Gun Safety Campaign

LOCAL police are supporting a new gun safety campaign, by the department of primary industries, to combat complacency with experienced shooters.

Inspector Guy Guiana said the campaign is aimed at licensed shooters who have done their training but need to take stock of the fundamentals and not form bad habits.

Cleaning a rifle

“We have had a few accidents involving firearms in our region in recent years, one person was climbing through a fence when his gun discharged and in another incident a person was killed when an unlicensed person pointed the gun at him and fired it,” said Inspector Guiana.

“It is important to practice the fundamentals of firearms safety,” he said.

“Treating every firearm as if it is loaded, always pointing it in a safe direction, never loading the weapon until needed, separating ammunition and storing it in a locked box, identifying the target, not relying on safety mechanisms especially in older guns, every couple of years having the firearm properly serviced and never handling guns under the influence of alcohol and drugs,” Guy Guiana said.

The department of primary industries has developed a gun safety kit which includes:

• a firearms safety kit
• firearms chamber safety flags
• gun bag zipper key rings
• magnets and stickers for gun safes, and
• posters for homes, firearms retail outlets and firing ranges.

To obtain your free gun smart firearms safety kit contact the department of primary industries (DPI) game licensing unit on (02) 6391 3750 or visit the DPI website www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/hunting.