Storage of magazines

[pureawsmdan]

Question, do empty magazines need to be stored in a safe, or no?
Thanks!

[Jorlcrin]

Additional question along the same lines:

In QLD, is it legal to hold magazines for firearms you dont have on your licence?
Further to this, what if you hold a licence for the same category as the firearm that magazine is for(ie Cat H), but not for that specific weapon?

I'm also interested in hearing whether magazines are required to be locked away in QLD.

[Lazarus]

viewtopic.php?f=74&t=10181

[No1Mk3]

https://enoughgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=10181

Thread doesn't really help OP as it doesn't mention Qld at all. With regards Qld, magazines are not mentioned as "Major component part" in the Weapons Act but are mentioned separately in Sch 2. They are also not defined in the definition of "firearm" so should be considered in a stand alone sense. Under that they are not required to be stored in a safe but good practice would suggest keeping them in a locked box or cupboard. With regards possession, again the only mention in Act or Regulation is regarding restricted mags (more than 10 rounds) so if you possess the appropriate category of licence you have lawful reason to possess. Just understand that individual Police Officers may interpret such things differently where they are not specified in Legislation, so a formal response either from your District Firearms Officer (do they have such a thing in Qld?) or Weapons Licencing is desirable to print off and keep with your guns, Cheers.

[Lazarus]

https://enoughgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=74&t=10181

Thread doesn't really help OP as it doesn't mention Qld at all. With regards Qld, magazines are not mentioned as "Major component part" in the Weapons Act but are mentioned separately in Sch 2. They are also not defined in the definition of "firearm" so should be considered in a stand alone sense. Under that they are not required to be stored in a safe but good practice would suggest keeping them in a locked box or cupboard. With regards possession, again the only mention in Act or Regulation is regarding restricted mags (more than 10 rounds) so if you possess the appropriate category of licence you have lawful reason to possess. Just understand that individual Police Officers may interpret such things differently where they are not specified in Legislation, so a formal response either from your District Firearms Officer (do they have such a thing in Qld?) or Weapons Licencing is desirable to print off and keep with your guns, Cheers.

OP doesn't mention QLD, the second poster did.

[Oldbloke]

The OP lives in QLD.

[Lazarus]

Well, there you go.
A fact of which I was unaware.

Gotta get this bloody esp fixed

[Oldbloke]

Well, there you go.
A fact of which I was unaware.

Gotta get this bloody esp fixed

If you turn the mobile sideways you can see there location if they enter it in the profile

[Lazarus]

Well slap my tits and call me Sally OB.

I have never bothered to do that.

[Lazarus]

My apologies to No1Mk3 and pureawsmdan for my knuckle dragging

[pureawsmdan]

All good, thanks again for the help guys.

[No1_49er]

Additional question along the same lines:

In QLD, is it legal to hold magazines for firearms you dont have on your licence?
Further to this, what if you hold a licence for the same category as the firearm that magazine is for(ie Cat H), but not for that specific weapon?

I'm also interested in hearing whether magazines are required to be locked away in QLD.

FFS stop calling them WEAPONS.
Doesn't matter what the legislation says, there is no need to perpetuate the poli-speak language.
Firearm seems to be the appropriate word.

[deye243]

It's not hard is to ask the so called Registry in your state .

[Jorlcrin]

Well, I read the replies and think; "A happy Christmas to one and all!"

Good to see that tolerance is alive and well on this forum at this (rather sucky) time of year.

Funnily enough, I HAVENT contacted the registry(called Weapons Licensing in QLD), because:-
a). I'm rarely in near a phone during business hours at present, and I'd prefer to ask the question to a real person to get their explanation.
b). Given some of the crap other firearm owners in QLD have experienced the past 12 months, I'm not sure their answer will be even close to what Plod will actually prosecute..

So I was asking what people had experienced themselves, in the real world, in QLD(Cant speak for the OP).
And I'm terribly sorry for daring to call a firearm a weapon, it's just that I spent my whole life associating a firearm as a type of weapon.
My bad.
I shall castigate myself sternly for my thoughtless behavior, on both counts.

Y'all have a spiffy Christmas day, now; Y'Hear?

[Pighunter]

It's not hard is to ask the so called Registry in your state .

That would be a fun 60 minute call to QLD WL lol. Calling the registry here is best to be avoided. They make it sound like you are greatly inconveniencing them and often don't pick up the phone in under 30 minutes. It is extremely unpleasant.

[deye243]

It's not hard is to ask the so called Registry in your state .

That would be a fun 60 minute call to QLD WL lol. Calling the registry here is best to be avoided. They make it sound like you are greatly inconveniencing them and often don't pick up the phone in under 30 minutes. It is extremely unpleasant.

Same here i sometimes I do it just to fill in some time I ask them some very ambiguous questions and then the same one a couple of months later and get a completely different answer.

[bigrich]

just play it safe and keep your mags in your safe . can't go wrong . my safe has a seperate lockable section above the rifle compartment ( spika-3 ?, 10-12 gun safe) . i keep my mags and rifle bolts locked in that section . it's better to over comply with firearms security i reckon

[alexjones]

It's not hard is to ask the so called Registry in your state .

No its not hard but why would you ask a public servant a legal question?They more often than not do not know the law themselves but know 'policy' and 'guidelines'. Ask a firearms specialist lawyer.

