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Watch: Australian model and professional surfer experiences shooting a rifle in Texas
Australian Ellie-Jean Coffey, a professional surfer and model, made her way to Texas where she took the opportunity to fire a rifle, a chance she likely doesn't get very often in her own country. (Image source: Ellie-Jean Coffey Instagram screenshot)

Watch: Australian model and professional surfer experiences shooting a rifle in Texas

Australian model and professional surfer Ellie-Jean Coffey made a trip to Texas on Tuesday and decided to spend some time on the gun range with a semi-automatic rifle.

Coffey posted a slow motion video from the event to her Instagram account with the caption, "We're not in Australia anymore, Toto."

In the video, the 22-year-old Coffey is seen wearing black jeans and cowboy boots, seated at a bench with her eye down the scope of a suppressed rifle. The video shows Coffey firing the gun, which recoils quickly, causing the surfer to wear a look of shock for a brief moment.

Her shock is quickly replaced with a large smile. "Wow!" she said, shaking her hands.

We're not in Australia anymore, Toto. #laruetactical #texas

A post shared by Ellie-Jean Coffey (@elliejeancoffey) on

Australia passed a gun-ban in 1996, which instituted a gun buyback program that saw some 650,000 guns purchased by the Australian government with funds raised through a special tax.

Owning a gun in Australia is still possible, according to Time. Acquiring a firearm first means obtaining a license. In order to get a license, you must first have a reason for needing one, such as being a member of a hunting or shooting club. All requests for handgun ownership require background checks by police. Handgun and long-gun firearm purchases require a 30-day "cooling off period" after applications for purchase have been submitted. Safety training courses are mandatory as well.

Additional requirements for owning firearms are based on the varying licenses available. For example, competitive shooters are required to compete in at least eight shooting competitions a year to keep their handguns. Failing to compete would mean the loss of their "category H" licenses. And collectors who want to keep their "category G" licenses must attend at least one meeting of an approved historical society a year.

Australian police are also required to inspect firearm owners'  home gun storage to confirm that they are obeying all the laws. This includes checking that ammunition and firearms are kept in locked containers separate from one another and making sure that firearms are in a locked and secure area where it cannot be stolen or lost.

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