Thread: Police recording serial numbers

Apparently you can ask Mr Policeman to come and record the serial numbers on your firearms, rather
Than you providing them
As there’s no guidance on how to record serial numbers, other than letters in english and arabic numerals ( 0-9 )
or what to do, if there’s no serial numbers, can I suggest you delegate that problem to the police ?
The suggestion was made ( local Antique Arms meeting ) that if it becomes yet another fu(k up, we might get some changes.
Anyway, a heads up.
Have a good weekend people.

It will be when the registry is passed into law. This is one of the proactive ways of complying while overwhelming the system causing it to collapse like doing all your entries on paper which the police will have to enter manually and therefore take ownership of transcription errors.

Consider the possibility, however remote, that after a change of government next year that a registry which records serial numbers may not eventuate.
When such things become law is the time to begin compliance with any new requirements. ONLY then, and not before.

Seeing the way they've treated firearms owners e.g. pulling FALs for minor traffic slipups etc, I'd be reluctant to give them anything at all. They've created a "them and us" culture and will have to live with it. I wouldn't give them the steam off my piss.

When I last renewed licence or similar I gave serial number to arms officer vetter.
Mind you I did know him.
A rifle I gave to a friend for his kids to use got flogged.
The fact I had recorded the serial number etc probably made it easier for mate to get insurance paid out.

Talking of police, evidently there is a young guy in training to be an AO, pistol purchased and taken to arms office, only to be looking at the business end as the new guy waved it around the room. He got a stern serve from owner on firearm handling.

Originally Posted by erniec

When I last renewed licence or similar I gave serial number to arms officer vetter.
Mind you I did know him.
A rifle I gave to a friend for his kids to use got flogged.
The fact I had recorded the serial number etc probably made it easier for mate to get insurance paid out.

Kinda like if you had written down or taken photos of the serial numbers on your firearms yourself?

Let me state right from the get go that I am no fan of Police national headquarters or the way they have treated us in the firearms community over the last few years. That said, I maintain a comprehensive list of all of my firearms including make, model, serial number, accessories and photographs. After all they are valuable assets and I want to do all I can do to assist in any future insurance claim. I have even kept the detail of firearms I no longer have and the identity of the persons that ownership of them transferred to. The Police have all of the B endorsement detail for the pistols and revolvers that I have and for some years now I have never seen any issue with voluntarily giving them the detail for all of the others that I currently hold. Whether people provide the detail to the Police or not is entirely their prerogative and I am relaxed whichever side of the discussion anyone adheres to but from my point of view, my providing the detail to Police is just another level of proof for any future insurance claim should that ever become necessary. None of my firearms are illegal and none have been used for illegitimate purposes so where is the harm.

Originally Posted by Rushy

Let me state right from the get go that I am no fan of Police national headquarters or the way they have treated us in the firearms community over the last few years. That said, I maintain a comprehensive list of all of my firearms including make, model, serial number, accessories and photographs. After all they are valuable assets and I want to do all I can do to assist in any future insurance claim. I have even kept the detail of firearms I no longer have and the identity of the persons that ownership of them transferred to. The Police have all of the B endorsement detail for the pistols and revolvers that I have and for some years now I have never seen any issue with voluntarily giving them the detail for all of the others that I currently hold. Whether people provide the detail to the Police or not is entirely their prerogative and I am relaxed whichever side of the discussion anyone adheres to but from my point of view, my providing the detail to Police is just another level of proof for any future insurance claim should that ever become necessary. None of my firearms are illegal and none have been used for illegitimate purposes so where is the harm.

I think the main trust of people that don't want to hand over is the lack of guaruntees of security of the information, and lack of transparency when the worst does happen i.e. leaks and security breaches...

Originally Posted by No.3

I think the main trust of people that don't want to hand over is the lack of guaruntees of security of the information, and lack of transparency when the worst does happen i.e. leaks and security breaches...

