Proposed explosive law changes highly charged

The New South Wales Government is currently remaking the Explosives Regulation 2013.

A Regulatory Impact Statement has been released which reveals that many of the existing clauses will be retained, but there are changes proposed that will be of concern to recreational firearm owners.

Of particular concern for us is proposed Clause 50 which outlines changes to powder storage for licenced firearm owners.

As most readers would be aware, propellant powder as available to licenced firearm owners is an intrinsically safe and stable substance.

The proposed changes would change the storage limit from 12kg of powder per licenced firearm owner to 12kg of powder per premises, meaning that if you live with others and more than one of you re-load, you could be severely limited in your ability to hold an adequate stock of powder, particular in the context of certain powders being unavailable to buy for long periods of time.

The rationale for the proposed change is “to minimise the safety hazards associated with the storage of propellant powder” although the New South Wales Government has not explained what incidents or concerns have driven the change (to our knowledge there have been none) and how imposing an even more restrictive arbitrary limit on licenced firearm owners would logically improve public safety.

In our view the Government has failed to adequately outline what problem they are trying to solve with this unnecessarily restrictive change. 

Interestingly another change to the regulation would seek to exempt any NSW Police Station from any oversight in holding dangerous explosives (not something as relatively innocuous as propellant powder) up to 10kg of net explosive product.

Currently these substances are required to be taken to a licenced storage facility when seized by Police.

We’re not arguing that NSW Police should not be trusted to handle and store dangerous explosives that they seize, but it does highlight the degree of inconsistency being applied by the New South Wales Government in drafting these new regulations.

You can complete a survey or submit a decision on the ‘Have your say’ website.