I've had quite a few comments lately asking about Australian Gun Laws and the generalisation that guns are illegal to own by Australians. Guns are legal to own however there are strict laws concerning this. Rifles and Shotguns are easiest to obtain. Handguns are a bit more difficult. Semi-automatic Rifles are the hardest to obtain. Despite all our increased laws and numerous Government Buy-backs, there are more Guns in Australia then there ever was.
Owning a Handgun can be divided into two categories. Cat H "Target Shooter" and Cat G "Collector". Most Collectors are also Target Shooters.
S&W_Aussie discussed these laws a few years ago. With his permission, I'll quote what he wrote to address this topic.
"A couple of people have asked me about collecting in Australia. Many people have heard that all handguns are banned here and its almost impossible to own any firearm.
The truth is apart from a few administrative differences all Australian states follow the same basic laws. Below are the laws in my state of Queensland.
* You have to get a police check if you do not already have a longarms license.
* You take the police letter saying you are a "Fit and Proper Person. to a pistol club.
* To get a handgun license you have to be a member of an approved pistol club.
*You have to do a minimum number of competition shoots a year (6 minimum)
* You have to do a 6 month probationary period in the club before you can be licensed and do 3 comp shoots in this period.
* You can only shoot calibres up to .38 unless you have a special endorsement on your license.
* You can only get the endorsement if you shoot competitions that require lager calibres (Metalic Silhouette, Cowboy Action, etc)
* You can only own 1 c-fire or rimfire handgun in your first year of licenensing plus an airgun.
* You have to complete a handgun safety course (1 day)
That's what you need to do to get your FIRST handgun. The process takes a minimum of 6 months, plus the time it takes to get your police check. Then there is a mandatory 28 day wait before your license application is processed. Then it can take a few weeks to get your actual license in the mail.
Once you have your license you an go get your first handgun. Some clubs insist you start with a .22 and work your way up but its not law.
To get a handgun onto your license you have to:
* Find the gun.
* You need a letter/form from your club that it is an appropriate firearm for a competition held by the club.
* You need to fill out a 4 page application for what is called the " Permit to Acquire" which asks you to give a genuine reason for needing the gun and all the particulars of the gun and the disposer /seller.
* You submit the PTA form, letter from your club and pay the $31.10 fee to the local Police station.
* For your first gun there is another 28 day mandatory wait before they will process your application.
* It can take up to 3 months to get the application through although I just had one come through in 10 days!
Under our laws you can not own certain handguns unless you have a security license or a collectors or dealers license. These rules are:
* Revolvers with barrels shorter than 4" (100mm)
* Semi autos with barrels shorter than 5" (120mm)
* Handguns (other than BP muzzle loaders or cap and ball) with calibres larger than .38.
* Any handgun with a magazine capacity of more than 10 shots.
I also have a "Collectors License". There are 2 types - pre1947 and post 1947. I have both.To get this license you have to go through the same initial process (safety course, club etc). But also the following:
* You have to be a member of a registered historical society or assn. (Like the SWCA)
* You have to give a detailed explanation in writing of the "theme" you will be collecting to. My "Themes" are "S&W handguns and Colt handguns" & "MIlitary and service revolvers and pistols" ...pretty broad themes but it keeps the authorities happy.
* If you try and collect a gun that does not fir your "theme" your PTA may be rejected.
* For pre1947 handguns you need to submit in writing an explanation of why the gun is collectable and how it fits your theme.
* For post 1947 handguns you have to do the same but also have a letter from you club saying that they agree the gun fits your theme.
* ANY gun on your collectors license needs to be kep "temporarily inoperative" ie must have a trigger lock as a minimum at all times.
You are not allowed to shoot ANY gun on your collectors license apart from approved shoots organised by the collectors assn (currently only held twice a year)
To get my post 1947 license took me 3 years. I had to go through all the processes I just laid out but it was worth it.
