Gun owners urged to safeguard firearms

Firearms owners across the Moreton Bay Region have been urged to consider boosting storage security after several incidents where weapons were stolen.

A Moreton Bay Police spokeswoman says the stolen weapons had been stored correctly.

“We’re trying to encourage people to take extra steps such as CCTV,” she says.

Licensed firearm owners are required by law to store weapons in a compliant, locked safe when not in use, with ammunition stored separately in a secure container.

Audit planned

Speaking ahead of a planned audit of weapons license holders across the region, the spokeswoman says it is important to store keys to gun safes away from the safe and to ensure safes are installed securely.

“They shouldn’t be in a place where they can be readily located or in sight of intruders – for example not in an unlocked garage or shed,” she says.

Safes should also be stored away from power tools or other items that could be used to break in.

“A person who possesses a firearm must take all reasonable precautions to ensure safe storage, that the firearm is not stolen or lost and that it does not come into possession of a person who is not authorised to possess it,” the spokeswoman says.

For more information visit police.qld.gov.au

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