Australia's Firearms Amnesty. Security!

Take a look at the holding place for these firearms. They are NOT being held in a secure facility. Shown are roller garage doors & behind this police officer ordinary changing room lockers with the word "Firearms" on the doors! This is what law abiding firearms owners are up against, guns get stolen from police & military facilities & we get the blame. The gun used in the Tasmanian shootings came from a police facility!!! Stolen or sold?!
More images here: http://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/4955991/how-many-guns-have-been-handed-in-amnesty-photos/

David Attenborough: On climate change, optimism and Blue Planet II

https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/09/25/david-attenborough-climate-change-science-storytelling-blue-planet-ii/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=gpeace&utm_content=6+-+David+Attenborough+We+arenrsquot+voices+&utm_campaign=weekly&source=weekly

Farmer has rifle confiscated for defending his family. Home Invasion!

Bungowannah farmer David Dunstan (a licenced firearm owner) defended his family from an armed intruder (already on the run from a previous local home invasion) with an unloaded rifle and now the police have seized his licensed firearms!

Who are our police protecting by doing this? He lives on a remote property and as a farmer, his firearms are part of his "tools of trade".

 http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4930858/you-say-firearms-are-part-of-farmers-tools-of-the-trade/

The law says we are not to use a greater force to defend ourselves than we are being threatened by. So what happens when the assailant is much bigger & stronger than the victim? Does this mean that David Dunstan should have gone to the kitchen & protected his family with a kitchen knife???!!! Get into a knife fight???!!! We have effectively lost our rights to self defence & the right to protect our loved ones, this means we have lost our freedom!
So what are we going to do about this? Wait for someone else to get killed? Do you know how many people get attacked,injured or killed each day? Australian women are getting assaulted every two minutes every day!!!

"I Was Told I Couldn't Leave The Room Till The Adani Article Was Pulled"

Centerfire versus Muzzle-Loader.

Centerfire versus Muzzle-Loader.

In a fire fight no one can deny that it would be better to have a modern cartridge gun than a muzzle-loading gun, but let’s just look at some pros & cons for something to think about.

Post shtf modern ammunition will no longer be available. Modern ammunition is heavy. You may prefer to carry a 9mm Glock or a 357 magnum, but for most people this will mean having to join a pistol club, paying club fees plus the cost of the handgun & the constant purchase of ammunition, because you have to attend regular shoots to retain your membership & your “H” class licence. If you plan on using this handgun post shtf, then you will need to stock up on ammunition, or at least get as much as restrictions will allow. If you are planning on “Bugging In”, then you can get some reloading equipment. It may not be practical though to carry this reloading equipment with you if you have to leave home. It all depends on how heavy & bulky it is & you do not want to compromise your survival by not carrying enough water, food & ready made ammunition. Don’t forget that if you are planning on reloading your own ammo, you will need primers, possibly more brass, smokeless gunpowder & of course lead.

A flintlock pistol only requires gun flints, gunpowder, wads or wadding & lead. Any siliceous rock will work in a flint lock. Black powder, wads & wadding you can make yourself, & lead is easy to come by & you can mould your own ammunition. You can also make paper cartridges for faster reloading if you have a smoothbore. A smoothbore pistol can fire shot & round ball, either or both together.

You do not need a licence, registration or a permit to purchase in NSW (check your own state legislation) if you are buying an antique. You don’t need to carry a lot of lead, as you will only be using this pistol for defence. If you have the stomach for it you can retrieve spend lead from a dead foe or game & remould it. No heavy reloading equipment is required, just a ball mould & a small lead ladle. Gunpowder is light in comparison to lead, so you can carry enough to last you a very long time. If you were to run out of lead, you can substitute other projectiles obtained from nature.

Sustainability & Long Term Survival.

http://www.3minutes.com.au/

Sustainability. 

Sustainability/sustainable means lasting  for a long time, or, the ability to make something last for a long time.

If in our preparations for survival we are considering that we may need to live long term in a wilderness situation, then we need to make sure our equipment is sustainable. We also need to make sure that the lifestyle we have chosen is sustainable. In other words, if our equipment is not sustainable, then neither is our lifestyle.

