Taking photos when holding a rifle without licence

[moreak]

Hi guys,

Thanks god I found this forum. I've just got my first gun, so exciting. Some of my mates want to hold the gun (with no ammo loaded) and take some photos at my place. Would those photos become hard evidences that he had hold (touched) a firearm without licence? Is this legal?

Many thanks!

[randomwally]

Check with firearms licensing in Victoria to be 100% sure. From time to time there have been attempts to go after even licensed firearm owners for posing with their own firearms at home (on the basis they're not being securely stored if you wandering around posing with them). If you're worried, take your friends out to your local range, get them to fill out the appropriate forms, then they can have a shoot and pose with no questions about legality.

In general, you probably don't want people splashing pictures of your firearms all over social media. Especially if it's easy to work out who owns them and where they're stored. You just make yourself an easier target for thieves.

[Supaduke]

Cops have better things to do than chase people for taking photos. They don't even arrive for actual crimes. Relax, take a photo, no copper is going to bother with someone letting there mate hold a rifle in the privacy of their own home. Let's all just calm down a bit.
And in reality, assuming there is no serial number showing how would they even prove it's your gun he's holding. Wouldn't last 3 seconds in court.

[juststarting]

Yes, it is illegal and yes they will become compromising material on you; and bases for you, swiftly losing your licence. Essentially, you would be a. committing a firearms offence; and b. allowing someone to have photo evidence of you committing a firearms offence.

[juststarting]

Supaduke, that wasn't the question. The question is photos... And if you have to ask this question, I would bet your mates would be pretty excited to post it on whatever social media and so on and so forth. Your choice though

[Supaduke]

As long as you are there supervising, it's no different to handling a firearm in a gun shop. If you guys honestly believe you will get into strife for that you guys overestimate our legal system. Good luck trying to build a prosecution case for a photo of an unidentifiable gun in an unknown location.

I show mates new firearms, explain how they operate etc.
The video I watched when I renewed my license many years ago had a bloke doing exactly that. It showed him taking his guns to a house and showing people how they worked. That video was shown in the police station. They still show it now.

I've been doing it for probably 20 years. If you are being safe and responsible about it there is no issue. Each to their own, but what you do in the privacy of your own home is your business.

I let mates take photos, what they do with them is their issue. I don't post anything on facebook myself in regards to firearms, especially hunting photos cause I don't like to advertise I shoot. I really doubt there would ever be blow back unless they were doing something stupid.

[AusTac]

Sketchy...

[on_one_wheel]

Totally legal in SA

Provided the unlicensed person is under the control of a licensed shooter.

[on_one_wheel]

What sort of s**t friends do you have? I wouldn't even letthem in the house until they put the licence paperwork in!

GOLD !

[juststarting]

What sort of s**t friends do you have? I wouldn't even letthem in the house until they put the licence paperwork in!

Exactly! Hence mate bought the press!

[happyhunter]

Do it and post the pic then let us know how it goes?

[pete1]

The District Firearms Officer, when I did my safety course said the police have booked people in the past, not worth the risk, but if you went to a gun range it might be ok as they are supervised.

[brett1868]

Illegal in NSW and if the photos are taken with an iPhone or other smart phone they may possibly be geotagged which will lead directly to you with a simple cut and paste into Google. For security sakes alone, don't allow friends to pose for pictures with your firearms unless they are licensed.

[sandgroperbill]

Tell them to buy their own licences and guns.

Then all go camping, hunting and fishing together.

[combo12]

Shows how paranoid we have become! But if you live in SA all good! Firearms Act 2015 says Section 8 (1) (n) this Act does NOT apply to persons handling a firearm in the presence of, and with the consent of the owner who holds a firearms licence allowing possession of that firearm, and is the registered owner of said firearm or an employee or agent of the owner of the firearm. So there you are. Give your buddies a hold. Might encourage them to get further involved in shooting sports? As for posting on social media, think twice - once out in cyberspace these pics live forever and who knows where they could end up....

