Australia a rifleman culture, still?

[Sako man]

I am a little confused. I know that Australia and the US had a similar frontiersman movement and settlement and this made firearms a life necessity. Australia is a rifleman culture in many ways. I understand that the firearms were all confiscated in the 80s yet I notice a lot of Aussies here on the site. What's the deal, did you at least get to keep your bolt rifles?

 

[mallrat]

Similar to England, as I understand it. Hardcore registration and licensing.

Aus Templar has quite a bit of info in his "Criticise My Firearms Choices" thread in the Longarms-Shotguns and Rifles forum in the Zombiehunters.org website. I'm on my phone, or I might try to link it.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Hopefully someone from down under will set us straight, but I think all semi-auto and pump rifles and shotguns were confiscated. They can have some pistols and long guns with strict licensing and club membership.

 

[Doka]

I am in NSW (different states have different rules) and in summary...Semi-Auto Rifles (rimfire, centre fire, shotgun and pump action shotgun) are banned to the majority of firearm owners. You need to be what is called a Primary Producer (ie working farm), or a professional shooter (paid to cull feral animals) to even have a chance at getting one.

At the same time, any semi-auto or self loading rifle that is of Military appearance, is based on a military action or was designed for the initially military is a prohibited weapon.

Even then as a Primary Producer, you are limited to owning only 1 Semi-Auto Rimfire and 1 semi-auto shotgun..and no more..

If you are not licensed to own a semi, you cant even touch one let alone fire one..

Professional shooters can have semi auto centre fires, but I dont know what they have to go through to prove it or what other restrictions/compliance they have to deal with.

But..I am allowed to own a Pump Action Rifle (Rem 7615 for example, in whatever calibre i like), but not a pump Shotgun. We also have magazine limits on all rifles, 5 or 10 shot depending on the category the firearm falls into.

In NSW we are not allowed collapsable (but that is changing) or folding stocks, and there is a minimum length on all long arms.

Everyone must be licensed, all firearms must be registered and secured in accordance with Safe Storage laws. The Police can and do come and inspect your safe storage to ensure you comply (essentially everything must be kept locked up in a safe)

You also have to have 'Genuine Reason' for owning a firearm, such as hunting , target shooting. Then you have to have either a membership in a Hunting club, attend a range for a number of recorded shoots a year etc to keep that reason.

Hand guns are a whole different story...I am sure that someone can fill in the details there

Airsoft is banned and they are prohibited weapons and air rifles are treated the same as normal Centre fire/rim fires. Supressors..we cant even talk about them let alone have them

There is a bit more to it than all that. Yes we are allowed our Bolt Rifles, even though they would like to take some calibres off us, but essentially its no land of the free...

edit : A good way to look at its, think about everything firearm related, remove any rational or logical thought about ownership, ban everything fun and see what you have left.

 

[Wnick308]

^^ I'm sorry ^^


Sent 2700 feet per second.

 

[RHunter]

I lived in Brisbane for 7 years and I was amazed at how strict the laws were considering Queensland heritage.

I was told by a lot of my friends that Australians still have a lot of guns, problem is they are all covered with 2 feet of dirt.

 

[Pritch]

we got to keep our bolt rifles and under over shotguns

they wanted anything semi-auto
they wanted anything full-auto
they wanted anything unregistered
or pump shotgun

all this was started by the Howard government when we had a literal retard mow down some folks down in tassie with an old chinese assualt rifle (of which couldn't be owned legally anyway)

they let us have the following:
if a member of a military rifle club can get permits to have things like vickers belt fed machine guns and boys anti tank guns Bren guns and the like (but need permits from councils to fire at a range)
if a target shooter can have what is needed for the sport such as a bolt rifle or pistol (pistols are hard to attain legally there is a requirement for x amounts of registered shoots a year)
if a Hunter can have depending on the license category A or B (A is Rimfire air rifle B is Centrefire bolt action or shotgun)
if a paintball competitor category P licenses exist

