FIREARM owners in the Swan Hill region are being warned to properly secure their weapons, with police cracking down on improper storage.
Police seized 25 firearms from an Ultima address last weekend, with a large number found improperly stored on the property.
Swan Hill officers attended the address on October 27 to conduct a firearms storage inspection.
Police discovered unsecured firearms, loaded firearms and unregistered firearms at the property.
A quantity of firearms were seized and a 69-year-old male was interviewed.
The man will face the Swan Hill Magistrates’ Court on January 15.
Swan Hill police Inspector Haydn Downes told The Guardian police are targeting firearms compliance and storage.
“We have had a couple of incidents this week where in one place 25 firearms were seized because they weren’t being stored correctly and they were being stored loaded and that sort of stuff,” Insp Downes said.
“We have taken that gentleman’s firearms, suspended his firearms licence and been interviewed and charged with a number of offences and will have to go to court at a later date.”
Insp Downes warned residents against a complacent attitude when it comes to the storage of firearms.
“It’s really important for people who have got firearms that they are stored correctly and you have to keep in mind police will be around, doing random checks,” he said.
“It is, it’s complacency because they think, ‘Oh, nah it’s not going to happen to me’, but, it’s like theft from motor car, it is an opportunistic crime.”
