The family of Torrington man Keith Blessing has again been compelled to correct the public record on his firearms licence, after federal Member for New England Barnaby Joyce became the latest political figure to claim that the licence of the man who shot a home intruder in June was being taken away. Daughter Kathy Blessing confirmed to New England Times that her father’s licence has not been revoked. It has only been suspended, which she said was normal following any incident involving a gun. The clarification followed days of claims across social media, conservative media outlets and even the NSW Parliament that the 75-year-old had lost his licence permanently. The controversy stems from a violent confrontation in the early hours of Thursday, 4 June, at the Blessing family home on Torrington Road. Police allege that Joshua Dylan Trethewey, 34, forced his way into the house and stabbed Keith Blessing and his wife Di with a knife. During the struggle, Mr Blessing slashed the attacker with a kitchen knife and the man left the house. Trethewey then allegedly tried to force his way back inside before officers could reach the property, and Mr Blessing shot him once in the abdomen with a legally owned and registered firearm. Police at the time acknowledged that the Blessings had a right to defend themselves, with New England Police Superintendent Chris McKinnon stating: “A person is entitled to use reasonable force to defend themselves.” Days later, speaking on Sydney radio station 2GB, Premier Chris Minns also backed the Torrington grandfather. “I think Keith acted like a hero in these circumstances,” Mr Minns said. Police said in June they could not rule out charges against Mr Blessing until the investigation was complete, but no charges have been announced.
That investigation has been the central reason for the administrative limbo in which Mr Blessing now finds himself. His daughter’s confirmation that the licence had not been revoked came only after the family watched a wave of false information sweep through political circles and online platforms. It began in earnest after a social media post from Keith’s wife Di, who tried to set the record straight. “Just correcting a misunderstanding,” she wrote. “Keith’s firearm license was suspended back in June due to the police enquiry. Keith recently phoned the Firearms Licensing Board to enquire whether it could be restored to him and was told it could take a further 12 months for them to make a decision (to restore or revoked).” That means the outcome is still undecided. The family may have to wait up to a year before learning whether the licence will be restored or permanently revoked, and no decision has yet been made either way. The suspension, while distressing for a man who used his firearm in a moment of extreme peril, is not unique. Any incident involving a firearm in NSW typically triggers a suspension pending investigation, regardless of whether the person involved is ultimately found to have acted lawfully. For the Blessing family, however, the distinction between suspension and revocation has been repeatedly blurred by commentators and politicians with their own agendas.
Despite the family’s clear correction, the misinformation continued to spread rapidly. Much of the claim has come from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, which is in full campaign mode ahead of the March 2027 state election. The party’s MLC Mark Banasiak told NSW Parliament on September 16 that the licence had been revoked, a claim that was demonstrably false. “Unfortunately this Premier’s words are not worth much, as Keith Blessing has now had his firearms licence revoked,” Mr Banasiak said. “Hero in June. Unfit in September.” The party’s NSW State Director, Robert Borsak Jnr, also repeated the false claim in an opinion piece for Sporting Shooter magazine on Tuesday, 22 September, writing that the Firearms Registry had revoked the licence. Mr Borsak Jnr is the son of the party’s long-serving MLC, Robert Borsak. The opinion piece further argued that Mr Blessing had no independent avenue of appeal, because NSW Government changes had removed NCAT review of firearms licensing decisions, leaving only an internal review by NSW Police. While the appeal process is a legitimate matter of public debate, the factual foundation of the article was wrong: the licence had not been revoked. The party’s repeated references to the case suggest a deliberate attempt to turn a complex administrative matter into a political weapon against the Labor Government, with the Blessing family’s ordeal used as a backdrop for a broader anti-government narrative.
Barnaby Joyce then added his voice to the chorus, issuing a statement dated Monday, 21 September, and posted on his social media on the 24th, in which he again falsely claimed that Mr Blessing’s licence was being revoked. Mr Joyce called for Mr Blessing to be honoured rather than disarmed. “I would not be taking Keith’s gun license; I would be giving him a medal,” he stated. Describing the Blessings as “a beautiful couple, hardly a threat to anyone”, Mr Joyce claimed authorities were in the process of removing the licence, which he said showed “the total absurdity of the justice system”. He invoked the dangers of living in remote Australia, saying: “Out here we are remote and bad men know it. There are no police coming to save you if the bad man is at your door, you have to work it out for yourself or possibly be killed.” The statement then shifted into an election pitch, with Mr Joyce predicting a crushing defeat for the Labor Party. “So, here is my tip to the Labor Party. You are going to get an absolute towelling at the next election,” he said. “There is a chance you may lose.” He went on to say: “One Nation is absolutely on the side of Regional Australians, legally owning firearms and protecting themselves when in absolute peril.” He also attacked Premier Chris Minns, who had praised Mr Blessing in June, and suggested the Premier should speak to his own party room about how to extract the Government from what Mr Joyce called a very bad news story.
Mr Joyce’s intervention raised fresh questions about the motivations of those spreading the misinformation. It remains unclear whether Mr Joyce spoke with the Blessing family before releasing his statement, and it is equally unclear how the misinformation spiral first started. What is clear, however, is the pattern of political exploitation. Neither the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party nor One Nation appears to have any genuine concern for the Blessing family, or for what this added scrutiny and attention might do for their recovery from a violent attack. The case has become a convenient symbol in a broader debate about gun ownership, self-defence and regional law and order. Yet the facts of the case have been repeatedly bent to fit a political narrative. The family has been forced to watch their name and their private ordeal become the subject of parliamentary speeches, magazine columns, social media posts and media statements, all built on a claim that is false. New England Times made several attempts to contact Mr Joyce’s office by phone and email but was unable to reach him. The family’s correction, delivered simply and directly, stood in stark contrast to the inflated rhetoric of the politicians who seized on the story.
The controversy comes at a particularly tense moment for the Tenterfield Shire and surrounding areas, with remote communities already rattled by another violent crime this month. A 70-year-old woman was found decapitated at Mole River last weekend, an incident that has heightened anxieties about safety in isolated parts of the region. That context helps explain why the Blessing case has resonated so deeply with local residents, many of whom feel that law-abiding gun owners are being unfairly punished for defending themselves. But the politicisation of Keith Blessing’s situation has done little to address those anxieties, and the family says the public claims have got well ahead of the facts. For the Blessings, the question of Keith’s licence remains open. There has been no decision to revoke it, and the matter is still awaiting a formal review that could take up to a year. “To our knowledge it has not been revoked,” Mrs Blessing said. In the meantime, the family is left to deal with the aftermath of a terrifying attack, a continuing police investigation, and the stress of watching their lives being spun into a political football. The truth, for now, is simple but unresolved: Keith Blessing’s licence is suspended, not revoked, and the family must wait to learn whether the man who defended his home and wife will ever be allowed to hold a firearm again.