The laws here are restrictive but if you are a serious collector you will jump through the hoops. I think it was worthwhile as I have now built a nice little collection." S&W_Aussie
I'm in the state of New South Wales. Our laws are pretty much similar to Queensland.
Owning a Handgun can be divided into two categories. Cat H "Target Shooter" and Cat G "Collector". Most Collectors are also Target Shooters.
S&W_Aussie discussed these laws a few years ago. With his permission, I'll quote what he wrote to address this topic.
"A couple of people have asked me about collecting in Australia. Many people have heard that all handguns are banned here and its almost impossible to own any firearm.
The truth is apart from a few administrative differences all Australian states follow the same basic laws. Below are the laws in my state of Queensland.
* You have to get a police check if you do not already have a longarms license.
* You take the police letter saying you are a "Fit and Proper Person. to a pistol club.
* To get a handgun license you have to be a member of an approved pistol club.
*You have to do a minimum number of competition shoots a year (6 minimum)
* You have to do a 6 month probationary period in the club before you can be licensed and do 3 comp shoots in this period.
* You can only shoot calibres up to .38 unless you have a special endorsement on your license.
* You can only get the endorsement if you shoot competitions that require lager calibres (Metalic Silhouette, Cowboy Action, etc)
* You can only own 1 c-fire or rimfire handgun in your first year of licenensing plus an airgun.
* You have to complete a handgun safety course (1 day)
That's what you need to do to get your FIRST handgun. The process takes a minimum of 6 months, plus the time it takes to get your police check. Then there is a mandatory 28 day wait before your license application is processed. Then it can take a few weeks to get your actual license in the mail.
Once you have your license you an go get your first handgun. Some clubs insist you start with a .22 and work your way up but its not law.
To get a handgun onto your license you have to:
* Find the gun.
* You need a letter/form from your club that it is an appropriate firearm for a competition held by the club.
* You need to fill out a 4 page application for what is called the " Permit to Acquire" which asks you to give a genuine reason for needing the gun and all the particulars of the gun and the disposer /seller.
* You submit the PTA form, letter from your club and pay the $31.10 fee to the local Police station.
* For your first gun there is another 28 day mandatory wait before they will process your application.
* It can take up to 3 months to get the application through although I just had one come through in 10 days!
Under our laws you can not own certain handguns unless you have a security license or a collectors or dealers license. These rules are:
* Revolvers with barrels shorter than 4" (100mm)
* Semi autos with barrels shorter than 5" (120mm)
* Handguns (other than BP muzzle loaders or cap and ball) with calibres larger than .38.
* Any handgun with a magazine capacity of more than 10 shots.
I also have a "Collectors License". There are 2 types - pre1947 and post 1947. I have both.To get this license you have to go through the same initial process (safety course, club etc). But also the following:
* You have to be a member of a registered historical society or assn. (Like the SWCA)
* You have to give a detailed explanation in writing of the "theme" you will be collecting to. My "Themes" are "S&W handguns and Colt handguns" & "MIlitary and service revolvers and pistols" ...pretty broad themes but it keeps the authorities happy.
* If you try and collect a gun that does not fir your "theme" your PTA may be rejected.
* For pre1947 handguns you need to submit in writing an explanation of why the gun is collectable and how it fits your theme.
* For post 1947 handguns you have to do the same but also have a letter from you club saying that they agree the gun fits your theme.
* ANY gun on your collectors license needs to be kep "temporarily inoperative" ie must have a trigger lock as a minimum at all times.
You are not allowed to shoot ANY gun on your collectors license apart from approved shoots organised by the collectors assn (currently only held twice a year)
To get my post 1947 license took me 3 years. I had to go through all the processes I just laid out but it was worth it.
The laws here are restrictive but if you are a serious collector you will jump through the hoops. I think it was worthwhile as I have now built a nice little collection." S&W_Aussie
I'm in the state of New South Wales. Our laws are pretty much similar to Queensland.
