A MAJOR southeast Queensland council wants its pest assassins to use firearm silencers — which are banned alongside rocket launchers — to help control a growing feral deer population.

Logan City Council wants the State Government to provide a Ministerial exemption, or change the laws, to permit local governments to use silencers or noise suppressors to kill local pests.

Both devices are category R weapons, placing them alongside bazookas or antitank rifles as banned weapons in Queensland.

The move is the latest ploy by a local government to control rampant suburban pests after and an application by Brisbane City Council to use silencers or suppressors last year was refused by Police Minister Mark Ryan.

In a motion for debate at next month’s Local Government Association of Queensland conference, Logan City Council argues vermin deer have become a problem along its river systems.

“There have been isolated instances, for example, of people hitting deer with cars in these areas,” a council spokeswoman said.

“While the issue is due to a minor prevalence of feral deer at this point in time, council expects the challenge to increase in significance over the next five to 10 years.”

Suppressors are legal in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, while NSW issues silencer permits for animal control, with anecdotal evidence suggesting silencers have increased the amount of deer in a mob that can be shot at any one time.

Brisbane City Council’s community services boss Matthew Bourke was still considering support for the motion but said the city’s western suburbs were populated with about 400 feral deer.

“Feral deer cause damage to native vegetation, erosions of creek banks, spread of diseases and are a threat to public safety from stags,” Cr Bourke said.

“This year alone there has also been three serious traffic accidents between deer and vehicles on major roads.”

However, any move apply for silencers to be used looks set to be shut down, with the Queensland Police Service’s weapons licensing branch telling The Courier-Mail it would not “issue a licence or exemption for a category R weapon for any purpose in Queensland.”