[No1Mk3]

G'day moreak,
Never mind what Superduke says, or anyone else interstate. Here, it is illegal to give an unlicensed person a firearm OTHER than at an approved range, the offence is against Section 6, Sub-section 1 of the Firearms Act 1996. If anyone can quote a Section, Sub,Para that contradicts this I would like to see it please. One thing Superduke is right about though is whether anyone is going to chase it up. We are so chronically short handed that there is very little time to proceed on such things, but be aware it CAN happen, and has, to both private shooters and also dealers, including 2 close friends who have had their dealers licence threatened by LRD in the last 18 months. Excited now? Great, how excited will you be if you come into the sights of that one bastard copper who wants to make an example of you? Cheers.

[Supaduke]

1984

[<<Genesis93>>]

Easy peasy workaround . .....

Paint a sign; 'Welcome to Thailand'

Place it in background- post away

And yes; 96=84

[happyhunter]

1984

That book should have been called it 1997.

[Gwion]

Should have need called 2010, when most of the western world had willingly signed themselves up to Big Brother in the form of social media!

[Angel]

Get them to an approved range and you can take all the photos you like, otherwise, Don't do eeeeeeet.

[pomemax]

Original title of that book was 1948 so they added 40 years to give it a better selling life and 1996 should have been called Animal farm.
Why risk it I know its a sad state of affairs but its what we have to live with till it can (if ever ) be changed , social media is not the problem either is what people put there without thinking .
Just think in 25 years kids will be saying they put what? on the internet FOOLS did they not know I saw kids at chew and spew ( maccas yer I went for a macsh>t)talking on the phone to each other one sitting down the other 20 feet away at the counter then they would look and giggle at each other i found funny waiting for the old girl

[RoginaJack]

Yeah, i reckon that this makes the bloke from Tassie feell a whole lot better. Showed his mates & let his mates handle his weapon, sorry firearm and was charged, lost licence and had his firearms confiscated and destroyed. No shots were fired.

Not worth the risk!

[<<Genesis93>>]

Original title of that book was 1948 so they added 40 years to give it a better selling life ....

Was written in 48...... as a futuristic dystopian novel... I think it was always 1984.

[happyhunter]

The Last Man in Europe was an early title for the novel but in a letter dated 22 October 1948 to his publisher Fredric Warburg, eight months before publication, Orwell wrote about hesitating between The Last Man in Europe and Nineteen Eighty-Four.[16] Warburg suggested changing the main title to a more commercial one.[17]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

Damn internet makes this s**t too easy.

[dugachelli]

Don't do it.

[<<Genesis93>>]

The Last Man in Europe was an early title for the novel but in a letter dated 22 October 1948 to his publisher Fredric Warburg, eight months before publication, Orwell wrote about hesitating between The Last Man in Europe and Nineteen Eighty-Four.[16] Warburg suggested changing the main title to a more commercial one.[17]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

Damn internet makes this s**t too easy.

Doesnt make sense

In the novel 1985 (1978), Anthony Burgess suggests that Orwell, disillusioned by the onset of the Cold War (1945–91), intended to call the book 1948.

I think Burgess was FOS... it was always in the future, and afterall thats WIKI... moderated by every man and his dog, even semi literate types living in dark basements...

[happyhunter]

I should have said Damn internet, makes things too confusing

[doc]

Hi guys,

Thanks god I found this forum. I've just got my first gun, so exciting. Some of my mates want to hold the gun (with no ammo loaded) and take some photos at my place. Would those photos become hard evidences that he had hold (touched) a firearm without licence? Is this legal?

Many thanks!

Just the facts addressing your question:

1) It is illegal in Victoria to do what you propose. (Unless your house is an approved range).

2) If you did you would be taking photo evidence of a crime which you have been involved in.

3) Police can (and have in the past) used photo evidence to lead to a conviction.

As for the chances of being caught, whether cops care, etc - all falls under speculation and guess work and answers will be as wide and varied as the individuals here.

[SteamedHam]

Also, it's painful to type this. But if you're putting these photos on social media, just be aware of potential employers seeing it.