Thread: New range laws and shooting on unregistered ranges

I shoot a fair bit on the back of my mates farm
For load Development etc this is not a range just a nice flat paddock with a good natural background the primary Use is farming not shooting


Has been Rumours that the new laws being released shortly have Restrictions on private property shooting not sure exactly what

Dose anyone have any facts on what the plans are?

Then I guess you are now doing "pest control"

Originally Posted by Taupohunter

Then I guess you are now doing "pest control"

wasps are pests too! I'd like to see someone prove there was not a wasp on that target.

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

wasps are pests too! I'd like to see someone prove there was not a wasp on that target.

The way things are you would have to prove that there was a wasp nest its all backwards these days remember bro

Originally Posted by rambo-6mmrem

I shoot a fair bit on the back of my mates farm
For load Development etc this is not a range just a nice flat paddock with a good natural background the primary Use is farming not shooting


Has been Rumours that the new laws being released shortly have Restrictions on private property shooting not sure exactly what

Dose anyone have any facts on what the plans are?

In theory yes, the 'range' will need to follow templates and be certified.
Practically, no one is going to pay attention except for the organised PRS style competition shoots on farms.

Its a cluster f**k.
The public consultation and committee report itself said there was no record of issues. It was just creating regulations because none existed.

It already applies in Australia.

We are allowed to "sight in" on private property.

If you want a private range it's going to have regulations.

Be sensible about it and hope the police implement the laws with commonsense. It should not affect the majority or make it impossible. At least I don't think that's the intention.
Use common sense and good judgement you should be ok.
Load development (sighting in different loads)

Originally Posted by CBH Australia

It already applies in Australia.

We are allowed to "sight in" on private property.

If you want a private range it's going to have regulations.

Be sensible about it and hope the police implement the laws with commonsense. It should not affect the majority or make it impossible. At least I don't think that's the intention.
Use common sense and good judgement you should be ok.
Load development (sighting in different loads)

Might apply to New South Wales but not to Victoria we can do as much shooting as we like over 3-hours.
As Long as theres less than 10 people only thing we're not allowed to do is have permanent infrastructure .

The regulation is designed to catch club ranges. Sighting-in on a mates property is just the same as hunting on that property. So long as you are entitled to be there and observe all safety protocols then you are good to go.

Originally Posted by gundoc

The regulation is designed to catch club ranges. Sighting-in on a mates property is just the same as hunting on that property. So long as you are entitled to be there and observe all safety protocols then you are good to go.

This is the answer I was hoping to see, I have access to a farm to sight in my rifle but not allowed to hunt there yet. Although last time I was there I helped draft a mob of about 150 ewes and lambs so hopefully he thinks I'm a good c~^t now.

Originally Posted by gundoc

The regulation is designed to catch club ranges. Sighting-in on a mates property is just the same as hunting on that property. So long as you are entitled to be there and observe all safety protocols then you are good to go.

The Act is quite specific and all encompassing:
Shooting activities—
(a) means activities that are carried out using a firearm or an airgun for the purpose of shooting at inanimate targets (whether fixed or moving); but
(b) excludes—
(i) paintball shooting; and
(ii) airsoft shooting

The Regulations should hopefully be out for public comment in the next few weeks.

It looks as though the Police will choose not to require range certification for an "ad hoc sighting in range". The new draft Police Range Manual that slightly expands on this definition should come out for public comment with the Regulations. I really hope the Police put their interpretation in the Regulations because just because the Police choose not to require certification doesn't mean it isn't against the Act.

I am one of the Shooting Range Inspectors trained and recognised by the Police (note that the majority of us are not Police, but involved with shooting disciplines).
We do the inspection, and write the report for the club or individual, which they forward to the Police.
We try to be as pragmatic and practical as possible - we are not here to shut ranges!!!

As Gillie has said, wait for the Information and consultation process.

Note the interpretation under the Act is:
shooting range—
(a) means a facility (whether indoor or outdoor), or a designated area of land, used by a shooting club or members of the public for the primary purpose of carrying out shooting activities; and
(b) includes any defence area (as that term is defined in section 2(1) of the Defence Act 1990) used by a shooting club.

BB

The idiocy of the new laws being promoted by the police is that essentially you do not have to be a fit and proper person to vote. Would have thought the latter was a more important right.

Yes @7mmwsm, I am comfirming they are different.
Note the words in the Act :"the primary purpose of carrying out shooting activities". I believe that the primary purpose of a farm is farming.

BB.

Originally Posted by Basenjiboy

Yes @7mmwsm, I am comfirming they are different.
Note the words in the Act :"the primary purpose of carrying out shooting activities". I believe that the primary purpose of a farm is farming.

BB.

Just to let you know the Police have taken the exact opposite view point as this. They read the Act as saying the public primarily use the land for shooting when they are there - Not the land's primary use is shooting.

Originally Posted by Gillie

Just to let you know the Police have taken the exact opposite view point as this. They read the Act as saying the public primarily use the land for shooting when they are there - Not the land's primary use is shooting.

Do you have a source for the police policy interpretation? iirc the wording was changed to primary use for this exact reason, to exempt shooting on private land from the range regulations.

Imo the wording is fairly clear