When you stroll through the wide aisles of Bunnings Warehouse, you’re likely to encounter a vast array of items catering to your home improvement and outdoor needs. From the smell of freshly cut timber to the rows of vibrant paint cans, Bunnings is the go-to haven for DIY enthusiasts and professional tradespeople alike.
However, a recent discovery by a Melbourne local has sparked a wave of surprise and controversy among the public, leaving many to question the appropriateness of certain products on the shelves of this hardware giant.
A Melbourne local took to social media to share her astonishment upon finding large gun safes capable of holding up to five firearms at a Bunnings store near her. Her video, accompanied by a caption filled with disbelief, quickly captured the attention of fellow social media users and sparked a heated discussion.
‘Okay, is anyone else seeing this?’ she exclaimed in her video. ‘I was at an inner-city Bunnings today, and all of a sudden, they have gun safes… what is going on!?’
The shopper’s bewilderment was not so much about Bunnings stocking gun safes in general, but rather the fact that they were available at a metropolitan store with a limited outdoor range.
She pointed out the irony of the situation, noting, ‘[It’s] the last thing I expected to see at a store that doesn’t even stock grass because it’s ‘too metro.’’
‘I wasn’t saying I didn’t expect Bunnings to sell them, just not THIS Bunnings,’ she clarified.
The online community quickly chimed in, with some echoing the sentiment that gun safes seemed out of place in an urban Bunnings store.
‘The location does make it strange! I only really know of rural farmers who own guns… definitely interesting,’ one commenter remarked.
Another added, ‘I get what you’re saying, fair enough suburban or regional Bunnings, but a smaller inner-city one I wouldn’t expect them to stock them!’
Despite the initial shock, it turns out that Bunnings’ decision to stock gun safes isn’t a new development. In fact, some commenters pointed out that the hardware chain has been selling them for years.
‘They have been selling them since at least 2017 when I worked there,’ one person noted.
Another confirmed, ‘They have always sold gun safes,’ while a third mentioned, ‘They reckon they’ve been selling these types of safes for 15 years!’
‘This is a good thing. There are super strict regulations as to how guns (which many people in Australia own) have to be stored. The availability in a convenient shop means that they’re more likely to be stored safely,’ a commenter advocated.
In response to the growing conversation, Bunnings provided a statement to Kidspot, reaffirming their commitment to meeting the diverse needs of their customers.
‘Providing a range of products to meet the needs of our customer base is important to us. We’ve stocked a range of gun safes across our stores for a while now, and the availability depends on a variety of factors,’ a spokesperson said.
While the presence of gun safes in an urban Bunnings store may come as a surprise to some shoppers, it underscores the importance of accessible safety measures for lawful gun owners, regardless of their location.
What are your thoughts on finding gun safes in your local Bunnings, especially if you’re in an urban area? Do you think it’s a necessary inclusion in their inventory, or does it strike you as an odd fit for the setting? Join the conversation and let us know your perspective in the comments below.
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It’s hardware. They are a hardware store. Good grief, people.
It’s the promotion/advertising that is the issue for me. Assuming the above is an actual photo taken in a Bunnings, what’s with the prominent sign like the one displayed here in the middle of an aisle?
You need a licence to own a gun. If you own a gun the law requires secure storage. We don’t advertise other regulated products like prescription drugs, so why this?
If someone has a legitimate need for weapons storage, let them ask at the counter. This is not the USA. Let’s hope it never will be. But this sort of thing truly makes me wonder.