Gun owners and sporting shooters in the region have defended their sport after the University of Sydney released a report showing gun stocks were back to levels seen prior to the Howard government buy back following the Port Arthur Massacre in 1996.

The report indentified modern gun owners purchasing imported guns as "a disturbingly average group of people".

Queensland Sports Shooters Association Australia president Geoff Jones said anyone who thought the increase in gun imports was to create a stockpile for inappropriate uses was wrong.

"Since Port Arthur the population of Australia has increased and the interest in responsible shooting has increased right across the board," he said.

"Just like fisherman collect fishing rods, people who do sport shooting collect guns as well."

He said the report release by the university was a tool to start debate and give anti-gun factions in the community an opportunity to call for more restriction on gun ownership.

"Getting a firearm through Queensland is exceptionally difficult these day," he said.

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"Even the people who have been vetted by police are looked into every time they want to acquire a new gun."

Mount Isa Gun Club Assocation president Mick Coleman was on of the many who surrendered his semi-automatic gun during the buyback in 1997.

"A lot of our members and people I knew surrendered their guns," he said.

"Most of us have bought new ones since for our sport, so what was taken has probably been replaced because people still have an interest in it"

Representing the full bore target shooting sporting community in Mount Isa, NQ Rifle Association's Mount Isa Club Captain Matthew Smith, said he had the utmost respect for the sport but was disappointed with the public's reaction to his hobby.

"It's one of the oldest sports in Australia but when people hear I own a gun they just walk away," he said.

Mr Smith, who joined the NQRA after the government buyback in 1997, said the semi-automatic weapons they were targeting have all but disappeared from the country.

"Certain people can still purchase them but the process is beyond what most people can handle," he said.

"Stockmen and people out at stations can still be eligible but there are lots of restrictions on them - they need better storage and who can use them is very limited."

The shooting enthusiast said he was confused about the governments decision to ban a particular type of gun after the Port Arthur Massacre rather than look at man behind weapon.

"Put it this way, if we have 300 deaths on the roads do we ban a particular type of motor vehicle?" he said.

"We banned a particular type of firearm because of the Port Arthur Massacre but the thing is we banned the inanimate object and didn't' do much about looking at the person behind it.

"Their response should have been more about education with a focus on the mental health of those with access to a fire arm."

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman announced he would conduct and promote a statewide amnesty campaign for illegal and unregistered firearms in 2013 as part of his six month action plan.

Kennedy MP Bob Katter said Queensland was one of the most restrictive places on earth when it came to gun ownership, but doubted the restrictions had anything to do with safety.

"In the three years after the buyback the number of deaths were higher than in the three years before," he said.

"In one year in Queensland when we had no gun laws at all we had 8 deaths with guns," he said.

"New South Whales, who had stringent gun laws and twice our population, had 34 deaths from guns and victoria with draconian gun laws had 54 deaths with guns."

He said people becoming licensed through gun clubs was a positive thing for the sport and ownership generally.

"The government never attacks the right people when it comes to gun laws," he said.

"I think being licensed through gun clubs is good because they can monitor the mental health of their members."