Thread: Question: Retaining a licence with no firearms but without secure storage facilities

Originally Posted by vulcannz

My son has just turned 16, and he has talked about getting his FAL which I am happy to support. Can he share my storage?

Yes.
We have that situation.

Has anyone ever attempted to contact an arms officer and ask if they would be willing to answer questions on the police interpretation of the law on the site? Like there could be a sticky for it or something. Just an idea?

There is "no issue" only because the Police don't know about it. If they did they would probably be obliged to follow it up. All licence holders are required to have a minimum standard of security at their place of normal residence, whether or not there are firearms only very occasionally held at that site, or even if there is no intention to ever hold firearms at the property. It makes no difference. As I put in my original post, the legislation clearly says that security must be in place. I contacted the FSA a week or so ago, and the minimum security installation that is acceptable is 1. the padlocked cable that passes through two eye bolts that has been mentioned elsewhere, or 2. the gun rack I linked to that the FSA pointed me to as an acceptable alternative to 1. As also raised above, I'm unsure in respect of the definition of normal residence. Maybe if one has 30 days to notify a change of address, if you move residence for longer than 30 days, then perhaps that is the time frame that is considered a change? It seems that those serving on military bases come under different rules, though this does not appear to follow the Arms Regulations.

That rack is what I had in the caravan bolted to the chassis they signed it off as fine.

Just been through this... Sold the house, have a rental whilst we choose the next house.
Gave my rifles (fully registered) and ammo to another licensed firearms owner to store (Thanks mate!).
Updated the registry (which you have to do by phone - they don't have an online process for transfers...) so that they are recorded as in his possession (as it may be more than 30 days which is a requirement...)
Then I get a call, I need to have a secure storage solution at the rental. Despite having zero firearms or ammo in my possession. Nope, they see it as a condition of the license.

So I have spent a few hours getting permission from the owner to drill into the structural parts of their house, installing a cable and 10mm eye bolts and quality padlocks, taking photos of them, and sending them to Wellington. Difficult to explain to the owner that this was a productive use of anyones time and money... A compliant gun storage solution for absolutely zero guns.

Hopefully the arms act review will be a bit more thought through than this current process. I have made a submission on this example.

Oh and if you use RealMe to login to the Firearms authority site, the service they use to send a verification code to your mobile only is only up during business hours. The world's first IT system on public service hours.

With processes and systems like this no wonder they claim they have such a high cost structure, most of this is waste.
- poorly worded regulations that drive nonsensical compliance requirements.
- digital systems that dont cover common use cases, so they need to be dealt with by people, making phone calls. I spent an hour on the phone.
- digital systems that are unavailable outside office hours
- multiple handling of the same case.

I guess this would have cost them a few hundred dollars in costs for what could have been a self service database update. And a day of my time and a hundred bucks of bits. So far...

You can apply for an "alternate storage location" which they will inspect and approve - and when they do that they no longer seem to require storage at your residence. I know several people who have done this.

Originally Posted by anzac_mike

You can apply for an "alternate storage location" which they will inspect and approve - and when they do that they no longer seem to require storage at your residence. I know several people who have done this.

They did not interpret the law that way for me.

The rack linked to further up in the post I would argue is next to useless as a form of security in the form shown in the photo on the webpage - I had a mate come to stay for a few days and placed his rifle in my safe. While it was in there and before he left to go on his hunt he realised he didn't have his action lock key, was on the same key ring as his four wheeler which his other half was using on the beach back home. This was one of those flexi-loop padlock things that it looks like that lock on the gun rack. He said well, I need it off - one snip with the end nippers and it was. Wasn't even a big pair of nippers, I was quite surprised and a little disappointed how easy it was to snip. I think a leatherman or the like would go through it no problem.

If you were using that style of rack, I would get a solid shackle padlock and possibly make up a plate that has a 90deg bend in it that fits over the trigger guard pin and the bend goes over behind the bolt and rear of the action. That would stop someone unscrewing the triggerguard and sliding the rifle out of the rack...

Originally Posted by Puffin

Recent reply back from the FSA on acceptable alternatives to the eyebolts, cable and padlock:
https://www.guncity.com/outdoor-outf...un-rack-389806
Back of a wardrobe, two screws into a stud.

Gun City will be very pleased to hear that the FSA is promoting their wares!