Spent brass in WA

Questions about Western Australian gun and ammunition laws. W.A. Firearms Act 1973.

Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Oldbloke » 16 Mar 2018, 10:22 pm

I always pick them up so as not to rubbish the bush. The safe I put them in cost me a small fortune. :lol:

Jokes aside, what do they do at the ranges over there?
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by duncan61 » 16 Mar 2018, 10:26 pm

I am a plumber and regularly scrap copper and brass and it goes in the brass bucket and gets melted down.Never had a problem in 30 years.I doubt anyone has ever "handed it in"
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by duncan61 » 16 Mar 2018, 10:32 pm

Its probably in the fine print about what to do with unwanted ammo.Some explosives and detonaters were found in the bush near a remote roadhouse I worked at and we called the police and they came out and collected it no problems
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by sungazer » 17 Mar 2018, 8:35 am

Dont worry OB they all get picked up the misses has cleaning OCD. if in the bush I would pick them up not only a mess but a bad look on shooters. Not sure if I like the grief she gives me, perhaps I do and just leave one or two to get a reaction. :D
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by duncan61 » 17 Mar 2018, 12:34 pm

I have a Winchester 5 shot .22LR that I obtained for my mates grand children its not uncommon for them to go through 500-700 rds when we go to the farm for 2 days and when I reload a 100x .222 there is always 2-3 split neck cases does not seem to happen with .243 and 7mm Rem Mag.It goes to the scrap dealer with old brass traps and tapware when I do renovations.Where is this lock up brass rule I have a display starting at cat shot and ending in 416 Rigby on the shelf with projectiles in.You all worry to much.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Daddybang » 17 Mar 2018, 1:42 pm

duncan61 wrote:I have a Winchester 5 shot .22LR that I obtained for my mates grand children its not uncommon for them to go through 500-700 rds when we go to the farm for 2 days and when I reload a 100x .222 there is always 2-3 split neck cases does not seem to happen with .243 and 7mm Rem Mag.It goes to the scrap dealer with old brass traps and tapware when I do renovations.Where is this lock up brass rule I have a display starting at cat shot and ending in 416 Rigby on the shelf with projectiles in.You all worry to much.





Schedule 4 : ammunition includes anything manufactured as component of ammunition designed for discharge from a firearm.

This is wa legislation.
Maybe you should sit down and read the current legislation for your state. :drinks:
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Grumpy » 17 Mar 2018, 8:48 pm

Possessing casings for calibres not on your licence can have the potential to bring you unstuck big time if you’re not careful.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Daddybang » 18 Mar 2018, 9:17 am

Grumpy wrote:Possessing casings for calibres not on your licence can have the potential to bring you unstuck big time if you’re not careful.


Yep and even if ya have a ammo collectors license the collection must be stored the same as live ammunition :drinks:
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Oldbloke » 18 Mar 2018, 12:42 pm

Daddybang wrote:Yep and even if ya have a ammo collectors license the collection must be stored the same as live ammunition :drinks:


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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by holden4th » 18 Mar 2018, 5:01 pm

You do not have to lock away your spent brass in WA if it is deprimed or the primer has been set off. All you have to do is make sure it is securely stored. For example, if you put your brass in nondescript containers in a locked premises then it's securely stored. My brother has brass all over the place but his home/garage is alarmed and monitored. However, just locking up the property is enough. The same goes for projectiles.

Common opinion seems to be that you must lock your brass/projies away but nobody has produced any documentation from the firearms act to back up these statements and that is because you don't have to. Once that brass leaves your property, the law changes.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Daddybang » 18 Mar 2018, 6:00 pm

holden4th wrote:You do not have to lock away your spent brass in WA if it is deprimed or the primer has been set off. All you have to do is make sure it is securely stored. For example, if you put your brass in nondescript containers in a locked premises then it's securely stored. My brother has brass all over the place but his home/garage is alarmed and monitored. However, just locking up the property is enough. The same goes for projectiles.

Common opinion seems to be that you must lock your brass/projies away but nobody has produced any documentation from the firearms act to back up these statements and that is because you don't have to. Once that brass leaves your property, the law changes.


