Safe in Shed - external to house

[Don_Stevenson]

Quick question, is it permissible under NSW law to have your gun safe in a shed that is external to your main residence?

We are a bit short on space in the house but have a decent sized workshop in our backyard about 20m from the house. Shed is colourbond and lockable and has a slab that safes can be anchored to. Sitting in my home office I can see both doors to the shed and the only thing over the back fence is a graveyard.

The rules I can see online are a bit vague about that.

Also, if you have two licenced shooters in a household, both licenced for the same categories of firearms, do you need to have two safes (as I was told back in my pistol shooting days) or can two family members share a safe?

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

I don't know NSW but a 2 second google search brought up this. Read on from the fifth sentence.

https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/as ... _Sheet.pdf

[Don_Stevenson]

Ok I feel like an idiot because I saw that earlier and somehow skimmed over the section about "other than in an inhabited dwelling"

[Oldbloke]

"secured individually on, or in, a locked device within the safe."

I had a look at that pdf. The above really makes no sense. I'd suggest you chat with the local cop.

[boingk]

Hey guys, no issues with a safe being stored in your shed provided it is easily visible from your house and the shed itself is locked with a decent system.

If you have CCTV then so much the better - this mitigates risk and shows you are thinking responsibly in a way which safeguards both your assets (through deterrance) and the community (through identification of an offender if a break-in happens).

If you and your partner, child, whatever have the same categories of licence you sure can share a safe! I've shared one with my brother years ago without issue and have myself seen that various couples I know share a safe with their partner due to both having the came categories of licence.

Again, can't hurt to run the basics by the local cop. "Hey, quick question, can I put a gun safe in my shed - its a fully locked shed in my backyard?" They'll be doing the inspection when it rolls around, after all.

- boingk

[Gamerancher]

Yes, in NSW it is legal to have your safe in a shed or garage that is adjacent to the house you reside in.
It is also fine for your wife to have access to the safe providing she has the correct category licence for any firearms in them.

[rc42]

"secured individually on, or in, a locked device within the safe."

I had a look at that pdf. The above really makes no sense. I'd suggest you chat with the local cop.

It reads to me like you'd need something similar to gun store locking brackets that the firearm is locked into but inside the safe, I guess it would slow down a determined thief that had a battery operated cutting disk by another 30 seconds or so.

Or multiple small safes inside the large safe, one per firearm. The next level would be another safe inside each of those, it could be like a cascade of russian dolls. Perhaps that's what the writers of the legislation had in mind.

[Don_Stevenson]

"secured individually on, or in, a locked device within the safe."

I had a look at that pdf. The above really makes no sense. I'd suggest you chat with the local cop.

It reads to me like you'd need something similar to gun store locking brackets that the firearm is locked into but inside the safe, I guess it would slow down a determined thief that had a battery operated cutting disk by another 30 seconds or so.

Or multiple small safes inside the large safe, one per firearm. The next level would be another safe inside each of those, it could be like a cascade of russian dolls. Perhaps that's what the writers of the legislation had in mind.

Yeah that's what I thought as well! One of my other hobbies is lock sport and I have to admit to being a bit amused by the level of security I've seen on some gun storage. Many of the "gun locks" deigned to thread through the receiver or block the trigger are terribly insecure and most standard padlocks and lock boxes can be opened with a couple of very basic tools and 5 minutes of practice.

I will call the local police before we decide on anything, i've had to deal with them before on other matters and they've always been helpful.

[Gamerancher]

That extra security is only required if you plan to store your firearms in a shed that is not at your "usual place of residence", i.e. out at the farm or bush block where you don't live.
Having your safe in a detached garage or shed adjacent to your house is fine, it just needs to be securable. Obviously an open front shed or carport doesn't pass muster.