the laws that have been put before us are in my opinion just like any law against firearms for unjust reasons a complete and utter waste of time and effort

so some laws that drive me nuts are you cannot own more than 3 of the same caliber rifle, you cannot have in your possessions rounds for a firearm you do not have registered to you another thing one acronym also drives me nuts ITAR which i love to refer to as ITARDATION to import a non moving part for a firearm the import license extends to everything up to and including nuclear ordinance

so what has happened is no semi auto so learn to use a bolt or lever action rifle faster so this means better weapon proficiency there is little difference in the speed of aimed fire if you know what your doin just means spending more time with recoil control and practice on a range using a single feed rifle if using a mag feed later you will be faster again

There is a very large number of unregistered firearms as there are in many countries

the people as per usual that do the right thing get punished because they are regulated by licenses and paperwork the ones that couldn't give a damn and don't take the time to get a license and fill out paperwork make it harder for the honest Aussies

on top of all this there is an anti-gun movement that is amazingly ill informed about anything

also you aren't allowed to have gen 2 with intensifier tube night vision and above or thermal optics and forget about silencers/flash suppressors

 

[Doka]

we got to keep our bolt rifles and under over shotguns

they wanted anything semi-auto
they wanted anything full-auto
they wanted anything unregistered
or pump shotgun

all this was started by the Howard government when we had a literal retard mow down some folks down in tassie with an old chinese assualt rifle (of which couldn't be owned legally anyway)

they let us have the following:
if a member of a military rifle club can get permits to have things like vickers belt fed machine guns and boys anti tank guns Bren guns and the like (but need permits from councils to fire at a range)
if a target shooter can have what is needed for the sport such as a bolt rifle or pistol (pistols are hard to attain legally there is a requirement for x amounts of registered shoots a year)
if a Hunter can have depending on the license category A or B (A is Rimfire air rifle B is Centrefire bolt action or shotgun)
if a paintball competitor category P licenses exist

the laws that have been put before us are in my opinion just like any law against firearms for unjust reasons a complete and utter waste of time and effort

so some laws that drive me nuts are you cannot own more than 3 of the same caliber rifle, you cannot have in your possessions rounds for a firearm you do not have registered to you another thing one acronym also drives me nuts ITAR which i love to refer to as ITARDATION to import a non moving part for a firearm the import license extends to everything up to and including nuclear ordinance

so what has happened is no semi auto so learn to use a bolt or lever action rifle faster so this means better weapon proficiency there is little difference in the speed of aimed fire if you know what your doin just means spending more time with recoil control and practice on a range using a single feed rifle if using a mag feed later you will be faster again

There is a very large number of unregistered firearms as there are in many countries

the people as per usual that do the right thing get punished because they are regulated by licenses and paperwork the ones that couldn't give a damn and don't take the time to get a license and fill out paperwork make it harder for the honest Aussies

on top of all this there is an anti-gun movement that is amazingly ill informed about anything

also you aren't allowed to have gen 2 with intensifier tube night vision and above or thermal optics and forget about silencers/flash suppressors

What state are you in? You seem to be allowed to have things that we cant in NSW, and visa versa..

for example the :"vickers belt fed machine guns and boys anti tank guns Bren guns and the like" are prohibited weapons in NSW, no justification for owning them.

But you are allowed Gen2, Gen 3, XR5 or whatever night vision as well as Thermal in NSW. you may just have to sign an 'End User Certificate' when you purchase it.

 

[Pritch]

the military rifle club i think has special provisions

yeah they are funny here in australia south australian's i think were allowed semi-autos and the like not to long ago

in nsw you can shoot roos without having a fine and your firearms taken away

in victoria well so much as mention it to the wrong person there'll be trouble

you are allowed gen 2 standard nv in vic but i really would love to have an anpvs 22 or 27

also the lack of being able to have a folding stock or over adjustable buttstock is annoying

 

[Doka]

Meand a mate looked into it a little while ago and they (brens etc) fall completely into the prohibited Weapons category..you could shoot M1 Carbines and the like but nothing full auto.
Still cant shoot roos in NSW without a permit..get caught doing that and you will loose the lot..