If one has not had the experience, then at least most people can use their imagination to help them see & understand. For instance; let’s say our country is attacked & the enemy uses an EMP to knock out the electricity grid. What will this mean for those living in towns & cities? It will mean that there will be no electricity, no water, no sewage control so no toilets. We all know what else will happen don’t we, looting, supermarkets will be raided for all the food. Chemists looted, gun shops looted, Medical facilities will be hampered. Some people will want what you have, so it will not be safe for you to cook outside or in fact to go outside at all. Your house could be raided, if you manage to repulse an attack, then the attackers may well fire your house or drive a Mack truck through it. Does this make any sense to you?

Now you may say that you must bug in because you simply would not know how to survive in the bush. Well my reply to that is, learn. Get the skills you will need & go bush & get some experience before the shtf.

Now for the equipment. IF you are prepping for long term survival, there is no point relying on items that are NOT sustainable! Ferocerium rods, matches, cigarette lighters, are not sustainable, don’t kid yourself that they are just because you do not have primitive fire lighting skills. Flint, steel & tinderbox is a sustainable method of making fire, & it is an easy method to learn & use. Think about what you have in your bug out pack, do you NEED the items you have, or are they just adding weight & taking up room? Most important items are: Medical supplies, water, food & ammunition. Do NOT compromise the carrying if these items!

Firearms:

I have modern firearms & I have muzzle-loading firearms. IF I had to leave on my own & could only carry one firearm, I choose to carry my flintlock. Why? Because it is sustainable! If it breaks I can fix it. Now I could carry one of my .22 rimfires, the ammunition is relatively light, but if it should malfunction, I simply would not be able to fix it. Yes I could carry a spare firing pin & perhaps the tools needed to strip the bolt & replace the firing pin, but then I still only have a .22, which can not be relied on to drop anything but small game. Yes I know you can shoot roos & goats etc, but how many times have you shot a medium sized animal with a .22 & lost it? I need a gun that I know I can count on, a gun that will efficiently kill small & medium sized game & if possible large game too.

I realize that a flintlock muzzle-loading gun is not the best in a fire fight against others who can load faster than I can, but it only takes one shot to kill, & I plan on keeping a low profile & staying out of fire fights if I can. Now if I am travelling in a group, which in fact I would be if I had to leave my home in the forest, then as a group we would be carrying modern firearms, muzzleloaders & traditional bows. I will add a list of the advantages in carrying/using a flintlock muzzle-loader.  I can see the advantages in carrying a modern firearm, but I can also see the disadvantages, & for me, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Reading through this list it is pretty easy to compare these advantages with those of the modern firearm, so see what you think. Do bear in mind the weight factor of modern ammunition, the larger the calibre, the heavier it is. How much can you carry without compromising other important equipment?

Advantages of a Flintlock Muzzle-loader.

1)   Ammo is less expensive than a modern equivalent calibre firearm.

2)  The smoothbore is very versatile, being able to digest round ball, bird shot, & buckshot, or any combination of two of these (can also use minies).

3)  The fusil is lighter to carry than a modern equivalent sized gun.

4)  You can vary the load if needs be.

5)  The smoothbore will digest other projectiles besides lead.

6)  Lead can be retrieved from downed game & remoulded with a simple mould & lead ladle. This means that you can carry less lead, & more of the lighter gunpowder.

7)  You can make your own gunpowder.

8)  You can use the lock to make fire without the need for gunpowder.

9)  You can use gunpowder for gunpowder tinder fire lighting if needs be.

10)        IF the lock should malfunction (these are very robust & it is not likely) you can easily repair it if you are carrying a few spare springs & a few simple tools.

11) If you do not have any spare parts & the lock malfunctions, you can easily convert it to a tinderlock or matchlock & continue using it.

12)        You do not need a reloader, brass shells, caps, or primers. The latter have been known to break down in damp conditions or if they are stored for too long.

13)         Wadding for ball or shot is available from natural plant materials or homemade leather or rawhide.

14)       Less chance of being affected by future ammunition control legislation.

