Hello from Australia
 

Hello Fellas,

Just though I would say a quick hello. I am a long time admirer and very new owner of the wonderful P08.

Cheers Peg

G'Day, Peg...............and welcome.

Cheers, Ed

Peg, welcome to the forum. Please mention something about yourself, your interests and your Luger...

Marc

Glad you've come along Peg. You will enjoy your experiences here.

Cheers Guys, I work as a Carpenter/contractor . My main area of collecting / interest is second world war fire arms & militaria. I have a few nice examples of in my collection such as a vis-35 Radom, Star model B, 1895 nagant, Tokarev tt33 and various rifles.

The latest catch is a 1917 Erfurt P08 all matching with pouch, spare mag & take down tool.
It does have some pitting unfortunately and not in the mintiest condition compaired to some of the gems that I have seen you guys post up but it is my first one and the price was not to bad considering I am located down under as you guys put it :)

Here are a couple of pics I will post more once she arrives..

Peg

Welcome to the forum.

So what are the laws governing Lugers and other handguns in Australia?
dju

The laws are pretty heavily regulated here in Australia. For example your firearm serial number have to be registered to a government database so they know where they are, know who has them & where they are kept. Did I mention they are registered to you personally so just having a mate pop over and buy one of your pieces of you and taking it home is a big no no you have to transfer all firearms through a dealer ( more paper work & money ).

Then there is the licencing bit... you have to be licensed in the particular category that you want to possess i.e

H category which is a target shooters licence, Which incidentally restricts you to not larger caliber than .38 and also restricts you to revolvers of no less than 100 mm barrel length and semi auto of no less 120 mm barrel length.

A side note to the above license category is that we have what the Gov like to call "Genuine reason" which means when applying for any firearms licence you need to satisfy this requirement so If you have say a H category target shooter licence that will be your genuine reason. but here is the twist you can only apply for a license if you are a financial member of a Pistol shooters club which the club verifies with the fire arms registry before issuing your licence. you must maintain financial member ship of your nominated club or your genuine reason diminishes thus rendering your licence invalid which leads to the police coming and seizing your firearms.

G category which is a collectors licence or permit rather which allows the licensee to have in their possession only and not to shoot or possess ammo for the firearms on your collectors ticket.

Safe Storage. though i'd add the information regarding this for you to read if you interested.

http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/...March_2012.pdf

So yes it is quite a hoop jumping event but is something we have to do in these parts. One word of advice to you all in USA Don't let your Government do this to you.

Peg

Very informative, and thank you for your detailed response.
One other question. Has there been any appreciable drop or rise in gun crimes since these laws were instituted?
dju

No Problem mate.

:roflmao: Please don't make me laugh politicians will have you believe these things make a difference but really they are just wanting to be seen to do something for the Anti gun types every time some whack job decides to go out and shoot a bunch of people.

The thing that our Governing bodies and Politicians seem to find inconceivable is that the only people that they disarm are the law abiding and innocent and that the fact of the matter is that the people that don't obey the Law (the Criminals) still have the guns and still commit criminal acts.

And to answer your original question is no crime has risen of course as stated above the restriction of firearms only affects people who do the right thing.

Peg

Are you sure you live in Australia and not the State of Illinois. All those control laws I pretty much have also and with the recent revelations here in Yankland, our National Security Agency, knows all, sees all, controls all, throughout the Kingdom of OZ.

No I'm afraid not Ed although The US is definitely on my list to visit (a very beautiful country I hear) but we have fairly tight restriction here. I Have heard that some of your states are pulling up the slack and making life hard and that is rather unfortunate I feel.

Since we exist by a Constitution and a Bill of Rights, when any of those Rights are infringed by our government, true freedom loving Americans can get a bit upset.

I never made it to your country in my worldly travels, met up with a digger in Saigon and got drunk as hell, we were both leaving out the next day for home. I still have his hat in my closet. His name was McDonald, if I remember right. Hope he made it home OK.

