Licensing & security

Legislation summary - Northern Territory

1. Licensing requirements
Under Section 11 (2) (a)-(j) of the Territory's Firearms Act :
(2) The genuine reasons for possessing or using firearms are any of the following:

• sports shooting;
• recreational shooting or hunting;
• primary production;
• vertebrate pest animal control;
• business or employment;
• occupational requirements;
• animal welfare;
• firearms collection;
• museum display;
• inheritance.

Under Part 2, Division 1 (2)-(3) of the firearms regulations, a licence applicant whose genuine reason is 'sports shooting' must be a member of an approved club. Anyone seeking to licence a firearm for 'recreational shooting or hunting' must produce proof that they have the permission of an owner or occupier of rural land. The NT issues permits for hunting on particular pieces of Crown Land gazetted as 'Hunting Reserves'.Minimum range attendance requirements are mandatory for all Cat H licence holders. 12 per year and at least one per calendar month. That means that a licence holder cannot accumulate the year's minimum attendances in three months.

There are no training prerequisites currently in place in the Northern Territory. However, there will be in the near future a formalized training regime administered by TAFE in association with the Northern Territory Police Firearms Branch.

2. Storage requirements
Under Sections 21 and 22 of the regulations, category A and B firearms must be stored "in a locked receptacle of an approved type;" If the receptacle weighs less than 150kg it must be fixed to the wall or floor. Category C, D and H firearms must be held in an "approved" steel container fixed to the wall or floor. All ammunition must be stored in a separate locked container.

3. Hunting
Hunting is permitted on private property with appropriate permission and on particular areas of Crown land. The areas are gazetted as 'Hunting Reserves' and a $10.00 fee applies to the issuing of a permit. Hunting as a genuine reason must be supported with approval from a property owner or production of a permit to "carry a firearm across government land". These are readily available for the Department of Lands and Housing upon payment of a modest fee of $10.00.

4. Moving between states
Under Sections 92 and 93 of the Firearms Act, the Northern Territory recognises licenses issued in other states. However, visiting shooters must abide by the NT's various laws and regulations. License holders who move to the NT permanently must notify the Commissioner of their intention, in which case their out-of-state license for category A and B firearms is valid of three months. In the case of category C, D and H firearms however, the period is 2 days.

5. Juniors
Under Section 28 of the Firearms Act the Northern Territory issues what is referred to as a "firearms club junior licence". The licence authorises the holder to possess and use firearms of a specific category while under supervision and either receiving safety instruction at an approved range or competing in an approved shooting event.

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