15)        Gunpowder is easily obtainable providing you have a muzzle-loader registered in your name regardless of calibre (NSW)

16)        A .32 calibre flintlock rifle is more powerful than a .22 rimfire, less expensive to feed, more accurate over a greater distance, able to take small & medium sized game, & other than not being able to use shot (unless it is smoothbore), it has all the attributes of the other flintlocks.  For larger game you can load with conical slugs, which of course you can make yourself in the field.

17)        Damage from a .62 calibre or .70 calibre pistol or long arm is in the extreme. Wounded prey is unlikely to escape.

18)         By using buck & ball you are unlikely to miss your target. This load is capable of taking out more than one target.

19)        There is less kick-back to a muzzle-loading gun.

20)       Antique Flintlock muzzle-loading guns do not require a license, registration, or a permit to purchase in NSW Australia.

The Advantages of Carrying/Using 18^th Century Equipment.

·      A flintlock smoothbore gun is versatile, you can make fire with the lock without using any gunpowder, you can use various sizes of small shot & round ball, you can if necessary use other projectiles besides lead, you can retrieve lead from shot game & remould it for further use. If the lock should malfunction it is easily repaired with spare springs, if you have no spare springs the lock is easily converted to matchlock.

·      A flintlock rifle has the same advantages as the smoothbore except that it can not use small shot without leading the barrel. A .32 flintlock rifle has more power than a .22 rimfire & is less expensive to shoot.

·      You can purchase an antique flintlock pistol now with no need for licence or registration.

·      Ball moulds can be used as heavy tweezers for removing foreign objects from the body.

·      Gunpowder (Black Powder) can be used to make fire with unprepared plant tinders without wasting ammunition.

·      A trade axe/tomahawk is very versatile. The head is easily removed to be used as a hide scraper, the tomahawk can be thrown for recreation, self defence & hunting. This axe is a good defence weapon for hand to hand fighting, for constructing shelters & traps & for hammering in stakes or wooden pegs. A new helve/handle is easy to make & fit & does not require a wedge to secure the head.

·      The awl is used for making leather items & for repairing leather items. The awl is used to make & repair moccasins.

·      The butcher knife is for skinning & butchering game & can be used for self-defence.

·      The legging knife is a back-up to the butcher knife. If you should dull the edge on your butcher knife you can continue with the legging knife. You do not want to stay around sharpening blades. Your shot may have attracted unwanted attention.

·      The clasp knife is used for camp chores & for making trap triggers. You do not want to use your main blades as utility knives.

·      Flint, steel & tinderbox will enable you to make fire anywhere in all weather conditions. It will not break or wear out & the process is renewable & sustainable.

·      18^th century woodsrunner’s clothing (men & women) is practicle, protective, hard wearing & renewable.

·      The housewife (sewing kit) is for making & repairing clothing & packs. The needles can be used for removing splinters & if needs be sewing up wounds. The beeswax is used to wax the linen sewing thread & can be used as makeshift tooth fillings.

·      The angling tackle can be used with a rod or set lines, it can also be used for catching ducks & large land fowl. The linen or silk lines can be replaced with hand made cordage made from plant materials. Silk lines can be used as suture thread.

·      The cooking kettle is used for boiling food, boiling water for drinks & sterilising, carrying water & for catching rainwater.

·      Cotton & linen bags can be used for cleaning dirty water before boiling for drinking or adding to your water bottle.

·      Gun tools are used for repairing the lock on your flintlock muzzle-loading gun if needs be, but these locks are very hard wearing. The tools are merely a back-up. The turn screw is used to remove the lock & barrel for cleaning.

·      The whet stone is used to sharpen your blades, as is the metal file, though both could have other uses if working with metal.

·      The half-axe is optional & is capable of heavier work than the tomahawk without adding too much weight.

·      An auger is optional & is used for making holes for constructing more permanent dwellings. These augers come in a variety of sizes & weigh very little. Small versions will fit in your pack, where longer versions can be tied to your blanket roll.

·      The sword is also optional but in a hand to hand fight can be very useful. The sword is also used for cutting reeds for shelter & mat construction.

·      The wool blanket is far more versatile than a sleeping bag, & if wet the blanket retains more body heat than a sleeping bag. The pure wool blanket can be used as a matchcoat or a Great Coat & can be used in a sitting position under an oilcloth covering on the trail.

