Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Australia Everyday gun use in Australia?

I wonder the percentage of the Australian population that:

1) Carries a handgun every day?
2) Has a gun (of whatever type) in their car while driving around every day, even if not on their person?

Please note I am not asking about people who have gun(s) at home, and just take them out to go hunting or to the range for a little target practice.

Do any of our Aussie friends know? Even roughly?

Thanks

Jstuart once told me the hoops one need jump through to obtain semi autos or handguns wasn't worth the trouble to him.

I met an Australian guy a couple of years ago in Europe, and he invited me out varmint hunting on his property any time. Varmints there are kangaroos, dingos, rabbits, etc. I asked him about firearms and he didn't think it was as bog a deal as we do. BUT, I didn't get into any details.

Hunting, pest control and target shooting, handguns, rifle, shotgun. Pump, bolt, lever, straight pull, for rifles....semi auto is heavily restricted, farmers or feral control where firepower is needed.

I don't know about daily carry or in car but about 28% of the population live in rural areas. Not sure what percentage of these would carry, and rural areas may not necessarily mean that firearms would be present.

I used to hunt deer on a property a fews hours drive out of Brisbane. The neighbouring property was owned by a group of greenies from the southern states who had it as a retreat and santuary or sorts. I think the deer used to feed on their property and then get shot once they jumped the fence.

1. Private carry, none
2. The only people that would bother to do so are those using them at work or for hunting...not much point otherwise.

The thing you fellows don't seem to grasp is that there isn't much point in walking about with a firearm on your person in Australia, as it is simply not needed.


Yes I am aware that some clown is going to huff and puff about "freedom" or some such...but the only pricks that want to carry here are want-to-be bad-arses...generally referred to as wankers.

Not quite, a pistol licence is easy enough for club use...just paperwork. Semi auto is more convoluted...I can get such put on my licence but have absolutely no interest in doing so.
Those who have a disability can, and to be frank that is the only reason I would consider one for myself.

Unfortunately here in the US there is good reason to carry a weapon in many places. we do not live in the ShangriLa Of Australia. Funny how freedom is not high on your list. Seems that the government you have is plenty of reason to be armed. I guess freedom doesn't mean much if you don't have it. https://www.opindia.com/2021/07/aus...-lockdown-in-sydney-covid-19-cases-rise/

License, interesting that your require a license. Why?

“Freedoms just another word for nothing left to lose”…JJ

rickhead, how are the school shootings going over there? What's the count so far this year? Why don't the armed heros over there come out of the closet and protect the children? Too busy posting about their freedoms on the internet I suppose, or pussys deep down maybe?

Your freedoms keep you guys shit scared full time. The greatest amount of diatribe slandering of other countries is the result of deep seated fear and insecurity ingrained in alot of you guys. Maybe if you guys had a better standard of living, and life satisfaction, you'd understand.

If you believe all the bull Schitt put out by the media from any country you will be convinced the worlds gonna end.
I personally have no use for an AR platform rifle. I do have one though because some cockroaches in Washington D C don’t like it. Fug them we have a Bill of Rights.
As far as Australia goes I would love to go there but I’m not sitting on an airplane again.
Edk

Hi Blu-Cs, in answer to your questions.

1. The only people who carry a handgun all day are those in a profession.. Police, security etc and a very small % of workers in rural areas(some farmers can get a permit, maybe some remote area animal control officers etc). They can only carry whilst on the job. Even police in Australia are not generally approved to carry a handgun outside of work hours- their gun are locked at their stations when off duty, they dont take them home.

2. General carry of a long arm in a vehicle is only allowed if the person has a planned purpose- aka on the way to a hunt, to the rifle range, to a buddies property to shoot cans etc. You cant generally just ""put a gun in your car and leave it there permanently" is what I am saying. At the end of the purpose you have to lock it up in your safe or dwelling until next time.

Farmers or landowners or remote workers have more leeway eg they may have guns in the truck, ATV or boat for r remote work or opportunistic use. Technically all guns need to be locked up in a safe when not in use or at the end of a days use and they have to use all possible means to duplicate it( whether lock it in the cab etc)

So in a nutshell, almost no handgun for general carry.

And no long guns for general vehicle carry.

I dont agree with any of these laws, I see them as completely unecessary. The handgun laws in Australia came in about the same time the US gun control acts in the 30's came in( I think). I cant remember if it was anti-crime push like yours were(after al capone shot up too many fellas with short barrelled machine guns) or it might even have been anti-communist( some bizarre link between the communist party and handguns here)

The long guns in vehicles laws came in with the 1996 gun bans. Prior to that in most states you could leave your long guns pretty much anywhere you wanted.. Most fellas didnt have safes- rifles were left in sheds, barns, vehicles, closets or under your bed. You could drive around with one in a window rack of your ute( pickup) all day every day. Life went on, no one cared.

Much better days.

Oh good...fuck off and don't visit...problem solved.

Thanks for the answers so far!

I get that in Australia you need a "license" to own a gun of any type. And your average civilian (non-leo, etc.) will not have an EDC (odd to us Americans that LEO's have to leave their gun behind at their place of work at the end of their shift as the normal procedure for LEO's in the US is that they are expected to carry on or off duty), nor carry a long gun in a vehicle unless it is for going to and from the range or hunting etc.

Just to take things a bit further, what about ammo, or reloading components? Or reloading tools such as a press or dies? Do you need a special permit to buy any of that kind of thing?

Thanks in advance.

The firearms licence, or weapons licence, will allow you to buy ammunition and powder. Don't need the licence for anything else. They don't check the ammo or powder type against what firearms you actually own, just that you have a licence. The amount of powder you buy is recorded in a register that is meant to be used by the authorities to check that you're not buying an excessive amount, like a bomber might do.

The powder is classed as a type of explosive and there are restrictions on the quantity you can store at home. No limit to how much live ammo you can have. It's more geared around safety in case of a fire. Ammo just cooks off like fire crackers in a fire situation but the powder could do much worse.

There's also security storage requirements for the powder and the ammo - can't have them accessed by unlicenced persons. I think the details of the requirements differ between the states but are otherwise fairly similar.

Do primers require a license?

Ah yes, I forgot the primers. Everything that burns or goes bang.

Projectiles and cases alone are just metal objects.

OK, now that we have the importance of a license in Australia established (pretty important!) I wonder about the license itself.

In the US, at least for CCW permits we have "shall issue" and "can issue". Must you show cause (i.e. a good reason) why you should be issued a gun permit?

And does it make a difference whether it is a handgun or a long gun?