POLICE are reminding gun owners that new firearms laws have come into effect, surrounding the safe storage of firearms.
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Crime Prevention Officer, Acting Sergeant Sue Rose, said the new laws came into effect last month and were an update to the Firearms Regulation 2017 and the Weapons Prohibition Regulation 2017.
"The changes stipulate that firearms must now be stored at a licence holder's principal place of residence or at a residential premises where a person is residing when the firearms are stored there."
Further to this, she said when firearms are stored in a separate building or structure from the residential premises it must be in such proximity to that residential premises that is it easily observed.
"This change to legislation means that if, for example, a person resides in another town or location and owns a weekend/hobby farm or property firearms are not permitted to be stored at the location when no person is residing there. Firearms must be stored at their principal place of residence." she said.
The updated laws aim to address the targeted theft of firearms, by members of organised crime, from farming and rural properties, which can be left unattended, months at a time.
Supt Luke Rankin, from Chifley LAC, recently spoke about targeted gun theft being an issue in regional and rural communities.
He said criminals used firearms as a highly valued commodity which could be traded for drugs or used in other illegal activity.
This month alone, police allegedly found two firearms which had been cut down for concealment in two separate vehicle stops in Bathurst.
Bathurst Local Court Magistrate Michael Allen this week also commented on the need for the owners of firearms to store their guns according to regulations after convicting a man for having a number of unregistered firearms which were unsecured on his rural property.
He said the era of leaving guns unsecured was well and truly over adding the right to have a gun came with an onerous responsibility to keep firearms in accordance with regulations set down by the government to avoid bloodshed.