·      The oilcloth shelter is very versatile & can be used in many ways, including use as a rain coat. Used as a lean-to shelter you can use fire for warmth at night & you have good visibility on at least three sides. The lean-to is easy & quick to construct & quickly taken down. It does not need tent poles/rods & it is easy to carry.

Anyone using this equipment is advised to learn the many primitive skills that go with this type of wilderness living. If you are living this 18^th century lifestyle then your level of comfort will never drop below this level. This equipment does not wear out; anything that could break can be repaired or replaced from natural sources. You are also advised to carry a modern medical kit which should include an eye wash glass.

My Equipment List.

.62 cal/20 gauge flintlock fusil. 42 inch barrel.

.70 caliber smoothbore flintlock pistol.

Gun tools and spare lock parts.

Shot pouch and contents.

Leather drawstring pouch of .60 caliber ball (in knapsack).

Powder horn.

Ball mould and swan shot mould.

5 Gunpowder wallets

Lead ladle.

Butcher/Hunting knife.

Legging knife.

Clasp knife.

Tomahawk.

Fire bag.

Tinderbox.

Belt pouch.

Fishing tackle in brass container.

Two brass snares.

Roll of brass snare wire.

Knapsack.

Scrip.

Market Wallet.

Tin Cup.

Kettle.

Water filter bags (cotton & linen bags).

Medical pouch.

Housewife.

Piece of soap and a broken ivory comb.

Dried foods in bags.

Wooden spoon.

Compass.

Whet stone.

Small metal file.

Oilcloth.

One blanket (Monmouth cap, spare wool waistcoat and wool shirt rolled inside blanket).

Two glass saddle flasks.

Length of hemp rope.

Bottle of rum.

Basic list of what I carry. This list is made up from items that we know were carried, from items that my research has shown were available, & from items that have been found, such as the brass snare wire. I am not saying every woodsrunner carried all these items, but I am saying that some woodsrunners may have carried all these items. From experimental archaeology results in historical trekking, I think the items I have chosen are a reasonable choice for any woodsrunner that is going to live in the wilderness for a year or more.

Keith.

Henry's Wood Trail Camera By Keith H Burgess

Prisoners escaped, widespread looting in Puerto Rico after hurricane.

https://sofrep.com/90364/sofrep-exclusive-prisoners-escaped-widespread-looting-puerto-rico-hurricane/

Something to think about!

"I was raised about a mile from that prison complex in Bayamon, so I know that my former neighbors are on edge. Our criminals are some of the boldest I know. Sadly it's only going to get worse, as people's bellies start to really ache, LEO's reach their limits, looters get bolder and there is less of the good stuff to loot from stores. Guess what; down there, generators are a big "come rob me" beacon shouting out to a half mile radius. Shit's getting real, and there's little respect for the rule of law or private property, and private firearm ownership is rare. You have to have a permit to possess, and another one to carry, and they're both subject to the whims of the approving authorities. This is where that laid back, care-free Caribbean attitude stops being cute. The island has a history of recorded hurricanes since the 1800's and it's still always a last minute panic. My uncle installs storm shutters down there for a living and was working until 11pm the night before the storm hit. I got good status back from most of my family except for my uncle, but this is only the beginning. God help them because only he can change the heart of those who would do harm."

A Woodsrunner's Diary: My Book. Primitive Fire Lighting. eBook. Written F...

A Woodsrunner's Diary: My Book. Primitive Fire Lighting. eBook. Written F...: Primitive Fire Lighting-Flint & Steel & Fire Bow. eBook. Title: Primitive Fire lighting. ID: 9784776 Category: History De...

Justin Luke - Author: Majority

Justin Luke - Author: Majority: In the hundred years or so before Christ, the slaves in the Roman Empire revolted several times. You might remember Kirk Douglas as Sparta...

Steve Dickson (ONP) - Private Members Bill to Queensland Parliament

How to Run the Economy on the Weather. An interesting read.

Stoneferry (detail), a painting by John Ward of Hull.

Article here: http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2017/09/how-to-run-the-economy-on-the-weather.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fkrisdedecker%2Flowtechmagazineenglish+%28Low-tech+Magazine%29

Help Dave get his guns back

David Dunstan is a farmer from the NSW town of Bungowannah.

