Keeping a gun in the tractor

[Farmerpete]

Was just thinking about when I was a kid my dad used to carry an sks in the tractor with him on the farm, any pigs or dogs spotted were dead no going back home for a gun back then.
I would like to carry one in the tractor as well. The tractors are registered, cabbed and sometimes travel between paddocks on the road does anyone know the rules I'd have to follow ?

[trekin]

Was just thinking about when I was a kid my dad used to carry an sks in the tractor with him on the farm, any pigs or dogs spotted were dead no going back home for a gun back then.
I would like to carry one in the tractor as well. The tractors are registered, cabbed and sometimes travel between paddocks on the road does anyone know the rules I'd have to follow ?

Part 21, Sections 93 thru 96 of the QLD Weapons Regulations would be a good place to start;
https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view ... 0131#pt.21

[Farmerpete]

Thanks trekin just gave that a read but I'm a bit stuck on whether I can just stick a gun behind the seat and keep the mag in my pocket or if I have to keep it in a locked container.
There's no way I could bolt a container big enough to hold a rifle to the tractor securely given the limited room in the cab.
The other problem is the entire cab has windows not panels so can't really keep it out of sight

[Blr243]

I think when u are licenced and inside the cab with your rifle it’s all good ...I hunt with a rifle in a rack on my quadbike on cultivation paddocks ..It’s legal to hunt with arifle of a quad on a farm so it’s also legal to hunt of a tractor albeit a little more costly to run. As soon as you step out of the tractor to have a pee against a brigalow bush you are probably pushing the boundaries of the law ..... even if the tractor doors are securely locked and you are the only one with the key I think the rifle should be emptied, bolt removed, and in a case and out of sight , and that case must not be visible and/ or suggest that it contains a firearm ....... because as soon as a thief looking to steal fuel or vandal realises that a gun is in there he will smash the windows and you will be in trouble for not securing firearms ........ if u can’t be bothered with correct legal storage requirements at least keep it padlocked to something and ammunion stored separately in the interest of keeping inquisitive children safe .....sometimes I carry two rifles on my quad ...... this topic reminds me that I must chain and padlock one of them to the quad when I walk into the paddock to shoot a pig. Because u never really know who.could be lurking about

[Farmerpete]

Thanks blr I understand that if I'm in my paddocks I'm fine I'm more worried about the 500 to 1000m trip down the road between them
Not that I've every seen a copper out here I think their cars stop working when they run out of bitumen

[Blr243]

I don’t know the policy regarding washing police cars but in a small country town where there is no car wash , perhaps if they get their car dusty they have to wash it .....I think most of their work probably comes from the population in town and from people speeding on the bitumen ....so there’s no need for them to be cruising the outback dirt roads unless somebody reports a problem .....now that you mention that your concern is not with farm use but with road use I strongly suspect that the same safe transport rules apply to tractors as conventional vehicle

[Stix]

Maybe just a couple of towels or a blanket & old jumper will do you...have the rifle sit on them & just fold the blanket & jumper over them...
So fromm the outside it just looks like youve got an old blanket & jacket for when you break down & get caught in the cold...

[trekin]

Thanks blr I understand that if I'm in my paddocks I'm fine I'm more worried about the 500 to 1000m trip down the road between them
Not that I've every seen a copper out here I think their cars stop working when they run out of bitumen

Legal disclaimer yada, yada, either on your lap as per Section 95 (2);

(2) The person must, when the weapon is not in the person’s
physical possession, store it unloaded in—
(a) a securely closed container, with—
(i) the bolt of the weapon removed; or
(ii) a trigger lock fitted to the weapon; or
(b) a locked container.
Example—
When culling animals, X moves, with a rifle, between paddocks and
crosses public roads dividing the paddocks. While the rifle is in X’s
physical possession during the cull subsection (2) does not apply to X.
Notes—
1 See section 57 of the Act for prohibitions on particular conduct,
involving a weapon, in a public place.
2 See section 58 of the Act for prohibitions on dangerous conduct
involving a weapon.

Or as per Section 96 (b) (i);

(b) otherwise—
(i) the weapon is in a securely closed container that is
out of sight in the vehicle; or

Soft gun bags are considered securely closed containers when transporting in vehicles, if you are worried, do as Stix suggests and put a blanket or coat over the gun bag.
The main factor here is not to breach Section 57 (2) of the QLD Weapons Act;

(2) A person must not, without reasonable excuse, carry a weapon
exposed to view in a public place.
Maximum penalty—40 penalty units or 6 months
imprisonment.

[8x57]

You can keep it in the tractor it just has to be unloaded when crossing the road, and don’t leave it in there at night time.

[deanp100]

I think when u are licenced and inside the cab with your rifle it’s all good ...I hunt with a rifle in a rack on my quadbike on cultivation paddocks ..It’s legal to hunt with arifle of a quad on a farm so it’s also legal to hunt of a tractor albeit a little more costly to run. As soon as you step out of the tractor to have a pee against a brigalow bush you are probably pushing the boundaries of the law ..... even if the tractor doors are securely locked and you are the only one with the key I think the rifle should be emptied, bolt removed, and in a case and out of sight , and that case must not be visible and/ or suggest that it contains a firearm ....... because as soon as a thief looking to steal fuel or vandal realises that a gun is in there he will smash the windows and you will be in trouble for not securing firearms ........ if u can’t be bothered with correct legal storage requirements at least keep it padlocked to something and ammunion stored separately in the interest of keeping inquisitive children safe .....sometimes I carry two rifles on my quad ...... this topic reminds me that I must chain and padlock one of them to the quad when I walk into the paddock to shoot a pig. Because u never really know who.could be lurking about

If you are seriously worried about security of the tractor while you are working or standing beside it I would reckon your property has bigger security issues to deal with than hiding a gun under a jumper. Having the gun in the cab with you is logical. I wouldn’t leave it in the tractor overnight and if you need to padlock you gun to the quad while you walk into a paddock you must be hunting on very public land.

[Blr243]

Not at all , but I could be anywhere from 200 to 2000 metres away from my parked quad day or night ....it’s easy for a poacher just to turn up a dirt track that leads straight to my quad. Australia is a big place on a 20000 acre block I can’t be everywhere at once. I’m not going to padlock my quad to a tree. If a poacher has a trailer and steals my quad that’s bad luck but if I have to ring the cops to say my rifle has been stolen and it was unsecured then I’m facing charges. I have never seen a poacher on my best place but I have heard voices close by in an area where there should have been nobody. Mostly I only carry one rifle on the quad .....previously on the odd occasion that I were carrying two , and if I have to go walk for a mob of pigs I have stashed the second rifle well hidden in thick scrub. Maybe hiding it in thick scrub is better than padlocking it to my quad. Who knows ......maybe all the thieves should just drop dead and we need not be so concerned

[Sergeant Hartman]

Hiding it in think bush is good until you come back and can't find the said bush.... abs when you find the said bush you can't find the rifle.......cuz all thick bushes look the same at 2am in the morning

[Blr243]

I have hidden mine in thick scrub but always no more than 10 m from the bike so it’s always easy to find .....I have not heard of anyone leaning a rifle against a tree for a bit and then walking off and then not being able to find it again. But that’s because they are too embarrassed to admit it. I have heard of people finding other people’s lost rifles in the bush before ...... I found a good knife in the bush before , and my mates hat a year after he lost it A couple of pieces of fired brass That’s all I think