘If you have an argument and emotion comes into it, people can lose their state of mind, go for their firearms and kill their partners.’
Bevan Steele, WA Firearm Traders Association President, declared that the firearms and agricultural industries had been ‘blindsided’ by the government’s announcement.
‘There was no announcement, there was no inkling — there's been no consultation in terms of a buyback,’ Mr Steel claimed. In his opinion, high-calibre weapons weren’t used by a large number of farmers but were considered ‘critical tools’ for those who did use them.
‘It'd be the same as the government coming and putting a stop on 400 horsepower and above tractors for doing their work,’ Mr Steele concluded.
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