Issue link: http://ssaansw.uberflip.com/i/721881
Benchrest: Dave Billinghurst 0418 478 160 Big Game: Robert Pretty 02 4787 7795 Colonial Action: Bob Conran 0419 423 161 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 14 Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. NSW Police Firearms Registry Safe storage inspections of licence holders' premises have been an ongoing issue for licence holders and NSW police. For police, a state-wide safe storage inspection schedule is resource intensive and, for the public, perhaps an inconvenience. An evaluation of the state-wide safe storage inspection program that ran from 2009 to 2013 resulted in the development of a new model for firearm safe storage inspections. Risk is the key to the new Safe Storage inspection program police have rolled out. Basically, it means that the greater the risk, the higher the priority for inspection. Risk factors may include the location, firearm types and numbers registered to licence holders. The Firearms Registry passes that information in the form of a risk assessment with a rating between low to extreme to the police Local Area Command. Looking at this simply, if a person has a large number of category H firearms then they are more likely to be inspected than a person who only has one category A air rifle or shotgun. Someone with a large quantity, or more restricted categories of firearms, will be a higher priority than someone with a small number of lower category firearms and therefore will be inspected first. It will flow on from there. Some important things to consider about your safe storage: • Is your safe storage compliant? • Where are your safe keys located and who has access to them? Keep them secured. • Would you inadvertently provide assistance to potential thieves? Are tools which may help someone break into your safe left in the vicinity? (eg angle grinder) • Check that you have registration papers for your firearms and keep them in a secure place. • Check that the information on registration papers matches the firearm. • Ensure that all ammunition is stored in a locked receptacle separate to firearms. We all know that firearms owners have serious obligations under section 19(2) (c) of the Firearms Act 1996, which is the requirement for licensees to permit police to conduct inspections of safe storage facilities and many have had such inspections by police in the past. Licence holders in possession of firearms have an obligation to take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the firearm is kept safely, is not lost or stolen and does not come into the possession of someone not authorised to possess the firearm. The new risk based inspection program is seeing police providing more information to licence holders to help with better safe storage compliance and more data is being collected to inform future risk factors. This is good news because it means that police will have the information to better target at-risk areas in the future. Even better news is that police continue to find that the vast majority of licensees are doing the right thing. Bruce Lyons Director, NSW Firearms Registry A NEW RISK BASED FOCUS ON SAFE STORAGE INSPECTIONS