...in Australia because you are simply not allowed to use them against another human for any reason whatsoever, so they may aswell be in a safe.
I'm sorry, but that is total bulldust. There is NO state or territory in Australia where you can not use a firearm for self-defence if the situation warrants it -- if you feel in immediate, mortal fear for your life or that of your family. Yes, you may get charged by police. No, there won't be a court in the country that will find you guilty.
I can't believe any Australian can be other than outraged by our gun laws. To say that most Australians buy a gun for recreation, not for hunting or self-defence, is just absurd. More firearms are licensed for recreational hunting or shooting than for any other reason. The only caveat on "self-defence" is that it may not be used to justify "need or reason" for possession of a firearm.
The very presumption of "innocent until proven guilty" has been reversed for gun owners in Australia. If a firearm is involved, police do not need a warrant to enter your home. All they need is a stated belief that they thought the firearms laws were being broken. And you can't sue because that has been written into the legislation as well.
And it doesn't stop with guns, does it? Slingshots (catapults, wrist rockets, whatever you call them) are banned in some states, double-edged knives are banned here in the West, crossbows are banned in some states, legislation is being put forward now to ban compound bows, I was told by a copper that a screwdriver in my car (propping open a broken air vent) was an "offensive weapon", Victoria's banning swords, Sydney is instituting "random weapons checks" using metal detectors on people just walking down the streets. . .
Incidentally, there is no need to "pass legislation" to alter storage requirements. The "uniform gun laws" of 96-97 took care of that little detail by granting the power to the Police Minister or Commissioner to "amend by regulation". That power also extends to the right to totally ban any further class of firearms, without the messy necessity of having to go through parliament. It is possible now to totally ban firearms ownership without referral to parliament or a vote being required.
I think threeseven said it all when he said he was still playing with LEGO when the gun "steal back" was in progress ...
Esky
I'm in WA, too. Yes, there are some weird things go through our courts -- a man had his firearms licence revoked and his firearms seized because the police turned up for a storage inspection when he wasn't home and his wife opened the safe for them. The police alleged that, since she wasn't a licensed user, he had breached the law by allowing her access. Another man was charged when the police turned up for a safe inspection and spotted some cartridges for which he no longer held a licence (or even a firearm, for that matter).