Adjudication No. 872 (July 1996) [1996] APC 46

ADJUDICATION No. 872 (July 1996)

The Australian Press Council has upheld a complaint by Mark Behan, President of the Victorian Amateur Pistol Association, against The Herald Sun, Melbourne, about an illustration showing seven guns and their ranges. This was part of the newspaper's coverage of the gun debate and was published on 9 May 1996.

Mr Behan suggested that the ranges quoted were inaccurate. The newspaper replied that the reporter had visited the Victorian Police Firearms Control Registry and had spoken to a police firearms expert. It also said that most of the distances were in a booklet issued to prospective gun owners.

Mr Behan claims that the policeman, who allegedly admits he is not an expert, denies, in particular, that he said a shotgun pictured has a range of 400 metres. As the police themselves have not complained to the newspaper, it insisted that it must have some substantiation before it would treat the article as wrong.

Mr Behan called for a correction to be published by the paper.

In the light of the claims made by Mr Behan, the Council believes the newspaper should have rechecked the information and published any appropriate correction.