SA set to force shooters to buy new safes, dob in their mates
- buy new safes;
- dob in mates who may not store their firearms properly; and
- conduct referee checks for new members of their clubs.
The proposed Firearm Regulations 2017 (SA)
The proposed SA regulations, which run for nearly three times the number of pages than the current ones, are a major rewrite in what looks like a concerted push nationally to make life more difficult and costly for shooters.
If these regulations become law, they are likely to become a template for the regulations being drafted in Victoria which come into effect next year.
What the regulations say
The proposed new regulations run for 96 pages.
Toss out your new safe. Fork out a few hundred dollars
The new regulations will outlaw safes many Cat A firearm owners have now.
Gone will be the hardwood or 1.6mm steel safes. Safes in the home will need to have steel walls at least 2mm thick and doors 3mm thick.
If your safe is in the garage, the minimum you will be able to have is a safe with 3mm plate thickness all round.
All safes will need to have at least a 3 point locking system (which basically means it needs to have one bolt which goes up, and another one go down).
For those of you with more than 20 firearms, you’ll need to install a CCTV system OR alarm monitored by a private security company approved by the Registrar. If you have more than 35 firearms, BOTH requirements will need to be satisfied.
This will not only add costs to some gun owners, but shooting clubs as well.
Dob in your mates
S90 of the new regulations will require you to dob in your mates if they don’t store their firearms or ammo properly.
If you don’t do this, you could be fined up to $2,500.
Applications to become club members
Applicants for membership to your club will need to provide the details of two referees.
S71 of the new regulations will require an office holder to have “personal contact” with those referees. Whether “personal contact” means “in person” isn’t clear – but the point here is that joining a club in South Australia is about to become similar to going for a job interview.
The new regulations contain many other new provisions which we haven’t listed here – but you can download the regs in full by clicking here.
Who was consulted?
The SA government has a Firearms Focus Group, but it is treated with contempt.
In the words of one member “Isn’t this really a reflection on the poor policies and procedures of previous governments and SA Police?”
Minister for Police, Pete Malinauskas wrote to the group late last year inviting comment, but the document sent to them was prepared by Parliamentary Counsel. This is significant because it means the consultation is well past the policy stage and only concerned with minor changes.
In other words, SA shooters have been left out of the loop.
What you can do
These regulations are not law yet and the minister is seeking input. However once this is done, it is likely he will be asked to approve the regulations by his department.
These regulations pose serious issues for shooters in SA. They could also form a template for Victoria, whose own regulations need to be remade this year.
While it may be too late to make major changes, the SA government can extend the old regulations for a limited amount of time while which would be enough time to propose something more acceptable.
This is where you can help. Even if you aren’t in SA, help us stop this – for their sake, and ours.
Send an email to Minister Malinauskas by clicking here (ministermalinauskas@sa.gov.au)) before Monday 20th February when submissions to the Minister close.
Here are some suggested words:
Dear Minister
Proposed Firearms Regulations 2017
I refer to the above.
The proposed regulations will add significant costs, mandatory reporting and other obligations on South Australian shooters. They demonstrate a lack of engagement with the shooting community.
The regulations are overly prescriptive and will cause significant damage to the South Australian shooting community, and the positive contribution shooting makes to the state. They regulations are based on assumptions which have not been tested with the shooting community.
For example there is no explanation of why new storage requirements, which will cost South Australian shooters more than $10m (not taking into account the financial impact on gun clubs), are required. Nor is there any explanation of why club membership should become more difficult to obtain, when the opposite should be encouraged. There is no explanation of why mandatory reporting is required or what the benefit is likely to be.
The risk with the approach your department is taking is that it is asking you to act on advice which hasn’t been subjected to any form of public input or transparency. This exposes you to risks which, as minister, you should not accept.
Shooters would welcome the opportunity to be properly engaged with the making of new, effective regulations, but will need your personal commitment to make that happen.
In the circumstances, I urge you to abandon the draft regulations, and extend the existing Firearm Regulations 2008 for 12 months until the SA shooting community has been properly consulted.
Only then will you have a policy instrument you can have confidence in.
Yours sincerely
[YOUR DETAILS ETC]
Thank you for helping your colleagues. It’s important we all do what we can to help every shooter, at a time when regulations around the nation are clearly orchestrating a push against us all.
Join your industry colleagues
In a few weeks time we’ll be holding the second Victorian Shooting Industry’s Forum, which is open to all associations, clubs and shooters. 
We’ll update you on what’s happening around the traps, and what your industry is doing to address it.
Don’t miss it. It’s the first time anyone has attempted to develop a whole-of-industry approach to our problems – and set a future direction for us to head off our future challenges.
Click here to grab your ticket now! It’ll be a great day. unch is included.