Katter calls for teens to be armed to protect Australia from invasion

MP Bob Katter has made an extreme call to arm Australian teens to protect the country from the threat of invasion.

In an interview with Sky News, Katter revealed his defence plan saying children as young as 13 could be trained to use a firearm.

“They would be 13 and they would be trained to use that rifle,” Katter said.

“How are you going to defend this country? You’ve got no fuel, you’ve got no petrol, you’ve got no missiles, you’ve got no army.

“That was the way it was when I went to school as a kid, at 12 I was handed a giant 303 rifle as big as I was.”

He faced criticism from the public over his views.

Did I hear that correctly (Correct me if I misheard), Bob Katter on ABC TV #afternoonbriefing saying that he wants every boy and girl in Australia to own a rifle? #auspol ????????

— Anth W. ???????????????? (@anth0888) March 30, 2022

Bob Katter wants school children armed with firearms just in case China invades. WOW……..what’s in the water in Queensland. He’s nuts!

— Lipstick Queen???? (@Queen20Lover) March 31, 2022

The MP said students in major cities would have access to round-the-clock armouries for training.

“There is a firing range right in the centre of Sydney actually … it would be working 24 hours a day every day of the year,” he said.

When asked how he came to his idea, Katter suggested Australia was on the brink of invasion from China.

“Look at the aggression of China in the south Pacific; Do they want a little island in the south pacific? They want the treasure trove which is Australia,” Katter said.

“If you have five million rifles in Australia and people knowing how to use them then you have to have a 100-million-man army to invade Australia and hold it.”

It’s been confirmed China has signed a security deal with the Solomon Islands, despite protests from Australia and New Zealand, that will see Chinese navy ships and defence forces based in the Pacific.

Katter’s proposal was met with criticism from former Deputy Prime Minister Wayne Swan when speaking with the Today Show.

“We’ve got world-leading gun control measures in this country, and there’s plenty of other countries around the world that wish that they could actually do what we do,” he said.

“But if he wants to mount an argument about defending the country. It’s not by arming our kids.”

Host Ally Langdon said Katter’s suggestion made her feel “nervous”.

This is not the first time Katter has called for underage Australians to be given guns, in 2019 he suggested rifles be given to children to kill cane toads.

“The kids will be doing something useful by protecting our natural wonderland,” Katter said.