If true, this is completely jawdropping. If false, it’s one of the biggest political head-scratchers of the year.
NSW Police just told me the firearms registry “can’t find any record of Man Monis having a firearms license in NSW”….contradicting Abbott
— Tom Steinfort (@tomsteinfort) December 17, 2014
PM @TonyAbbottMHR‘s office is sticking by the assertion that the #sydneysiege gunman did have a gun licence, despite reports that is false.
— Hugh Riminton (@hughriminton) December 17, 2014
.@davidspeers is saying on @SkyNewsAust #ManMonis did NOT have a gun licence. PM @TonyAbbottMHR says he did.
— Hugh Riminton (@hughriminton) December 17, 2014
ABC understands Monis did not have a gun licence.
— Tony Eastley (@tonyeastley) December 17, 2014
And it wouldn’t be Twitter without an appropriate level of snark.
“No he didn’t have a gun licence Tony”
“That’s stupid, you can’t get a gun without a licence”
“Tony we’ve explained this six times”
— Ben Pobjie (@benpobjie) December 17, 2014
But at the moment the issue seems to be one of total confusion.
To add further confusion, Man Monis told police in a record of interview in 2011 he had at one stage held a gun license but it had expired.
— Nick Ralston (@NickDRalston) December 17, 2014
For the record, and until this mess gets sorted out, here’s the Prime Minister’s statement from just a few short moments ago.
“There are questions to be asked when someone with such a history of infatuation with extremism, violent crime and mental instability should be in possession of a gun licence.“