If ya make it here, hit the back roads and you'll find a lot of places are like "A Town Like Alice"..........................people just talk different.

Cheers............:cheers:

Welcome! Are kangaroos protected by your laws?

Your Constitution and a Bill of Rights is a stroke of genius really and something I think you are very lucky to have unfortunately we do not enjoy such things as this and our government does as it pleases as we cannot be trusted to fend for ourselves :)

I take by your comment about Saigon that you served in Vietnam, I Didn't have any relatives that served in that theater but My grandfather served in the North Africa in the second world war as an infantryman in the 2/17 battalion "Rats of Tobruk" and then in the Pacific. I believe he thought highly of you Yanks..

Peg

Hi Mate, Short answer is yes they are protected and no you can't shoot them unless you have a permit to do so.

I believe (don't quote me) if they are on your property i.e your farm and they are affecting stocks ability to feed you can cull them.

I just read your download regarding you have to have a steel bolted attached safe in your home! Is that required to have if you own a single gun? What about rifles?~~Eric

Peg,

If you travel into my area of the USA, please contact me. It will be my pleasure to take you to the range at my club and let you enjoy my shooter Luger with ammunition.

Marc

+1, another welcome, and another invitation extended. Australia and the U.S. share many things in cultural heritage, colonialism at the very least. Always delighted to show someone around, hear about their way of life, and talk about and shoot Lugers!

D.P.

I thought highly and still do of the Diggers who served in Nam, along with the Canucks and the Paddy's who wore our uniform and yours, incognito.

Me and Mac were travelling through Saigon to catch our flights home out of Ton Son Nhut.

Cheers Fellas, Thank you very much and likewise please drop me a line if you find yourselves in my parts.

G'day Eric,

Rifles is a little different and the ones us regular citizens come under what they call A & B category which exclude semi automatic center fire, Semi auto rim fire and pump action shotguns oh and of course full auto firearms.

The requirement on safe keeping with A&B Cat is you are still required to keep them in a safe that has steel types and thicknesses that comply with guidelines set out by the commissioner (Government ) yet these do not have to be bolted down if they weigh 150kg or over (empty). http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/...March_2012.pdf

And for the curious the excluded categories ( Cat C & D ) I mentioned above such as semi automatic center fire, Semi auto rim fire and pump action shotguns these are unavailable to us in the general public unless you are a commercially licensed animal culler for either a government agency or hired to manage pests on commercial properties which would satisfy the "Genuine reason" the we have to substantiate to our Powers that be to possess such guns.

As for full auto firearms :roflmao: I was always enamored by the idea of having a nice example of an Mg34 a 42 or a nice Browning 30 cal but not a chance really well not a working one anyway although I do have D category on my collectors license but this requires the permanent deactivation of the said firearm i.e welding all moving parts pretty much destroying a piece of history.. I'd rather not have one if I have to do that to it. Add to that I cannot easily import any full auto firearms so am stuck waiting till one comes up for sale on the open market in Australia (which would not be a common event if at all) this being the case I believe I would be paying in excess of $25000 for the privilege only to have to deactivate it.

If I did however they have their own level of safe keeping ( http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/...tober_2012.pdf ) that needs to be satified which far exceeds the Handgun level I previously mentioned (Yes even though they are inert ).

Peg

I wondered are there rules or laws reguarding hunting and what can be hunted different? Are the Aborigines governed by the same restrictions?~~~Eric

I do believe that the Aboriginals have special privilege when it comes to hunting in Australia such as they were the original in habitats before the mighty monarch decided we were unfit to grace the pebbly shores of Pommy land and had us summarily shipped over here. Question do the native Indians of your country enjoy such privileges?


Not being a hunter myself this is an area which I am a bit fuzzy but yes it is like most things in the luck country regulated..

