The legal requirements of gun safe in Australia and the UK

Australia

All Australian states require firearms to be locked in steel cabinets or safes, and all states allow “impenetrable” wooden safes for Class A and B weapons, except Western Australia.

In most states, the law requires that ammunition (and bolts if easily removable) be stored in a separate safe or in a separate space in the safe. Gun safes are required by law to be secured to the wall or floor (most states have exceptions for safes with a mass over 150 kg or 330 lbs). In addition, in Western Australia, two locks must be installed on the gun safe if the swing edge of the door is greater than 500 mm (20 inches) and less than 1500 mm (59 inches), and additional locks are required for safes with a swing edge greater than 1500 mm.

The requirements for transporting firearms in vehicles vary from state to state. Most require that the firearm be concealed and locked so that unauthorized persons do not have easy access to it. The firearm must be unloaded and the firearm and ammunition must not be kept together but must be separated in their own separate spaces.

United Kingdom

Many gun safes sold in the UK are tested to British Standard BS BS7558/92 for gun safes. The UK Home Office recommends that new gun cabinets should comply with this standard. Glass cabinets are legal in the UK as long as the gun safe’s safety glass meets the requirements of BS5544.

If a citizen does not have a gun safe, it is acceptable to remove the firing mechanism from the firearm and store it in a secure container and then lock up the rest of the firearm in accordance with the “safe storage” requirements.