I understand that. I am just not that concerned if the Police were to ever mishandle the information I have given them and jeopardise the security of my firearms. I have a passion for firearms and speak about having them and using them to whomever will lend an ear (this is how I promote our sporting interests). Therefore the fact that I have firearms is likely known by hundreds if not thousands of people. I rely on the physical security measures that I have in place, my remote location and two very vocal Great Danes.

Originally Posted by Rushy

Let me state right from the get go that I am no fan of Police national headquarters or the way they have treated us in the firearms community over the last few years. That said, I maintain a comprehensive list of all of my firearms including make, model, serial number, accessories and photographs. After all they are valuable assets and I want to do all I can do to assist in any future insurance claim. I have even kept the detail of firearms I no longer have and the identity of the persons that ownership of them transferred to. The Police have all of the B endorsement detail for the pistols and revolvers that I have and for some years now I have never seen any issue with voluntarily giving them the detail for all of the others that I currently hold. Whether people provide the detail to the Police or not is entirely their prerogative and I am relaxed whichever side of the discussion anyone adheres to but from my point of view, my providing the detail to Police is just another level of proof for any future insurance claim should that ever become necessary. None of my firearms are illegal and none have been used for illegitimate purposes so where is the harm.

Thats all very good and if you do hand over all your serial numbers for your rifles to the police i would say its vital you never lose the details or mis place them years later down the track about the person you might of sold them to.
Image if you sell a rifle to someone and you either mis placed , lost or didnt take the details of the person you sold it to.

Months later, year or two later its found at a gang heaquarters or involved in a crime.
If the serial numbers still on it and you given the details to the police they be a coming to ask you many questions.
Without the details who you sold it to i can just image a black mark against your name and genral hassle explaining how you didnt give it to them etc.
If its not the law, i wouldnt give them anything just what is required by law as the poilce arent doing firearms owners any favours so cant see thepoint in returning them if no requirement.

Its a thing called your rights .

Originally Posted by Frogfeatures

Apparently you can ask Mr Policeman to come and record the serial numbers on your firearms, rather
Than you providing them
As there’s no guidance on how to record serial numbers, other than letters in english and arabic numerals ( 0-9 )
or what to do, if there’s no serial numbers, can I suggest you delegate that problem to the police ?
The suggestion was made ( local Antique Arms meeting ) that if it becomes yet another fu(k up, we might get some changes.
Anyway, a heads up.
Have a good weekend people.

Sorry I can't like that mate but thanks for the heads up. I guess if it comes down to it at least you could record somehow that THEY took down the number. Still bet it wouldn't help you in case of a fuck up like we have seen so many times.

It isnt a case of doing the right thing.
It isnt about doing it because it is most likely happening.
It isnt because you are doing everything right so why worry
It is because this has been introduced for the wrong reasons, by people that have an agenda to get rid of the lot and this is a stepping stone.
I dont trust them to look after the info properly, data leaks or just outright corruption.
I dont trust them to use this for future stupid confiscations.
I see no need to help them get one going by giving them info in a manner that might make this work.
I suspect, because of the way they do things, it will be a a massive cluster. They wont handle.the information given, it wont be done fast enough and most likely be hugely inaccurate.
I also reckon any informally gathered info wont be stored properly now. All but guarantee it wont be in the format that the new registry so that wont be entered properly.
Nope just nope.
They excluded and vilified fire arms owners and did a lot of this on their own. It wouldve gone a lot smoother with better ideas to achieve the outcomes needed, not what they wanted.
Coppers and govt didnt want our help so why should they get it now? Rhetorical

Don’t just keep a record of you firearm serial numbers as there not the only things that can be stolen!

Note the serial numbers of your electronic items such as TV’s, laptops, ipads and even tools you have in the garage/man cave.

Photos of all the above also help not only when reporting stolen but also for insurance.

This. You can email the info to yourself if desired so it's accessible anywhere with an internet connection. Just don't put your address on the email