Numbers released by the police confirm that firearms violence is on the rise.
It comes following a horrific year for gun violence, something SuperValue owner Ashfaq Farooqi has experienced first-hand.
He and his wife were in the store on Boxing Day evening when two men, one wielding a gun, burst in demanding cash and cigarettes.
Everything was caught on CCTV.
"He was holding the gun on my wife's head and the other one holding the hammer," he said.
"They were shouting 'where are the cigarettes? Where are the cigarettes.'"
The couple were still traumatised by the attack, which they described as one of the worst days of their lives
"No business is safe, we don't feel safe."
Police data reveal that while the number of firearms offences has risen and fallen over the past 15 years, 2021 was the worst over that period with 1,308 firearms offences recorded.
It surpassed 2019, when there were 1,142 incidents including the mosque terror attacks.
The big increases were in grievous injuries caused by guns and firearms being used to intimidate and threaten.
These numbers cover offences recorded, not charges or convictions.
Police Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers said any firearms incident is concerning for police, particularly when a person is injured or worse.
"Police has been very open recently around some of the behaviours from organised crime groups using firearms against one another and we also note significant arrests have been made in relation to these gang tensions," he said.
"Police have also seen excellent results following the launch of Operation Tauwhiro in February last year - as of mid-December 2021, 1,369 firearms had been seized and 1,161 arrests made.
"While the data does indicate a gradual trend upwards in firearms related offences since 2013, the issue of firearms within our communities is not just confined to a single region."
The number were also concerning for Police Minister Poto Williams.
"Our communities deserve to be safe and that's why our government is committed to the reforms around arms and firearms," she said.
The Government had introduced new legislation that, if passed, would allow Firearms Protections Orders to be made that could prohibit serious criminals from having and using guns.
It would also set up a gun registry.
"We wanted to make sure we target the most serious offenders."
National police spokesperson Mark Mitchell said his party had been calling for this for some time.
"The Government has finally introduced a bill on this, but it misses out one of the key points and that is a warrant-less search," he said.
"We find ourselves in this position because we have had a soft on crime Government that has ignored pretty much every group inside the criminal justice sector."
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