Why is ABC running the PHON gun story?

It's a little bit about making Australia safer and a hell of a lot to do with the preferencing of PHON by the Liberals/Nationals.
PHON is a potential threat to Labor so the ALP supporting ABC run with the gun story to try and neutralise this by forcing PHON to the bottom of the preference league.
All is politics and the ABC will use all their Goebbell's techiques to achieve the Left agenda.