Thread: Ammo storage.

Gidday. I have a query. Is it ok to store ammo in a separate lockable compartment in my commercial gun cabinet? It has an entirely different key, kept apart from the actual cabinet keys. I read the Police guidelines as that being ok. In my case, I only have a .22LR at present.

It depends on how your local Firearms Vetter, or Police Offficer interpret thier own Guidelines.
(The good thing about the new Guidelines is they remove a lot of wiggle room).

Have confidence that you have followed the Guidelines as you understand them!

My local arms officer said I can so long as the bolt is Not in either compartment but stored elsewhere, she reckons having rifle, bolt and ammo in the one safe even though the separate compartment has a different key hidden elsewhere wasn't enough because they could steal the safe and have all the parts.

This is where it needs to be made clear. LAFO,s need to know what the legislation is. And it should be nation wide.

Originally Posted by Allizdog

This is where it needs to be made clear. LAFO,s need to know what the legislation is. And it should be nation wide.

I just had a look on the PDF on the subject, and it has a photo of my set up, and says it is acceptable for my class of firearms, as long as the key is different, and separate. Was curious what was happening in the "real" world.

It seems from what I can gather there are different rules for different regions. This is bs and needs to be sorted out so everyone is on the same page.

(b) In a lock box in a gun safe cabinet that has a different
key from the key for the gun safe cabinet, and the key
for the gun safe cabinet must be stored in a different
place from the other key
From the official Police PDF on the subject.

needs to be different keys than the compartment gund are in, apart from that it really depends what mood the arms officer is in

Yep as I said our arms officer wouldn't accept that and insisted either ammo or bolt needed to be a completely separate place so that if safe got stolen not all the required parts are in there.

What a collection of 'old wives tales'! Read Section 19 of the Arms Regulations on security requirements and you will have the facts. Basically firearms must be stored in an approved safe or strongroom, and ammunition must be stored in a separate lockable container or cupboard. You do NOT have to remove bolts, magazines, etc. unless you are transporting your firearm (a separate regulation). You do NOT have to store keys separately, etc. Security inspectors often do not know the law and make their own shit up. The law triumphs over personal 'ad hoc' decisions made by security inspectors, regardless of however important they think they are! I should add the Police Guidelines are just what they would like you to do, not necessarily what is required in the law. Think of them as the AA corner speed signs on the roads, a suggestion rather than a legal requirement.

Your choice of course, but don't complain when you find you cannot buy a replacement bolt that got misplaced by doing something you didn't need to do! Don't buy into the 'public good' crap that is a smokescreen for the eventual abolition of privately owned firearms.

I didn't 'suggest' anything, merely made a comment based on over 50 years as a gunsmith and the frequency of which I was asked to solve missing bolt problems. Keep then in the gun as the law allows. As for the rest of it, I wonder if you safety pin your trousers to your shirt in case the belt and braces fail?

Interesting thread. Currently my neighbour is still crying heaps down at the lake edge as he misplaced his ‘safely-alternatively-stored’ creedmore bolt approx two weeks ago.

lever actions, pump actions, semi 22's.

One would hope that's why they used a modicum of sense when the law was written, as it does not require the bolt in a bolt action to be removed when stored.

To add even more stupidity to the situation and the point of difference in interpretation... 1 vettor that came round to inspect my security demanded I even have separate lock boxes for the bolts and ammo. Both had to be stored completely separately to each other AND the main gun safe. Basically wanted me to have 3 safes.
Even after showing her the specific writing in law was nothing like she demanded did nothing to appease the dopey cow.