Gun violence: an update

Over the past year, there have been a large number of shootings, including drive-by shootings, in South-Western and Western Sydney.

This has given rise to great concern in the community. NSW Police have set up a special taskforce to tackle gun violence. In addition, on 14 February 2012, the NSW Government announced a number of legislative reforms. These reforms will be contained in three bills:

• Crimes Amendment (Consorting and Organised Crime) Bill 2012 (introduced on 14 February);
• Crimes (Criminal Organisations Control) Bill 2012 (introduced on 15 February);
• Firearms Amendment (Ammunition Control) Bill 2012 (introduced on 15 February).