Victoria Police has issued an ultimatum to farmers; lock up your firearms or face the consequences.
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The stern warning comes as gun owners across the state are set to face new changes to laws which detail how longarm firearms can be legally stored.
From August 30, all category A and B firearms, such as rifles and shotguns, must be stowed in a dedicated firearm safe.
"It has to be built for purpose, 1.6-millimetre steel at a minimum, with a study lock and if the safe is less than 150 kilograms when empty, it has to be secured to the wall or fall with the likes of Dynabolts," Acting Superintendent John Cahill, who oversees the firearm Licencing and Regulation Division, said.
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Up until now, laws under the Firearms Act 1996 allowed for "provisions" for reduced storage requirements, meaning a locked wardrobe or container was previously sufficient.
"A lot of shooters are engaged with clubs or perhaps hunting organisations where they're getting this message," Acting Superintendent Cahill said.
"But perhaps farmers who use firearms as a tool are harder to reach for us."
Police say the new laws are about strengthening community safety, and not about "catching people out".
"At the end of the day, we want people to be compliant and take their firearm safely," he said.
"We recognise the unique situation with farmers that they need their firearm accessible, and at the end of the day it's the individual's responsibility to make sure firearms can't be stolen or accessed by someone else.
"We do see farmers who put their shotgun on the backseat of their car and might go into town and get stolen, and in those circumstances you have to say the individual failed in properly securing their firearm."
According to Victoria Police data, between 700-1000 firearms are stolen from licensed gun holders each year, with a significant portion of those taken from rural properties.
Acting Superintendent Cahill urged farmers to evaluate their properties to determine suitable locations where a gun safe could be installed, warning against storing firearms in remote areas.
"Often the firearm safe ... will be in a shed and by nature of a shed, there's often tools available that can aid criminals to break into that safe," he said.
"I prefer to see the safe in a house, but that isn't legislated so people need to be mindful of the location of their shed.
"Farm crime happens more than we care and it's often farmers who find out days after a firearm is stolen because sometimes the shed is not monitored by the landowner."
He said police would undertake a statewide "gun safe inspection blitz" of regional properties in 2023.
"We really want to make sure the arrangements are right," Acting Superintendent Cahill said.
"We're in an education space at the moment, but that won't go on forever."