Thread: Relocating gun safe on same property.

An Interesting thread. From my experience the local AO's tend to want to act outside of the firearms legislation with regard to inspecting firearms, recording serial numbers and inspecting storage security. This is an extract from the official NZ Police firearms storage guidelines. As you can see there is no requirement for the license holder to have their security in inspected if they are at the same address as when the original inspection was done, even if you have moved the physical location of the storage.

Police approval of an individual’s security arrangements is decided on a case-by-case basis following inspection. A member of Police will arrange a mutually convenient time to review your firearms security if:
(a) You have applied for a firearms licence (including if you have previously held a firearms licence).
(b) You have applied for an endorsement to possess a pistol, prohibited firearm, prohibited magazine or restricted weapon.
(c) You are already the holder of a firearms licence and have notified Police that you have changed address.

Originally Posted by zeropak

An Interesting thread. From my experience the local AO's tend to want to act outside of the firearms legislation with regard to inspecting firearms, recording serial numbers and inspecting storage security. This is an extract from the official NZ Police firearms storage guidelines. As you can see there is no requirement for the license holder to have their security in inspected if they are at the same address as when the original inspection was done, even if you have moved the physical location of the storage.

Police approval of an individual’s security arrangements is decided on a case-by-case basis following inspection. A member of Police will arrange a mutually convenient time to review your firearms security if:
(a) You have applied for a firearms licence (including if you have previously held a firearms licence).
(b) You have applied for an endorsement to possess a pistol, prohibited firearm, prohibited magazine or restricted weapon.
(c) You are already the holder of a firearms licence and have notified Police that you have changed address.

This was my experience recently. The AO wanted to see:

1) A keysafe to store the key to the gun safe.
2) Another lockable cabinet or safe to store rifle bolts.
3) A steel gun safe. According to him they no longer accept anything made from timber or ply because readily available battery powered tools can easily break into them in less than 10 minutes of sustained attack.
4) Somewhere separate and lockable to store ammo (lockable ammo box in the safe was acceptable).

So long story short access to my firearms and ammo is spread across 4 different lockable containers... To assemble a working gun would take quite some effort which is apparently the point.

Not that I have any issue with the above, if it means that I've demonstrated I store weapons safely then great. However this doesn't change the fact that the police seem to be enforcing something that isn't actually law.

Originally Posted by Fatberg

This was my experience recently. The AO wanted to see:

1) A keysafe to store the key to the gun safe.
2) Another lockable cabinet or safe to store rifle bolts.
3) A steel gun safe. According to him they no longer accept anything made from timber or ply because readily available battery powered tools can easily break into them in less than 10 minutes of sustained attack.
4) Somewhere separate and lockable to store ammo (lockable ammo box in the safe was acceptable).

So long story short access to my firearms and ammo is spread across 4 different lockable containers... To assemble a working gun would take quite some effort which is apparently the point.

Not that I have any issue with the above, if it means that I've demonstrated I store weapons safely then great. However this doesn't change the fact that the police seem to be enforcing something that isn't actually law.

You do know that list is beyond the legal scope and the AO's representative is beyond his remit legally to "enforce" anything, beyond the requirements as written into current law. My last inspection I found it necessary to make it quite clear I knew exactly what the law, as written, required. I also found his line of questioning disturbing and had to literally put my hand in the air and actually say "enough"," this stops now!"

Originally Posted by 257weatherby

You do know that list is beyond the legal scope and the AO's representative is beyond his remit legally to "enforce" anything, beyond the requirements as written into current law. My last inspection I found it necessary to make it quite clear I knew exactly what the law, as written, required. I also found his line of questioning disturbing and had to literally put my hand in the air and actually say "enough"," this stops now!"

Yes I am aware, this was for a first time licence though and I didn't want to rock the boat after waiting near on 1 year to get to the point of having my setup inspected. I just rolled with it to get it over with to be honest.

Safe arrangement aside the questioning I was subject to didn't seem inappropriate or excessive to me. I was expecting worse.

Originally Posted by Fatberg

This was my experience recently. The AO wanted to see:

1) A keysafe to store the key to the gun safe.
2) Another lockable cabinet or safe to store rifle bolts.
3) A steel gun safe. According to him they no longer accept anything made from timber or ply because readily available battery powered tools can easily break into them in less than 10 minutes of sustained attack.
4) Somewhere separate and lockable to store ammo (lockable ammo box in the safe was acceptable).

So long story short access to my firearms and ammo is spread across 4 different lockable containers... To assemble a working gun would take quite some effort which is apparently the point.

Not that I have any issue with the above, if it means that I've demonstrated I store weapons safely then great. However this doesn't change the fact that the police seem to be enforcing something that isn't actually law.

Hi mr AO, please show me the relevant section in the arms act. I've just googled the act on my phone so you can show me.

Originally Posted by Danger Mouse

Hi mr AO, please show me the relevant section in the arms act. I've just googled the act on my phone so you can show me.

you want to post it here?

Originally Posted by mikee

you want to post it here?

https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/...est/whole.html

Originally Posted by Fatberg

This was my experience recently. The AO wanted to see:

1) A keysafe to store the key to the gun safe.
2) Another lockable cabinet or safe to store rifle bolts.
3) A steel gun safe. According to him they no longer accept anything made from timber or ply because readily available battery powered tools can easily break into them in less than 10 minutes of sustained attack.
4) Somewhere separate and lockable to store ammo (lockable ammo box in the safe was acceptable).

So long story short access to my firearms and ammo is spread across 4 different lockable containers... To assemble a working gun would take quite some effort which is apparently the point.

Not that I have any issue with the above, if it means that I've demonstrated I store weapons safely then great. However this doesn't change the fact that the police seem to be enforcing something that isn't actually law.

You cannot store ammo in the safe with the firearms. They must be stored separately. They can be outside the safe or on top of it but not within.

There is no requirement to “lock” away ammo. The provisions originally came from the 1983 act to avoid firearms and ammo being stored together and therefore accessible to kids. The act at the time wasn’t focused on criminals and guns being stolen but rather firearms safety