Issue link: http://ssaansw.uberflip.com/i/646314
12 Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. Legal Matters I have had a number of enquiries lately, particularly from rural property owners, regarding Police attending their premises at times when they had their firearms out of the safe but were not physically present with the firearms at the time of the Police attending. The attendance of the Police at the premises has been for many and varied reasons, including inspections of safe storage. An example of this was where a member was working on his guns and momentarily left his house to drive 200 metres into his paddock to turn off his irrigation switch, as it was the end of the season. When he returned to his house he noticed Police were in attendance to interview him regarding an application for a Collector's permit. The Police advised the member they could see unsecured firearms inside the house. Ultimately, the Police entered the premises and the member's firearms were seized, he was issued with a licence suspension notice and was ultimately charged with a number of offences regarding the firearms not being properly secured inside the premises. I did not represent this member at court so am unaware of the result of those proceedings. The point of this article is not whether the Police were over-zealous in their approach to this member or whether it was unfair to charge the member given he was only 200 metres away from his firearms at the time. The point of this article is to advise that Police have little or no tolerance when it comes to the security of firearms and breaches of the Firearms Act. I know readers will be saying how inconvenient it is to pack all your firearms and ammunition away, simply for the purpose of a 5 minute job somewhere else, only to have to unpack them again. I am sure having your firearms licence suspended, firearms seized, attending court and then trying to have your licence reinstated is a far more inconvenient exercise. So my advice to you is be careful, diligent and pack away your firearms and ammunition when these situations arise. Stephen Mainstone The information contained in this article is general in nature and should not be considered legal advice. Should you require legal advice relevant to a particular matter concerning you, it is always advisable to contact a lawyer. Mainstone Lawyers is able to provide legal advice regarding all firearms and other Police related matters. Contact our office on (02) 9531 0322, email at info@mainstonelawyers.com.au or on our website www.mainstonelawyers.com.au HOW INCONVENIENT IS IT REALLY? The Police advised the member they could see unsecured firearms inside the house. Ultimately, the Police entered the premises and... he was issued with a licence suspension notice... Benchrest: Dave Billinghurst 0418 478 160 Big Game: Robert Pretty 02 4787 7795 Colonial Action: Ross Davies 0417 436 736 Field Rifle & 3P: Gerald Watters 0414 526 621 Juniors: Julie Wilson 0414 526 620 Single Action: Dennis Jackson 0418 674 531 Pistol: Beau Griffith 02 4734 6734 Lever Action: Don Chesworth 02 6628 3979 Muzzleloading: Ian Hanlon 02 6568 7050 Rifle Silhouette: Con Smith 02 9609 1216 Combined Services: Kerry Benson 02 4572 0421 Shotgun: Greg Allen 0409 444 955 Discipline Coordinator: Dave Billinghurst 0418 478 160 Discipline Chairmen