Australian police renew calls for national firearms database following mass shootings in the US

Federal police have renewed their plea for a proper national firearms database in the wake of the Texas school shootings, a reform that successive Australian governments have struggled to implement since it was first recommended 30 years ago.

The recommendation has been repeatedly made, including after the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, and efforts to create a national database were fast-tracked after the Lindt cafe siege in 2014.

But early attempts to establish a national system have struggled.

But the Australian Firearms Information Network, run by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, has been undermined by the inconsistent and often incomplete or inaccurate data held by the various states and territories on weapons in their jurisdictions.

The Australian Federal Police Association (AFPA) told Guardian Australia it has been lobbying for the creation of a true national firearms database for the past three years.

The AFPA are also calling for a ban on importing ammunition for weapons that cannot be privately owned in Australia.

It also wants laws to restrict ammunition purchases by licensed firearms owners, so they can only buy ammo for the guns they are legally licensed to possess.

The AFPA say they have no intention of impinging on legitimate and licensed gun owners.