[alexjones]

Magazines are not listed as major firearms components in QLD and do not fit the description of a firearm. Magazines are not mentioned in the weapons act or its subsequent regulation how to store them. However it is mentioned in the weapons act section 168B(7) that they are 'prescribed thing' and the only excuse to be in possession of a prescribed thing without a lawful reason(a licence) is to be surrendering it to a dealer or police station.

So I just store them in the safe but you could be a trailblazer and set a precedent if you spend 30 grand on a dragged out court case so you can find out? It could be argued that seeing as you need a licence to buy them that they need to be kept secure from unauthorised possesion? This might not have to be to the same standard as a firearm though. It could be a simple locked tackle box.


The magazine capacity in QLD for cat A is unlimited, 10 for cat B pump and lever(bolt is 15 you can also get exemption for pump lever to be unlimited). Cat C is 5 for shotgun and 10 for rifle and cat D and R are unlimited. H is unlimited but 10 if for sports use.

Magazines are interchangeable with different guns so if you only have a cat A licence you can have a 25 round mag for a ruger american 22lr(cat A) you can posses it even though it will fit a ruger 10/22(cat D). If you only have a cat B licence you can posses a 15 round mag for a cat B bolt action even if it will fit a cat B pump/lever. You just cant put it in that rifle.

The Warwick rifles are bolt actions in QLD even with that FABA kit so it is lawful to put a 15 round mag in it as it is a bolt action. You could not put it in a rem7615 as that is a pump unless you have an exemption or are a cat D holder.

Edit: your question says 'empty magazine'. You cant legally store a loaded magazine so a magazine must always be empty whilst not in use.

[alexjones]

Additional question along the same lines:

In QLD, is it legal to hold magazines for firearms you dont have on your licence?
Further to this, what if you hold a licence for the same category as the firearm that magazine is for(ie Cat H), but not for that specific weapon?

I'm also interested in hearing whether magazines are required to be locked away in QLD.

Yes you don't need to own a gun in order to have a magazine for it so long as you have that category on your licence. A ruger bx25 round mag fits in category A,D,H,R firearms so as long as you posses one of those categories you can posses it. However if you only have cat H for sports use you cant use it even though you can posses it on your cat A licence.

[darklazor]

Not worth the risk, just lock it up with the ammo. Then I don't think it would matter if it's loaded or not.

[alexjones]

Not worth the risk, just lock it up with the ammo. Then I don't think it would matter if it's loaded or not.

Not worth the risk but you mention storing a loaded magazine? Wanna talk about about risk. Have you read the explosives act and its subsequent regulation? if not I suggest you go look it up and familiarise yourself with it. Small arms ammunition must be stored in its original packing or in specifically designed storage boxes such as ammo cans or those reloading boxes, not magazines. So a magazine can never be stored loaded.

Now storing an empty magazine with the ammo is not specifically mentioned as magazines are not listed as major firearms components. However it is still a gamble that some public servant who does not know the law would still charge you and you have to spend a lot of money to defend yourself.

"major component part of a firearm includes a part such as"

The above is how it is worded in the act. The words 'such as' infers to me that the list may not be comprehensive and they could try to dump a magazine in there as you need a licence to posses them.

[darklazor]

Not worth the risk, just lock it up with the ammo. Then I don't think it would matter if it's loaded or not.

Not worth the risk but you mention storing a loaded magazine? Wanna talk about about risk. Have you read the explosives act and its subsequent regulation? if not I suggest you go look it up and familiarise yourself with it. Small arms ammunition must be stored in its original packing or in specifically designed storage boxes such as ammo cans or those reloading boxes, not magazines. So a magazine can never be stored loaded.

Now storing an empty magazine with the ammo is not specifically mentioned as magazines are not listed as major firearms components. However it is still a gamble that some public servant who does not know the law would still charge you and you have to spend a lot of money to defend yourself.

"major component part of a firearm includes a part such as"

The above is how it is worded in the act. The words 'such as' infers to me that the list may not be comprehensive and they could try to dump a magazine in there as you need a licence to posses them.

Ok, first off I started by saying I don't think it would matter if it's loaded or not. Key word Think cause I was not 100% sure. You are probably right regarding your state, however, in NSW I believe it is different. I don't condone or recommend leaving mags loaded. Or unloaded mags lying around regardless of what state you live in. As in NSW, a firearm magazine is defined as a firearm part under section 4 of the Firearms Act 1996, therefor it must be stored in compliance with the safe storage requirements as outlined in the Firearms Act 1996. Just to clear things up. I will link a couple of things for you if you want to skim over it. I also recommend reading NSW Explosives Regulation 2013 Part 5Division 4Section 84 more specifically item 7.

https://enoughgun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16883
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/131154/Ammunition_Safe_Storage_-_FACT_Sheet.pdf
https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/file/0011/209477/FACT_Sheet_Firearm_Magazines.pdf

After reading this it would be easily understandable in NSW that it might be ok to leave a mag loaded if stored in compliance with the safe storage requirements as outlined in the Firearms Act 1996.. I will say it again its probably not worth the risk leave it unloaded and locked up would be the best bet.

[alexjones]

This thread is for Queensland. So posting about New South Wales law does not matter.