What Firearm Regulations are in your State/Country

[Rod]

I seem to be discussing our firearm laws with both firearm and non-firearm owners of late and I'm continually surprised at how many people have strong beliefs/opinions on the subject and when asked what the laws are they are in fact clueless. I dare say that the US gun debate, which appears daily on our news channels, may be the catalyst.

In Australia, I'm often asked by friends and acquaintances if I support the NRA and the American Gun Culture. (the majority of those asking me don't) my response is to ask them what are the laws in the US? Their response ? Huh..(we need a cricket noise icon here) they haven't a clue. I then ask them if they know that Australia doesn't have National Gun laws (importation excepted) but that laws are made by the States. Ah. Nah... (More cricket noise) .

Then I ask them if they are aware of New Zealand's gun laws. You guessed it not a clue. I usually finish off by asking them if they know that, with the appropriate licensing, you can own a machine gun in NZ. and more cricket noise.

Now if they still go on about how we have to stop the massacres I ask them if they know what mass murders. We've had here in Queensland ? more cricket noise. I tell them that in Queensland our three largest mass murders have been conducted with a can or petrol and a box of matches and a kitchen knife. Now when you consider that prior to 1996 we here in Queensland could own without registration just about any long arm, including AR15's. And handguns, all be it with fairly tight restriction, they are genuinely surprised and usually just shut up.

Anyway my rants over but what I'm interested to know is what gun laws we shooters/hunters have to work under and how you feel about them.

In Queensland:

Shooters are licensed and all firearms are registered. A genuine reason/need is required to own a firearm.( Self defence is not a reason, hunting and target shooting are) handguns can only be fired on an approved pistol range. Approval is required for each firearm purchase. Semiauto rifles and shotguns and pump action shotguns are generally not available to the average shooters. Professionals and farmers get some exceptions. Pump action rifles are allowed.

How do I like them? Well I don't. They are bearable but in my opinion they do nothing except place an embuggerance on firearm ownership. Funny thing though, and it's embarrassing to admit this, we actually have some shooters who are accepting of our laws. Not a lot but enough to make me wonder.

So what laws do you have in your state and or Country and how does you and your peers feel about them.

Cheers
Rod

[Corjack]

Good post, a lot of thought put not it.

The latest executive orders by the president, did nothing to curtail gun violence. All that was accomplished, was to burden responsible gun owners with more hassles. Even past batf employees have said it actually has the potential to create more crime.

Prosecution of criminals that are responsible for the vast majority of gun violence is down 15% in the last several years, because most of the criminals are minorities, and no more room in the prisons.

Also as you pointed out, murders committed by non gun criminals are under reported my the media, or relegated to the back page.

Whereas if a firearm is involved, and so much as a fingernail is broken, it is the front page discussion for six months, and people cry out for reform.

[SPEEDY]

We're better off then most in the NT, the same rules as QLD but delivered differently.
Each state is a little different with WA definitely being the worst.
Over there as I recently found out not only do you have to have written permission to shoot on private land on you, that's not just to shoot there but as a reason to be carrying your guns there, if you own the land then you have to give written permission to yourself to shoot on your own land
They had a case where a guy went and did some archery practice on a friend's property and he got charged on the way home for carrying a weapon without reason because he didn't have written permission to shoot targets there.
There is no laws or restrictions on owning bows in WA, if he was a member of an archery club it would have been fine, but the officer's personal interpretation of the law trumps fact.

That's the big problem with gun laws across Australia, it's not about the black and white laws, they actually wrote into them the ability of officers to interpret them as they see fit, the police commissioner can even make new laws, banning and confiscating firearms on things such as looks, that's right it might meet all legal requirements, be no different from a Remington 700 might even be a single shot bolt action, but if it looks too tactical or aggressive then they can confiscate it without compensation, or let something in and then change their minds confiscating it later.

They let the police make the laws, the police are there to enforce the laws but come to firearms then they can make them up with no understanding or knowledge about them, only a personal opinion that guns are bad.

[dchamp]

Here is a link to an organization that I support financially. It will give you some insight what we here in
California battle constantly. The loons in Sacramento, our capitol, never cease to amaze me with their stupidity. They are always working hard making sure they are number one in that category.

https://www.firearmspolicy.org/news/

[pagosawingnut]

In the US, the laws are tipping in the wrong direction but our Constitution guarantees us the right to keep and bear arms. Politicians are constantly trying to chip away at them constatntly.
Currently, most of us only have to go through a background check, and maybe a waiting period, to purchase a firearm Of JUST ABOUT ANY KIND, up to a fully automatic weapon or a silencer. And we can obtain those as well by filling out a form for the ATF, paying a tax and waiting for approval.

