How two paranoid and weapons-obsessed brothers who gunned down two cops were able to amass ‘considerable weaponry’
- Queensland Police Union head said weapons licensing system must be reviewed
- Two police officers and a civilian were murdered by three ‘remorseless’ gunmen
- Brothers Nathaniel and Gareth Train, and Stacey Train, amassed deadly weapons
Australia’s weapons licensing system needs to be reviewed, according to the Queensland Police Union (QPU) chief, after two police officers and a bystander were shot dead on Monday.
The officers, Constable Rachel McCrow and Constable Matthew Arnold, and a member of the public, Alan Dare, were murdered by three ‘remorseless, ruthless’ gunmen.
Brothers Nathaniel and Gareth Train, as well as Stacey Train, got hold of the ‘considerable weaponry’ to carry out the attack on four young police officers, of which two escaped with their lives.
All three of the Trains are said to have been deep into paranoid, anti-authority conspiracy theories.
Nathaniel Train (pictured), along with his bother Gareth Train, as well as Stacey Train, got hold of the ‘considerable weaponry’
Gareth Train (pictured) was deep into paranoid, anti-authority conspiracy theories
Head of QPU Ian Leavers said there needs to be an examination of how guns and other weapons are licensed.
‘Weapons are not an issue in the right hands but you need to look at the weapons licensing system, the national database,’ he said.
‘Can that be better, should it be better where people move from state to state?’
At the centre of the ambush attack is former school principal Nathaniel Train, who had relocated from NSW to Queensland before the attack.
Mr Leavers singled out the movement of people between states as a potential weak link in the system, saying that there should be ‘uniformity right across the board’.
‘And if things can be done better, all states need to work together so we have the best system available, so we have the best intelligence to keep the community of Queensland and the rest of the community safe,’ he said.
Constable Rachel McCrow (pictured) was killed in an ambush in rural Queensland on Monday
Constable Matthew Arnold (pictured) was also killed in the ambush at a property in Wieambilla
An examination of the system that keeps track of firearms and weapons in Australia will be looked at as officers look into the incident.
‘Where firearms fall into the wrong hands, that’s when we should be concerned and that will form part of the investigation,’ said Mr Leavers.
‘And if things can be done better all states need to work together so we have the best system available, so we have the best intelligence to keep the community of Queensland and the rest of the community safe.
Queensland Police Union head Ian Leavers (pictured)
The four officers, including Constable Randall Kirk and Constable Keely Brough who barely escaped with their lives, had been undertaking a routine stop while investigating a missing person’s report into Nathaniel Train.
The group had driven out to Gareth Train’s property in Wieambilla and honked the horn to alert the residents of their presence before jumping a fence to enter the property.
Seconds later, they were met with a hail of gunfire that killed Constable McCrow and Constable Arnold.
Mr Leavers flagged concerns for police officers who needed to be kept safe while ‘doing their job’.
‘Because these tragedies should not take place,’ he said.
‘We are not used to seeing this in Australia. This is what we hear about in countries like the United States and we need to be very careful.
‘But we need to analyse that and that will be done in-depth.’
Pictured is the house the Train brothers and Stacey Train lived in in rural Wieambilla in Queensland
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