Thread: Firearms in Vehicles

Hey team,

Got a question for the more educated;

What are the laws around leaving a firearm unattended in a vehicle?

For example i’m on my way to the range and need to stop at the shops and leave the rifle in the locked truck?

Or a more extreme example of a mate and I go hunting, both bring a rifle and then decide we only want to take 1 with us. Can we leave the rifle in the car if we take the bolt for it with us?

Please advice,

cheers,

7RMBoy

From the Arms Code (2013)
https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/def...-code-2013.pdf

Car
• You may not leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle.
‘Unattended’ means no-one is in, near or able to watch the vehicle.
• If possible, make the firearm inoperable e.g. by taking out the bolt.
• You cannot drive a vehicle on a road with a loaded firearm.
This includes the magazine – it must be empty.
• Even on private property it is dangerous to have a loaded firearm in a vehicle,
or to get in or out of the vehicle with a loaded firearm.
• Be careful when moving your firearm in or out of a vehicle.
Treat it as loaded. Do not point it at yourself or at anyone else.
Do not pull it towards you by the muzzle.

That's the official version.
The law is an arse.

How well will it work if you need to go to the bank (or cafe) on your long trip?
You take your firearms soft or hard case with you.
The bank won't let you in.
Nek minute the AOS come racing around the corner .....

A practical, but illegal solution is to always take your bolt(s) with you when you leave the vehicle.
Then, at least, you're leaving an inoperative firearm in the locked vehicle. Cover/hide the firearm too.

Originally Posted by Cyclops

From the Arms Code (2013)
https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/def...-code-2013.pdf

So where they say “if possible, make the firearm inoperable” does that mean you ‘can’ leave it unattended if i take the bolt with me? Or is it just a blanket no? Seems to contradict itself there

just a blanket no. not even meant to leave a vehicle and go in to a public toilet.

Originally Posted by 7RMBoy

So where they say “if possible, make the firearm inoperable” does that mean you ‘can’ leave it unattended if i take the bolt with me? Or is it just a blanket no? Seems to contradict itself there

No.

Car
• You may not leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle.
‘Unattended’ means no-one is in, near or able to watch the vehicle.

Though it may or may not be what many practical firearm owners do.

Cheers for that guys. Guess the law doesn’t make practical sense as often as it should

Car
• You may not leave a firearm in an unattended vehicle.
‘Unattended’ means no-one is in, near or able to watch the vehicle.
• If possible, make the firearm inoperable e.g. by taking out the bolt.
• You cannot drive a vehicle on a road with a loaded firearm.
This includes the magazine – it must be empty.
• Even on private property it is dangerous to have a loaded firearm in a vehicle,
or to get in or out of the vehicle with a loaded firearm.
• Be careful when moving your firearm in or out of a vehicle.
Treat it as loaded. Do not point it at yourself or at anyone else.
Do not pull it towards you by the muzzle.

I wonder how many of these the police actually break this on a daily basis.

Sadly, this is a load of bollocks and leaves shooters/hunters with no choice but to potentially break the law. You cant leave it unattended, yet you cant take it with you, what a load of bollocks, just shows these clowns who make the law really have no fucking common sense.

You would have to be pretty dumb to leave a rifle in a vehicle while you went hunting, I heard of two hunters vehicles broken into on Sunday, parked beside a major highway, and only a couple of km from where I parked on Friday. You would get no sympathy from the police, or from me.

Not saying it’s been done mate, just a hypothetical situation on the legality of it. But i hear you, wouldn’t be something i’d do

Take it with you, in a bag.

I asked the Police about leaving firearms in my vehicle whilst walking thru Local botanical gardens. Response was “just don’t go too far away.” FFS! My solution is to hard case the rifle and tow it behind me in one of those shopping trundlers little old ladies use. I use the same rig for transporting up to three hard cases from car park down to range at local TECT facility. Works a treat and I’m old enough to shrug off the sniggers. Paid $2 for the brand new trundler at garage sale.

Originally Posted by Cyclops

From the Arms Code (2013)
https://www.police.govt.nz/sites/def...-code-2013.pdf



That's the official version.
The law is an arse.

How well will it work if you need to go to the bank (or cafe) on your long trip?
You take your firearms soft or hard case with you.
The bank won't let you in.
Nek minute the AOS come racing around the corner .....

A practical, but illegal solution is to always take your bolt(s) with you when you leave the vehicle.
Then, at least, you're leaving an inoperative firearm in the locked vehicle. Cover/hide the firearm too.

The way the law is written it seems to to have taken into account Finnwolfs, Bergaras etc...bolts indeed!

Originally Posted by Ingrid 51

I asked the Police about leaving firearms in my vehicle whilst walking thru Local botanical gardens. Response was “just don’t go too far away.” FFS! My solution is to hard case the rifle and tow it behind me in one of those shopping trundlers little old ladies use. I use the same rig for transporting up to three hard cases from car park down to range at local TECT facility. Works a treat and I’m old enough to shrug off the sniggers. Paid $2 for the brand new trundler at garage sale.

Put musical instrument stickers all over your hard case.
It will look like a keyboard case etc.

And don't take any advice or instruction from the police unless it is in writing and signed/dated etc.

This aspect of the law is a total pain in the arse. There have been a few threads about it recently. Not sure what they do in other countries.

If it don't work,it don't work. It's a joke and mature fwits make laws like this? At times I have to secure my firearms in the back of a ute, I have no choice, when there is four or five of them and some in their own cases! I can't fix stupid? I just do my best