The link may be of some insight to you. http://www.gamecouncil.nsw.gov.au/po...p=WhatCanIHunt

Peg :thumbup:

Great reference. Our first program when I was ten, Skippy The Bush Kangaroo. We had Lassie, Gentle Ben Flipper and Rin Tin Tin!! Worse was the death of Steve Irvin, The Crocodile Hunter! I still shed a tear!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFHtc_bDXWA

Ha ha Yes I do remember those shows as A kid... Is a great shame about Steve Erwin he was a man full of life and inspiration.

Peg

Yes and fishing also, on the Res only. Certain nations are also allowed to shoot three American Bald Eagles per year for ceremonial reasons and the taking of the eagles is supervised.

I Really Love Our Forum!!! Thanks to all those who continue to make it possible!

So What about your gun laws in relation to storage licences and registration what is the particulars you guy have to deal with?

I live in Illinois and if I started telling you what we have to do in the language I would describe the laws, I'd be banned.

Ha ha yes I know the feeling ;)

I will give you a hint...we are the only state without a carry law and finally after years of court action after court action, our district "federal" court told the state that we have that Right according to our Second Ammendment to Carry Concealed, that was months ago and our governor refuses to sign off on any Bill. They have until July 9th to have something or Constitutional Carry comes into affect. Anyone can carry without license, training or restrictions. A few states here already have Constitutional Carry.

I find it intriguing that Different states leaders have their own Ideas and interpretation of the Constitution and how it should apply to modern times.. As we over here have the same issues where different states seem to do their own thing.

States here are still governed by a majority vote of its citizens in a number of issues. This is why states that tend to attract "liberals" and have a liberal majority will tend to prohibit indiviual freedoms such as the right to carry or in some cases, even own a firearm. These facts have tended to polarize the US over time, where a state's political climate is a serious consideration when deciding whether to take up residence there. I know it is for me.

Hello Peg (I thought I saw 'Chris' a day or so ago :confused: ) and Welcome! :thumbup:

I also frequent the Surplus Rifles Forum, the Enfield sections (I have several), and noticed a drinking song as a signature of one of the members there...

(You know how that song from the 1964-65 World's Fair doll exhibit [which is in Disney World now I think] "It's A Small World" stuck in your head for ~50 years??? This one has stuck in my head now...I was singing it in my sleep even)...

We are the ragtime army,
The A.N.Z.A.C.,
We cannot shoot,
We won't salute,
What bloody use are we?

...Great beer song!!! :D :cheers:

G'day Postino, Thankyou and yes you are correct my aren't seeing things my name is Christopher my close friends call me peg. However the forum spam filter had a problem with me putting this name in originally.

Ahh the Enfield section ha ha yes been there a couple of times. And I di have a nice Lithgow manufactureed No1 mk3 which I treasure.

No haven't seen the signature before but the song would drive me to drink if it us the one I'm thinking, although I don't need much excuse to turn a song into a drinking affair...

Peg

Your not the only one with that obnoxious Disney song resonating in you mind. They played it over and over while standing in line for to hour including during the entire ride that lasted for ever! Ford did the finest with the automobiles of the future!

Illinois governor vetoed the CCW bill yesterday and attempted to ad amendments. A totally politically oriented move as the vote exist to over ride it.

Biggest issue is the limits on where one will be able to carry.
The delays have enabled a few communities time to enact local restrictions like AWBs.
Travelling through Illinoi armed will be tricky.
Better than a couple other places, though.

I got exposed to vegemite a while back. Interesting stuff.

Sneaky buggers aren't they!

Ha yes Vegemite an acquired taste but being Aussie I do like it have it most mornings on my toast. However I am not a fan of Fosters Beer and neither is anyone that I know in fact I don't know of anywhere in Australia where it is available for sale as I have never seen it on the shelves of the local bottle shops. I hear that you guys think that is all we drink down here??

Peg

On a side note I am looking to purchase a copy of the set of THE BORCHARDT & LUGER AUTOMATIC PISTOLS books and arrange to have them sent to Australia anyone got any advice on this I would appreciate it, I realize postage will be expensive. it looks to be a must have set of books I suppose I should ask the question should I be starting with these? or is there other books I should be looking at also?

Peg