A late night attempt to reverse the ban on the controversial Adler A110 shotgun has been roundly defeated.
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The matter was resolved swiftly, unlike the last time the farmers’ friend was in the news, when the Turnbull government was caught apparently attempting to have the Adler A110 reclassified in exchange for Senator David Leyonhjelm's support on industrial relations legislation.
This wasn't the first time the government tried to use the Adler A110 ban as a bargaining chip; It was also the subject of an earlier handshake deal that never came to fruition.
Any news item that touches on the issue of gun control is going to be highly emotive, but in a way the Adler has become both the star and the villain of this tale.
Gun shop owners will tell you there are firearms on the market with a similar capability that can easily be purchased.
Part of the firearm's popularity is its price – the Adler costs $800, compared to the legal Chiappa seven-shot model that retails for $1,900.
NSW gun shop owners also say that while people wait for the ban to be lifted, the legal Adler five shot lever-action is still selling strongly, and can be modified to increase its fire power.
There are still large waiting lists for the Adler A110 as shooters wait and hope the gun will be reclassified.
Senator John ‘Wacka’ Williams's story of trying to deal with a pack of wild pigs on his farm is typical, with farmers saying they need a weapon of this capability to control pests effectively.
Some see the argument from farmers like Williams as asking for a reasonable reclassification of a single weapon to help them in the fight to eradicate feral animals.
Others see the Adler as the thin end of the wedge on gun control, and an attempt to water down John Howard’s historic anti-gun laws introduced after the Port Arthur massacre.
Indeed, the latest restrictions on the Adler A110 followed the Lindt Cafe siege, which sparked a review of the 1996 National Firearms Agreement.
The Adler is a line in the sand – a firearm strong enough to use against feral animals, or strong enough to be so dangerous it should be completely banned?
Where does that line fall?
If we really believed that only farmers have ways of getting their hands on such weapons, the answer would be easy.
