Storage of firearms/ammunition

The information listed below can be found on the Licensing and Regulation Division (LRD) website. Please refer to the LRD website for further information.

There are specific storage requirements for each category of firearm license in Victoria.

For handguns –

(1) The firearm must be stored in a steel safe –

(a) which is of a thickness that is not easily penetrable; and

(b) which, if it weighs less than 150 kilograms when it is empty, must be bolted to the structure of the premises where the firearm is authorised to be kept; and

(c) which, when any firearm is stored in it, is locked.

Safekeeping of firearms when being transported in vehicles

While the guidelines are aimed at minimising risk, license holders should consider all factors that may contribute to firearms being transported in a manner that is not secure or in a way that presents a danger.

In most circumstances firearms should be transported in the following manner:

• Firearms should be transported in a padded cover or hard case, unloaded and preferably rendered inoperable.
• While being transported, firearms and ammunition should be kept out of sight and stored in separate receptacles that are either secured to the inside of your vehicle or in a lockable component of your vehicle.
• Cartridge ammunition must be stored separately from firearms in a part of the vehicle not readily accessible by an unauthorised person – a lockable glove box would suffice provided the key to the glove box is kept securely by the holder of the firearm license and cannot be accessed by persons unauthorised to possess ammunition or firearms.

General storage considerations

• It is a requirement that cartridge ammunition must be stored in a locked container separate from the storage unit in which the firearm is stored. It is acceptable to have a purpose-built storage unit that has two separate lockable compartments (one for firearms and one for ammunition). This is classified as separate storage areas, and therefore suitable. The key consideration is that firearms cannot be readily accessed by persons not authorised to do so.

Firearm safes can be found at most firearm stores as well as online, and can be easily transported and installed.