by Archie » 22 Nov 2017, 4:10 pm
As everyone says, you'd need to ask the registry, because there's a little bit of an apparent contradiction in the act (and I am not a lawyer and this not legal advice. This is just reading the acts and regulations in detail)
On the one hand, you can't have a shooting range on your property. Whats the definition of a shooting range? Bloody good question and the act doesn't define it, but one example I was given is you aren't really supposed to have permanent targets up. And remember, you aren't allowed to target shoot on your property either. You can sight in, you can tune loads, you can practice and familiarize yourself with your firearm but you can't target shoot (and if you can explain the practical difference between practicing and target shooting I'd love to hear it...). So that's one issue.
On the other hand...
Clause 33:
Licences and permits extend to authorise sighting in, patterning and related activities
(1) The authority conferred by a licence or permit that authorises the use of a firearm by a person extends to include the use of a firearm by the person for the purposes of any of the following activities:
(a) sighting in the firearm (including sight alignment and including patterning of a shotgun),
(b) tuning of the firearm (including the adjusting or aligning of a shotgun),
(c) familiarisation with or testing of ammunition,
(d) practising on stationary targets (or moving targets in the case of a shotgun) but only for the purposes of an activity referred to in paragraphs (a)–(c).
(2) This clause authorises the use of a firearm on any land on which use of the firearm is not otherwise unlawful and is not limited to use at an approved shooting range.
Emphasis mine.
So the implication would be, sure, shoot clays, but only if you are sighting, tuning, familiarising or testing ammunition. Not just because you want to. And I would guess that after 500+ clays it'll be hard to make the argument that you're just checking your pattern, but who knows?
Anyway, I would do as everyone else suggests and get the answer from the registry in writing. But, if the answer comes back no, I would ask them to clarify it with respect to the above clause (which is from the Firearms Regulation 2017).