Looks Like Australia May Overturn the Ban on the Adler A110 Shotgun After All

The A110 is a lever action shotgun manufactured by Adler Arms in Turkey. It can carry seven three-inch shells, which can be reloaded in quick action-lever succession. Its opponents say this effectively dials the gun's operation up to that of a semi-automatic weapon.

The Adler was banned by the Abbott Government back in 2014. For six months initially, which was then extended to a year, to give officials time to consider a review of the National Firearms Agreement (NFA). The ban has stuck, sort of.

The 2016 election was prompted by a double dissolution because the Coalition was determined to return the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) its former power. Half of the ABCC's initial role was to stamp out corruption in the building industry, which Labor opposed, claiming it would become a witch hunt.

Now, several months after the election returned the Coalition to government, Turnbull is determined to force changes to the ABCC through the Senate. This is where NSW libertarian Senator and Adler A110 supporter David Leyonhjelm comes in.

On Tuesday, Leyonhjelm offered to support the changes to the ABCC in return for an overturn of the A110 ban. Malcolm Turnbull stated the ban was "set in stone," although Labor and even Tony Abbott accused him of "horse trading" guns for votes. And now it seems that even if Turnbull won't do this, others will.

Two other Senators, Bridget McKenzie and New South Wales Police Minister Troy Grant, have stepped in to support the reforms in exchange for an overturn of the gun ban.

In a statement to the ABC, Grant argued that "legal firearm owners need to stop being blamed for criminal activity involving illegal guns used by gangs and terrorists… get off the backs of hard-working decent farmers and sport and recreational shooters."

Likewise Victorian senator Bridget McKenzie argued that her support for the gun didn't contravene the government's commitment to gun control. "I don't think anybody is arguing for a weakening of the National Firearms Agreement," she told the Senate. "And not everybody wants to own a lever-action firearm… But there are several thousand Australians who do, and already have purchased the seven-shot lever-action firearm."

While it's unknown how this debate will turn, it's important to note that the ban is effectively toothless anyway. The ban only applies to the seven-shell version of the gun. Anyone who wants an Adler A110 can by a perfectly legal version, which stores only five shells.

With a slight modification using a "magazine extension tube" the five-shot can quickly be turned into a 10-shot gun. And this after-sale modification actually makes the gun cheaper, saving the owner $165.