Check out schedule four as I posted above.
"Ammunition includes ANYTHING manufactured as a component of ammunition designed for discharge from a firearm. "
Then read the faqs on the wapol website that state that the storage laws for ammunition are generic and are also applicable to ammunition held on a collectors license.
Schedule four also describes the storage reqs for firearms and ammunition. I haven't been able to find any exceptions for spent or deprimed brass anywhere. :unknown:
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Sorry I can't provide the direct links as im computer dyslexic :lol: :drinks:
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Oldbloke » 18 Mar 2018, 6:12 pm

I agree. IMO Schedule 4 includes all parts that make up ammunition. In practice a cop may not care but a if your stiff a judge could see it differently and hit you with a conviction if not stored as legislated.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by holden4th » 19 Mar 2018, 6:04 pm

Can someone post what schedule 4 says?
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Oldbloke » 19 Mar 2018, 8:02 pm

See daddybangs earlier oost
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Die Judicii » 19 Mar 2018, 9:02 pm

Daddybang wrote:
Grumpy wrote:Possessing casings for calibres not on your licence can have the potential to bring you unstuck big time if you’re not careful.


Yep and even if ya have a ammo collectors license the collection must be stored the same as live ammunition :drinks:


So what do the museums do,,,,, and the RSL exhibitions,,,,, ???

Don't tell me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, They have had special GLASS safes/vaults made to keep them in, so the public can still see them.

Don't the WA pollies have anything proper to do ?

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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by bladeracer » 19 Mar 2018, 10:56 pm

Die Judicii wrote:So what do the museums do,,,,, and the RSL exhibitions,,,,, ???

Don't tell me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, They have had special GLASS safes/vaults made to keep them in, so the public can still see them.


We used to have an incredible collection of small arms in the ARMY museum just north of Perth, then they took all the hundreds of firearms, crated them up and hid them away in some dark place where they couldn't frighten politicians :-(
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by kb1 » 24 Mar 2018, 9:27 am

how does this type of sh*t even get voted into law over here. next theyll closed down ranges due to millions of spent (live) ammo shells laying on the ground
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Daddybang » 24 Mar 2018, 11:30 am

kb1 wrote:how does this type of sh*t even get voted into law over here. next theyll closed down ranges due to millions of spent (live) ammo shells laying on the ground


They don't legislate they regulate which means it doesn't get voted on!! :drinks:
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by holden4th » 24 Mar 2018, 5:07 pm

Daddybang wrote:
kb1 wrote:how does this type of sh*t even get voted into law over here. next theyll closed down ranges due to millions of spent (live) ammo shells laying on the ground


They don't legislate they regulate which means it doesn't get voted on!! :drinks:


...well said. This is the crux of the matter. One thing to remember is that regulations (as opposed to laws) can be challenged.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by John » 10 Apr 2020, 10:45 pm

Well I’ve never heard that one before but I live in nsw
I’ve got a few big buckets of spent brass I’ve been emptying my pockets in to for a long time I was going to take in to cash it in as scrap when I had a drum full seems to be taking for ever or I’m not shooting enough and we both no which one it is and it’s not taking to long lol

I’m going to have to look at nsw laws to see what they say about spent brass I will be taking one case in every day for the rest of my life they will get sick of typing receipts out quicker than I get board taking them in.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Ziege » 11 Apr 2020, 12:30 am

Take it from me, WA is a Fudd state for sure..... Lafo's, blokes working at the lgs, average plebs, all seem to have this attitude that having 0 control over your interests is normal and that they are lucky to have a pittance when it comes to liberties, they don't believe in fighting for the right to things, and they readily capitulate to the powers that be instead of enacting change. Trying to build any sort of lobby using lafo's in WA is like trying to cure lung cancer by smoking cigs. It's literally infuriating
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by bibendum » 30 Nov 2020, 5:29 pm

By law in WA, empty (even fired) centrefire brass, projectiles, Shotgun hulls, shotgun wads, primers all need to be kept in a safe that is the equivalent of your gun safe.
Spent rimfire brass is not designed to be reloadable, so would not class as ammunition according to the definition in the act (although stories abound of people getting charged with empty 22lr shell possession but it's normally to bolster other charges, not stand alone).