I bought my last NVG from VIC, but as I said you have to have a End User Certificate.

 

[Pritch]

think it had something to do with a collectors license concerning the automatics i gtg became a dad 4 days ago gotta get back to the hospital

 

[Doka]

You can get a prohbited weapons permit as a collector, but the firearm that you apply for under that permit has to be deactivated.

 

[hrfunk]

I will say this, the Aussies who come to the National Matches at Camp Perry every year are some of the most dedicated shooters I know of. These guys can't own the rifles they compete with back in Austrailia, so they practice all year with something else. Then a week or so before the Nationals, they fly to Texas. Someone down there stores their competition rifles for them. They practice with them for a few days before heading off to CP. I spoke to one of them in 2112 and he told me what they do. Then he said: "we know we're not going to be very competitive, but we love coming here so that's what we do."

That, my friends, is dedication.

HRF

 

[2woppadoobie]

My genuine reason for having a firearm is “Hunting & Vermin control” and I’m not a member of a hunting club or any club for that matter.
I don’t have to worry about attending range shoots to keep my license etc…
If I wanted to compete in a local rifle competition guess what….? I can’t because I don’t have “Target” as a reason on my license.

I love my Country, but gee whiz it has some shitty rules.

I’d love to get state side and have a crack at your firearms.

 

[Barneybdb]

As long as you have a fistfull of dollars you can try this.... Marksman - Indoor Firing Range Adelaide, South Australia

 

[Pritch]

QUOTE
Me and a mate looked into it a little while ago and they (brens etc) fall completely into the prohibited Weapons category..you could shoot M1 Carbines and the like but nothing full auto
QUOTE

well i found some footage of what the military rifle club have and this weapon is in full working order

Bren Gun Demo - YouTube

the only reason i know they have them is i have been competing in fullbore for a few years and these guys come down from Melbourne generally doing a 303 rapid and snap and tap shoots

i have sat 5 meters away from a Vickers that was doing short bursts (they had to have a baffle on the same one in the video) go to page 5 and that is the machine gun in my mate Jeffs hands on the right in the white t-shirt the big Boyes rifle in the centre is a .55 cal and i have seen that fired also just saying he has a collectors permit and i noticed he is the one firing the bren in the video funny when you hear i love you Jeff in the background

http://www.vicmrc.com/forms/Para Jan 2012.pdf

i didn't see them doing this but if you look on page 3

http://www.vicmrc.com/forms/Parabellum Web May 2011.pdf

a F1 sub machine gun and an L1A1 SLR (close to a fn fal)


other things to note are that not every Australian has the privilege to own or fire these weapons in particular

i ask the question what sort of world we live in when i can own a pump action .308 but not a pump action shotgun probably something to do with movies n stuff like that but i can have a lever action shotgun think its the Winchester 1812 or 19 can't remember exactly and this was used in terminator 2 the difference being mine needs to be left with the butt stock intact

 

[Sako man]

I will say this, the Aussies who come to the National Matches at Camp Perry every year are some of the most dedicated shooters I know of. These guys can't own the rifles they compete with back in Austrailia, so they practice all year with something else. Then a week or so before the Nationals, they fly to Texas. Someone down there stores their competition rifles for them. They practice with them for a few days before heading off to CP. I spoke to one of them in 2112 and he told me what they do. Then he said: "we know we're not going to be very competitive, but we love coming here so that's what we do."

That, my friends, is dedication.

HRF

That is real love for the sport! Truly dedicated. Now I wonder in comparison what the laws are like in NZ. You hear all kinds of awesome stories but I wonder just how regulated things truly are, might be more than we perceive?


A somewhat related story on gun possession in Switzerland.
Swiss Gun Ownership - The REAL Story - YouTube

 

[TxGrump]

All you guys need to immigrate to the great country of Texas! Climate is about the same I think. Lots of jobs here too.