At 3:30am on Thursday 14th September, a man armed with a knife and piece of wood knocked on his back door.

David grabbed his unloaded 22 rifle to confront him - aware that the man had earlier confronted one if his neighbours who scared him off with a hockey stick. Dave managed to convince the man to sit in his car and drive him to the police station, while his wife called the police.

The police met David halfway down his driveway and placed his unwelcome guest under arrest.

The problem is, the police paid David another visit later in the morning to take his guns off him!

We've been working with David to try and see what can be done.  So we're starting this campaign to help him hire a lawyer who specialises in NSW firearms legislation to get his guns back.

We'd like to go further - we reckon he should be compensated for the loss of his firearms, not for his benefit, but to make a stand against this type of treatment by NSW Police.

So please help our campaign to help David get the legal representation he needs - and score a win on behalf of all shooters.

Help spread the word!

 https://www.gofundme.com/help-dave-get-his-guns-back

Government Anti-Gun Campaign. Punish the gun owner.

Two attempted home invasions in the same area. A Father uses an unloaded rifle to scare away a man who has a knife & a chunk of wood to use as a club. The Police can shoot someone who confronts them in this way, but this Father had his firearms confiscated, all of his firearms! Now who's side do you think the police & the government are on?
It is against the law in Australia to purchase or carry anything that is for self defence. That is bad enough, but when a Father uses what he has to hand to protect his family & then gets persecuted for doing so, well that is beyond the pail!

Farmer’s gun licence under review after confronting intruder with unloaded rifle

http://www.3aw.com.au/farmers-gun-licence-under-review-after-confronting-intruder-with-unloaded-rifle/

Border farmer has guns taken after confronting man armed with a knife at his home

http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4927063/border-farmer-has-guns-taken-after-confronting-man-armed-with-a-knife-at-his-home/

Father fears justice system ‘stacked against’ victims after guns confiscated

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/father-fears-justice-system-stacked-against-victims-after-guns-confiscated/news-story/af82f4e95257477faf6c5a295489f065

Koalas have nowhere to go

Biologists are warning that tiny microbial organisms are being moved around the planet on an unprecedented scale.

Biologists are warning that tiny microbial organisms are being moved around the planet on an unprecedented scale.

They're worried the usually unseen ecosystems will get out of balance in the same way that larger animals and plants can become pests.

With bacteria in our oceans providing most of the oxygen we breathe it could become a matter of life and death.

http://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/pm/microbes-on-the-move-could-spell-havoc-for-environment/8951306

Myth-busting the Australian energy debate

Reclassification Of Firearms In Australia!

One of our legal minds has been looking at the ‘appearance’ provisions of the Victorian Firearms Act 1996.

The offending provisions are found in sections 3A and 3B of the Act which give the Chief Commissioner broad powers to either temporarily or permanently recategorise Cat A or B firearms on the basis of appearance. 

In fact, if you read what he has to say carefully, you’ll see it’s worse than that. The Chief Commissioner can recategorise firearms for reasons which go beyond appearance – or for no reason at all.

In his words, sections 3A and 3B are ‘really good examples’ of delegated legislative authority gone wrong, and their continued operation presents issues surrounding natural justice and procedural fairness for licence holders.  Here are some key points regarding their operation:

Section 3A

Section 3A provides the Chief Commissioner the power to temporarily declare a firearm to be Category D or E for a period not exceeding 12 months. There is no necessary link to a firearm’s appearance, operation or other characteristics.

The only criteria for a temporary declaration is that it be validly declared by the Chief Commissioner in an instrument.  The Act provides no clarification of what type of ‘instrument’ is required or its form; however, in practice the declarations have been published in the Victorian Government Gazette in a specific format.

The Chief Commissioner does not need the Minister’s express approval to exercise this power; however, it must be exercised in ‘consultation’ with the Minister.

The Chief Commissioner has a positive obligation to publish the declaration ‘as soon as practicable after the declaration is made’; however, the declaration is in effect immediately—prior to publication, and prior to the public being able to see how the law has changed.