It's a crazy law but that's what it is.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by bladeracer » 30 Nov 2020, 6:06 pm

bibendum wrote:By law in WA, empty (even fired) centrefire brass, projectiles, Shotgun hulls, shotgun wads, primers all need to be kept in a safe that is the equivalent of your gun safe.
Spent rimfire brass is not designed to be reloadable, so would not class as ammunition according to the definition in the act (although stories abound of people getting charged with empty 22lr shell possession but it's normally to bolster other charges, not stand alone).

It's a crazy law but that's what it is.


Does it specifiy in the act that brass only counts as ammunition if it is reloadable?
I thought it simply states "cartridge cases"
I didn't think wads were classed as ammunition though..
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by bibendum » 30 Nov 2020, 6:50 pm

bladeracer wrote:
bibendum wrote:Spent rimfire brass is not designed to be reloadable, so would not class as ammunition according to the definition in the act (although stories abound of people getting charged with empty 22lr shell possession but it's normally to bolster other charges, not stand alone).
It's a crazy law but that's what it is.


Does it specifiy in the act that brass only counts as ammunition if it is reloadable?
I thought it simply states "cartridge cases"
I didn't think wads were classed as ammunition though..


Given that you cannot readily and easily reload it. It is a single use item. A cop could possible try to bluff a charge, but all you would need to do is ask "OK, so how do I make this capable of being discharged from a firearm?"
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Ziege » 30 Nov 2020, 7:02 pm

Local coppers here regularly wave farmers and others through with 22 bullets on the dash and a ute load of spent brass and shotgun shells on the back bouncing around the tray, I personally think its a city cop/young cop issue for one to spontaneously want to charge you over it, I mean the local mechanic and panel beater and auto sparky here could be charged daily if that was the case, especially shotgun shells and spent 22 brass.

other theory is those who get f***ed over have been a target for other reasons, yunno sorta like guilty by association, have a family member thats a bad egg, hotted up car thats always hooning around, bragging about gun related stuff infront of snowflakes, but I dont discount for a minute that there are just some cops that are complete ****** and should have never been given a uniform and gun.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by bladeracer » 30 Nov 2020, 7:18 pm

bibendum wrote:Given that you cannot readily and easily reload it. It is a single use item. A cop could possible try to bluff a charge, but all you would need to do is ask "OK, so how do I make this capable of being discharged from a firearm?"


Does the Act require that it is possible to reload it?
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by rc42 » 30 Nov 2020, 8:26 pm

A literal interpretation of WA legislation includes brass as a component of ammunition and therefore subject to all of the restrictions that are applied to loaded ammunition.

However, there has been recognition at high level that the wording should be amended to exclude empty brass whether reloadable or not (chapter 5.1 in the pdf file linked). Not sure how far this is from being adopted but the chance of being prosecuted for possession of empty brass appears to very low.

https://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/public ... p-4930.pdf
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by animalpest » 30 Nov 2020, 8:34 pm

The WA Firearms Act describes ammunition as anything designed to be "discharged from a firearm". I dont think my rifles dischrge brass cases as they are still in the gun, but they do bullets, powder and primers.
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by Ziege » 30 Nov 2020, 8:48 pm

animalpest wrote:The WA Firearms Act describes ammunition as anything designed to be "discharged from a firearm". I dont think my rifles dischrge brass cases as they are still in the gun, but they do bullets, powder and primers.



really? I mean if my rifle was shooting out powder I would seriously think about changing what loads I use or switch to a different brand of ammo, More worrying perhaps that your primers are discharged from the gun? how on earth is that happening then?
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Re: Spent brass in WA

Post by animalpest » 30 Nov 2020, 9:35 pm

Your rifle certainly discharges the powder. It comes out the barrel as burn powder and gas. Perhaps reading the dictionsry will allow you to see what I mean and the Act means.
So going back to the brass, no it is not exiting the firearm such as powder, bullet and priming compound does. Brass cases, once fired and empty are not ammunition.
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