Guns are not for everyone but here, if you are mentally stable (and some of those that aren't slip through the cracks), don't have a criminal record and can't be traced in the "system", you can own just about any kind of firearm you want.

[SPEEDY]

I hear their looking at removing the the tax on moderators in US, good thing if they do.
I just wish we could catch up with the rest of the world and have them here too.
I'm going to become deaf before that happens, unfortunately.

[KZ45]

I’m curious as to weather the weapons used in the NZ attac were all legally owanable, now that they’re talking about more gun control there.

[Rod]

I’m curious as to weather the weapons used in the NZ attac were all legally owanable, now that they’re talking about more gun control there.

It appears that the idiot/murderer/wanker had a Firearm License (Cat A) and that he purchased the firearms legally. He apparently had 2 x AR15 style firearms, plus some pump or auto shotguns and a lever gun of some sorts. The guns aren't registered and you don't need a permit to buy them. Just show your license.

You can own an AR15 on a Cat A license if the rifle has a 7 shot or less magazine, no pistol grip, no bayonet lug and flash suppressor??. You can own and shoot military style semi-auto AR15 , M1A's etc that arn't modified if you have a higher class of license. You can even purchase (but not shoot) full auto military stuff if you have the right license.

May the arse hole murderer rot in hell! My thoughts and condolences are with all New Zealanders.

Rod

[SPEEDY]

What they dont want to mention is this guy should have been flagged as soon as arrived, this was planned and that guy was a wack job.
Between not being aware of any potential threat and the time it took police to arrive at the shooting there is plenty of blame elsewhere then with the firearms.

[Discogodfather]

Living in California all my life I am intimately informed by the entire anti-gun movement, which is the majority where I live in San Francisco. It's the epicenter of anti-gun policy in the world really.

First thing to realize about gun debates is that they aren't at all about guns. The fact that some people believe guns are good for society and others think we should live without them has nothing to do with anti-gun policy. Their main concept is that the proliferation of guns causes all kinds of violence and that it's an issue of public safety. Pro-gun advocates largely rely on the concept that we were given these rights by our forefathers, which is a common conservative belief.

The reality is that it's a cultural warfare issue, and people with one set of politics are battling it out with others using the gun issue as a proxy because, by and large, throughout the world, conservative people (in the US it's Republicans) cherish and love guns and more left or liberal leaning people have lost all connection to them. It's not always true that this political dichotomy works out (obviously I am a city slicker and am pro-gun) but if you take it in generalities its almost always true. It also signifies rural vs urban.

The gun industry in America makes a ton of money. They fund the NRA. The NRA is by and large a gun makers lobby who many times has policies and views that coincide with the individual guns rights movement (not always historically unfortunately). By attacking gun rights in the USA you harm those businesses, who in turn fund many many politicians. Defacto, if you are anti-gun, you are harming the right wing of politics in the USA.

I personally believe that gun rights have absolutely nothing to do with politics. Over the last 30-40 years they have taken this extreme trajectory, but previous to that there was no political issue involved with guns. The conflation of one after another issue in terms of right/left on top of guns is absurd and alarming.

The fact that it has become so political is all about money, power, and how this plays out in the media and larger society. Because the US seems to manufacture these kinds of controversies we see these ideas being exported around the world and similar attitudes developing.

Karl Marx once wrote this: "Under no pretext should arms and ammunition be surrendered; any attempt to disarm the workers must be frustrated, by force if necessary." Associating anti-gun sentiments with left wing politics is obvious, but it escapes me why it's considered logical to do so. It seems to have simply evolved in the USA this way, and done so very recently.

Fact is we all have the right to defend ourselves in a meaningful way and provide for ourselves and our families. That's a universal human right that has no political polarity whatsoever.

[chalky]

Over here we have to have a reason for each firearm we posses. You also have to lisence every firearm by serial number, with Blaser’s the stock and barrel each have to have a serial number and they both have to be on your lisence. Self Defence is not a reason to own a firearm. Semi auto rifles are allowed but with a max magazine capacity of 10 rounds. Semi auto and pump shotguns are allowed but restricted to 3 shots for game hunting and 5 shot for vermin. When you apply for a firearm lisence the police do a background and medical check with your doctor and the waiting period for a decision can be up to but should not exceed 3 months per application. Also depending on how many firearms you own you have to have a monitored alarm fitted to your house and all firearms have to be kept in a gun safe.