Section 3A(3) states the declaration remains in place unless revoked by the Chief Commissioner or their expiration at 12 months. Neither in the Act nor in the second reading speech for the Firearms Amendment Act 2007 (VIC) (which inserted s 3A) is the process for parliamentary scrutiny of a declaration under s 3A outlined. The takeaway is the Chief Commissioner’s power is not expressly limited by either the Act or the Minister and it should be.

Section 3A(6) gives the Chief Commissioner powers to use his declaration to override regulations made by the Minister under the powers conferred at s 191 of the Act. This is remarkable because it means an unelected statutory officer has the power to override a Minister accountable to the Victorian Parliament, even if the Minister drafted regulations permitting a specific type of firearm affected by the Chief Commissioner’s declaration. This is an area that could be explored and challenged.

The defence provided by s 3A(7) is a defence rather than a bar on prosecution. In practical terms this means police may (unwisely) charge a person with an offence and use the process as punishment.

Finally, the administrative review options available to affected shooters are very narrow. The Chief Commissioner’s decision would be difficult to challenge in a merits based review as his power is broad and can be arbitrarily exercised against any type of firearm without the requirement for further justification. As long as the procedure is followed there is little that can be viably challenged in either a tribunal or court.

Section 3B
Section 3B is a good example of where the police have pursued a long term goal in terms of restricting access to firearms for Victorian shooters.

Section 3A was inserted into the Act in 2007, only for Victoria Police to seek out permanent powers with s 3B in 2008. Section 3B differs from s 3A in its permanency, technicality, and the legal restrictions placed on the Chief Commissioner when making a declaration.

Section 3B gives the Chief Commissioner the power to permanently recategorise firearms if he is ‘satisfied’ it is ‘designed or adapted for military purposes, or substantially duplicates a firearm of that type in design, function and appearance’.

‘Satisfied’ opens the Chief Commissioner’s decision up to review in a way s 3A lacks. It gives him a positive duty to consider information and his decision. ‘Designed or adapted for military purposes’ is the key term and it has not yet been satisfactorily clarified by a court. The latter terms ‘substantially duplicates’ and ‘design, function and appearance’ hinge on the earlier ‘military purposes’ definition.

Section 3B(1) is really an just an appearance based law that has technical issues from a drafting perspective but gives the police the powers they want—to permanently recategorise any firearm they do not want Victorian shooters to access.

In terms of its operation, the Firearms Act 1996 (Vic) is structured on the objective criteria of a firearm’s characteristics based on its calibre, cyclical operation, or ammunition capacity. A firearm is categorised based on whether it is rimfire or centrefire, bolt action or semi-automatic, or holds a particular number of rounds, etc. This is the basis for ‘categories’ of firearms and the licences that permit shooters to hold and use such firearms.

Section 3B(1), however, provides the Chief Commissioner the power to alter the law via delegated legislative authority using the ‘military purposes’ basis and a declaration. This ‘military purposes’ basis is at face value objective: an exhaustive list of firearms ‘military firearms’ could theoretically be produced. However, the terms ‘designed or adapted for military purposes’, ‘substantially duplicates’ and ‘design, function and appearance’ create a subjective test based on whether the Chief Commissioner is ‘satisfied’ a firearm can fall into this category. There is no necessary link to its calibre, cyclical operation or even appearance.

The Chief Commissioner has a duty to choose which category ‘most closely resembles’ the applicable firearm when recategorising through declarations. This does not mean the category need be appropriate, only the closest.

Section 3B does not have the same issue with ex post facto laws as s 3A. A declaration only comes into effect the day it is published or at a latter point listed in the declaration. This removes some of the compliance difficulties for those holding the applicable firearm.

Appealing a decision to reclassify

The criteria listed above provide an affected shooter the ability to challenge the Chief Commissioner’s decision and declaration under s 3B through administrative review in a way that s 3A lacks. The exercise of power under s 3B is vulnerable if the Chief Commissioner doesn’t arrive at a decision with a process and records of that process. In light of the recent examples of Victoria Police’s response to requests for information surrounding their decisions (including the ongoing CFCV VCAT proceedings), an affected party could face a substantial challenge in obtaining the relevant documents.

