From August 30, category A and B firearms must be stored in a purpose-built gun safe, with a steel thickness of at least 1.6mm. If the safe weighs less than 150kg, it must also be secured to the wall or ground.
The safe must be locked with a ‘sturdy lock’.
Category A firearms include slug guns, 0.22 rifles and shotguns.
Category B covers guns like centre-fire rifles and lever-action shotguns.
Shepparton divisional firearms officer Leading Senior Constable Dean Lloyd advised firearms owners to upgrade soon if their storage did not already comply.
“It’s going to put a lot of pressure on safe manufacturers,” he said.
“But everyone’s pretty conscientious.”
Leading Sen Constable Lloyd said while many gun owners in the area had already made the upgrades, there would be some who had old wooden gun cabinets that would no longer be up to standard.
“In the three years that I’ve been conducting inspections, there’s only about a dozen or so that won’t comply,” he said.
“It’s been really pleasing.”
He also asked gun owners to be as discreet as possible when accessing their firearms.
“Keep them out of sight as much as possible,” Leading Sen Constable Lloyd said.
“If your gun safe is in your carport, keep the garage door closed when you’re accessing your guns.”
If you own more than 15 firearms, the safe also must be fitted with an audio and visual alarm.
Leading Sen Constable Lloyd also warned firearms licence holders that renewals were taking longer than usual to process.
He said if licence holders had any questions, they should contact the DFO at their local police station.
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