A Victorian National Party MP has been charged with firearms offences, creating a fresh headache for the minority Napthine government.
In a statement provided to AAP, Mildura MP Peter Crisp says he rejects the charges, which arose from a theft of three firearms from his NSW farm that he then reported to police.
"I reject charges relating to unlicensed possession of a prohibited firearm on my primary production land," he said.
"All reasonable precaution was taken to ensure the safe storage of these firearms."
Mr Crisp has been charged with keeping unregistered guns at his farm, on the NSW side of the Murray River, the Herald Sun reported.
Keeping an unauthorised prohibited firearm is an indictable offence drawing up to a maximum 14 years' jail.
If Mr Crisp is convicted or found guilty of an indictable offence carrying a penalty of five years imprisonment or more, he would be ineligible to sit in State Parliament, meaning there will have to be a by-election for his seat of Mildura.
Mr Crisp said he has always held the appropriate firearms licences in NSW and Victoria and and at firearms have been properly registered at all times.
"I will be strongly defending all charges," he said.
The development is a new headache for the minority Napthine government, which already relies on the vote of Independent MP Geoff Shaw to get laws through parliament.