 

[Sako man]

All you guys need to immigrate to the great country of Texas! Climate is about the same I think. Lots of jobs here too.

What kind of jobs?

 

[RHunter]

I love my Country, but gee whiz it has some shitty rules.

You got that right!

100 KPH speed limit on the Bruce hwy driving through Queensland SUCKED, I got 13 speeding tickets living there from speed cameras in the back of Kombi's parked in the bush... I got so many they took my Australian drivers license. The only thing that saved my butt was my American drivers license was still good and is honored there (amazing considering the signs are different and you drive on the wrong side of the road) and they cant take it from you.

I had a BMW M5 and was expected to 100 KPH... it was absolute torture. I got pulled over going to Toowoomba on the A2 and the cop asked me if it was my car... Guess he thought I was driving it like I stole it! LOL

I remember the pig shooters in FNQ had some pretty decent guns... Imagine making a living hunting pigs and selling them for dog food. These were some really rough blokes.....

 

[Dogtown]

I always found it a bit interesting how Oz and NZ, being so close geographically and culturally, could have such wildly different gun restrictions.

 

[RHunter]

It is the politicians in the two countries that differ.

 

[Doka]

QUOTE
Me and a mate looked into it a little while ago and they (brens etc) fall completely into the prohibited Weapons category..you could shoot M1 Carbines and the like but nothing full auto
QUOTE

well i found some footage of what the military rifle club have and this weapon is in full working order

Bren Gun Demo - YouTube

the only reason i know they have them is i have been competing in fullbore for a few years and these guys come down from Melbourne generally doing a 303 rapid and snap and tap shoots

i have sat 5 meters away from a Vickers that was doing short bursts (they had to have a baffle on the same one in the video) go to page 5 and that is the machine gun in my mate Jeffs hands on the right in the white t-shirt the big Boyes rifle in the centre is a .55 cal and i have seen that fired also just saying he has a collectors permit and i noticed he is the one firing the bren in the video funny when you hear i love you Jeff in the background

http://www.vicmrc.com/forms/Para Jan 2012.pdf

i didn't see them doing this but if you look on page 3

http://www.vicmrc.com/forms/Parabellum Web May 2011.pdf

a F1 sub machine gun and an L1A1 SLR (close to a fn fal)


other things to note are that not every Australian has the privilege to own or fire these weapons in particular

i ask the question what sort of world we live in when i can own a pump action .308 but not a pump action shotgun probably something to do with movies n stuff like that but i can have a lever action shotgun think its the Winchester 1812 or 19 can't remember exactly and this was used in terminator 2 the difference being mine needs to be left with the butt stock intact

Thats Jeff Pannan Demo'ing his Bren at the VRA Range at Lang Lang..I think... Vic has very different Laws to NSW..which is what we stumbled accross, the difference in laws between states.

I have a collectors license and while I can apply for a permit to own a Bren or something like that it has to be Permenantly Disabled. Even as a member of a Military Club, its would still have to be disabled...even a 10/22 on a collectors permit has to be 'Disabled'.

Now I could try and get a General Commisioners Permit or open a public museum and get a Museum Permit or get a Scientific Permit etc..but we all know that even then getting those permits is basically impossible....I cant even own one of those LPG Powered non-firing replica's on a collectors permit without it being permenantly disabled.

An example of how the laws are different is that my mate has a Cat C license and can own a Semi-Auto Shotgun. Now in QLD he could own a Vepr 12 or a Saiga, but in NSW they are considered Prohibited Weapons (look too military, based on military action). So he has to settle on a Benelli.

Another example is that in Victoria I can have a 15 round Mag in my CZ455 .22, but in nsw I can only have a 10 round mag.

Congrats on becoming a new Dad too btw

 

[TxGrump]

What kind of jobs?

Oil fields in Midland/Odessa area, construction in Dallas and Houston area, big cattle stations all over, High tech in most large cities etc.