A Victorian coroner has proposed that firearm license applicants and renewal candidates be required to provide objective medical evidence of mental wellbeing.

一名維多利亞州死因裁判官建議，槍械執照的申請者與續期候選人應被要求提供客觀的心理健康醫療證明。

The recommendation follows an inquiry into the death of a 42-year-old resident of Gippsland, identified as 'AT', who committed suicide in December 2024. Despite a clinical history involving depression, adjustment disorder, and ketamine misuse—including a hospital admission in August 2021—the decedent failed to disclose these factors during the five-year license renewal process. This case underscores a systemic reliance on self-reporting, which Coroner Simon McGregor characterized as a 'rubber stamping' mechanism rather than a rigorous vetting procedure. Statistical data from the Coroners Prevention Unit indicates that 342 firearm-related suicides occurred in Victoria between 2016 and 2025.

該建議源於對一名居住在 Gippsland 的 42 歲居民（代號為「AT」）死亡事件的調查，該名居民於 2024 年 12 月自殺。儘管其臨床病史涉及憂鬱症、適應障礙及氯胺酮（ketamine）濫用——包括 2021 年 8 月曾入院治療——但死者在五年一次的執照續期過程中未能披露這些因素。此案例凸顯了系統對自我申報的依賴，死因裁判官 Simon McGregor 將其描述為一種「蓋章通過」機制，而非嚴格的審查程序。根據死因裁判防止單位的統計數據，維多利亞州在 2016 年至 2025 年間共發生 342 起與槍械相關的自殺事件。

Furthermore, the inquiry highlighted critical information asymmetries within child protection frameworks. Two months prior to the fatality, the decedent was involved in an alleged family violence incident that initiated a child protection investigation; however, investigators remained unaware of the five firearms present on the premises. Consequently, Judge McGregor recommended that child protection practitioners be granted access to firearm licensure data to better mitigate domestic violence risks.

此外，調查強調了兒童保護框架內關鍵的資訊不對稱問題。在死亡事件發生前兩個月，死者涉嫌捲入一起家庭暴力事件，由此觸發了兒童保護調查；然而，調查人員當時並不 aware 該處所內有五把槍械。因此，McGregor 法官建議應授權兒童保護從業人員獲取槍械執照數據，以更好地降低家庭暴力風險。

These findings intersect with the state government's response to the Rapid Review of Victoria's Firearm Laws, commissioned after the December 14 Bondi Beach terrorist attack. While the administration accepted 15 of 16 recommendations—including strengthened oversight for renewals and the restriction of ownership to citizens—it rejected the proposal to cap firearm ownership at four units. Regarding the proposed reporting pathway for medical practitioners to notify Victoria Police of a patient's diminished fitness, Judge McGregor posited that such a measure is impractical, as clinicians are generally unaware of a patient's licensure status. He argued that shifting the evidentiary burden to the applicant via mandatory medical certification would be more efficacious and less resource-intensive.

這些發現與州政府對《維多利亞州槍械法快速審查》的回應相交織，該審查是在 12 月 14 日邦代海灘（Bondi Beach）恐攻事件後委託進行的。雖然政府接受了 16 項建議中的 15 項——包括強化續期監管及將所有權限於公民——但拒絕了將槍械擁有量上限設定為四把的提案。關於建議由醫療從業人員向維多利亞警方通報患者適任能力下降的報告路徑，McGregor 法官認為此舉並不切實際，因為臨床醫生通常不知道患者的執照狀態。他主張透過強制醫療證明將舉證責任轉移至申請人身上，將會更有效且更節省資源。

The Victorian government is currently reviewing the coronial recommendation to mandate medical evidence for firearm licensure.

維多利亞州政府目前正在審查死因裁判官關於強制提供醫療證明以獲取槍械執照的建議。