GPs are being tasked with conducting health assessments that ensure that gun owners in WA have the physical and mental capacity to shoot straight, hold a firearm steady and are equipped with adequate impulse control.

New legislation that came into effect this month means that some 90,000 gun owners in the state have to undergo regular health assessments to ensure they are fit to hold a firearms licence.

The RACGP says the laws place GPs in a “complex situation”, adding that many doctors felt uneasy about making determinations that have significant consequences for both patient relationships and community safety.

The WA Police Force has produced an 18-page guideline booklet for its Firearm Authority Health Assessment where doctors are advised that to use a firearm safely, applicants require the ability to “accurately aim at and hit a target”, “hold the firearm steady” and possess emotional and impulse control.