If an affected party challenged a declaration under s 3B and sought specific guidance from a court or tribunal on the interpretation of ‘designed or adapted for military purposes’, ‘substantially duplicates’ and ‘design, function and appearance’, the Chief Commissioner’s powers would probably be narrowed, but not to the extent it would deprived him of broad power to recategorise firearms under s 3B.

The Chief Commissioner would almost certainly retain the power to recategorise both milsurp rifles (including antique examples) and the range of new sporting rifles produced with picatinny rails, pistol grips or other features disliked by some.

A law which is bad in principle

Licencing laws based on subjective criteria are bad in principle and worse in operation. They lack the certainty required for shooters to know the boundaries of the law lay, and in this example provide Victoria Police with inappropriate powers.

Section 3B is so broad in its application it may permanently capture almost any firearm available in Victoria. From fighter pilots using shotguns to shoot clays to understand leading targets, to bolt action 22s being used by others for survival training, the Chief Commissioner can call upon obscure examples of military use to enliven his power.

To date the Chief Commissioner has refrained from recategorising, for example, Snider-Enfield .577 rifles as Category E firearms; however, this only indicates that Victoria Police have focussed on the appearance of firearms as justification for use of these powers.

They should be repealed

For Victorian shooters if the issues regarding the operation of sections 3A and 3B are narrowed, it’s about two things.

First, s 3A gives the Chief Commissioner power that in practice can be exercised arbitrarily and with little opportunity for legal review or democratic scrutiny.

Section 3A should be repealed outright.

Secondly, s 3B is centred on the Chief Commissioner’s use of an unreasonably broad criteria that is subjectively interpreted and applied. Unlike the Firearms Act 1996, this power stands in contrast to the objective criteria of categorising a firearm’s characteristics based on its calibre, cyclical operation, or ammunition capacity.

It too should be repealed.

If a power is necessary to recategorise particular firearms then it should only be conferred upon the Minister and subject to parliamentary scrutiny or disallowance.

Most Victorian shooters will agree that appearance or other subjective criteria should not be used to de facto ban firearms that are otherwise identical to those available under Category A and Category B.

http://www.firearmscouncil.org.au/index.php/2017/09/12/the-legal-view-of-our-appearance-laws/?platform=hootsuite

RUN IT STRAIGHT (for West Papua) | Short Film I

My Equipment In Close Up By Keith H Burgess

Living Off Grid. Rainwater Collection & Storage.

We have 4 rainwater tanks for the main house (Linstock), the main house garden & the main house outside laundry. The same 5000 gallon tank that feeds the outside laundry also feeds Elm Cottage via a 12 volt pump under the cottage. Both houses are solar powered.
 The lower cement 5000 gallon water tank is fed from the roof of the main house via down pipes from both the front & the rear of the house. The water from this lower tank is then pumped up to the higher tank which gravity feeds the main house.

 This pump is also a fire pump, it draws water from the stop cock on the side of the lower tank & pumps it up to the higher tank via a pipe that runs underground.

 This image shows the two "first flush" pipes on the lower tank. Any dirt on the roof or in the gutters is washed into these two pipes. When full, a ball float in the pipe rises to the top closing off these tow pipes & allows the rest of the water to flow into the tank. Over time, the water in these pipes is supposed to slowly run out via the hoses at the bottom, but invariably the small hole blocks with dirt, so every now & then I remove the bottom of the pipes, drain & wash out the filters.
 

The garden tank was placed on higher ground to the level of the garden so it would gravity feed better, but this meant that it was too far away from the house to use an overhead down pipe to fill it from the roof at the end of the house. So I run the down pipe underground then back up into the top of the tank.

This is the new 5000 gallon poly tank that feeds the outside laundry, & Elm Cottage. This tank is fed from the roof of Elm Cottage, but the ground close to the cottage was too soft to provide a firm base for the tank, so we placed it on higher ground. Again this meant that the tank was too far away to use overhead down pipes, so again the pipe to the tank from the cottage roof was placed underground then back up & into the top of the tank. The other pipe you can see is an overflow pipe which I have run into a water butt.

Cattail Pond is actually a dam we had put in to collect & store more water from the header stream in Butterfly Valley. It also enables us to keep fish for food. Cattail Pond feeds the gardens at both houses via another fire pump at the side of the dam.
Keith.