Dad who killed his two children had a gun licence usually restricted to secret service agents

A father who murdered his two children before killing himself was granted a gun license that is usually reserved for visiting Secret Service agents.

The Daily Telegraph obtained police data which shows that the gun licence Sydney man John Edwards was granted is usually reserved for security detail accompanying foreign dignitaries.

Known as the Commissioner’s Permit, Edwards was just one of 21 people granted this particular licence, out of the 52,042 gun licences granted in New South Wales in 2017.

John Edwards (pictured) the father who murdered his two children before killing himself was granted a gun license that is usually reserved for visiting Secret Service agents.

Just how Edwards was able to obtain such a specialised licence will be the focus of the inquest into the double murder-suicide.

Edwards shot and killed his son Jack, 15, and his daughter Jennifer 13, inside their West Pennant Hills home before fleeing and turning the gun on himself.

The commissioner’s licence is not granted directly by the police commissioner, but is instead handed out by the NSW Firearms registry.

It was this licence that then allowed Edwards to become a member of the St Marys Indoor Shooting Range in 2017.

Edwards shot and killed his son Jack, 15, (left) and his daughter Jennifer 13, (right) inside their West Pennant Hills home before fleeing and turning the gun on himself

Edwards repeatedly failed background checks at a number of gun clubs prior to the incident, The Daily Telegraph reported, because he had an apprehended violence order on his record.

However, people rejected by clubs for having such a history can still apply for a Commissioner’s Permit from the NSW Firearms Registry, which had the power to override the red flags that would block a standard application.

Shooters Fishers and Farmers MP Robert Borsak said the system in place had failed.

‘He is not unique in that he applied for a licence with an expired AVO and ongoing domestic issues, and after he got his full licence he then applied and got two PTAs, permissions to acquire,’ he said.

It’s believed Edwards was denied entry to a number of other gun clubs before finally being accepted by the St Mary’s Indoor Shooting Centre after he was granted the Commissioner’s Permit. 

Known as the Commissioner's Permit, Edwards was just one of 21 people granted this particular licence,usually reserved for visiting Secret Service agents (stock image)

Known as the Commissioner’s Permit, Edwards was just one of 21 people granted this particular licence,usually reserved for visiting Secret Service agents (stock image)

The club released a statement in the wake of the tragedy, expressing their deepest condolences to the family and friends affected by the double murder.

‘Privacy obligations do not permit the centre to publicly disclose the details of individual applications, other than to say they are assessed and processed in strict accordance with the legal requirements overseen by the NSW Police Firearms Registry,’ the statement read.

The permit allowed Edwards to train at the club, a step required on the path to being a licensed gun holder in New South Wales.

The term Commissioner’s Licence had been dropped in the wake of the tragic double slaying, according to the report. 

 

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