LICENSING GUIDE - Queensland

1. Licensing requirements

Section 11 of the Queensland Weapons Act 1990 (as amended) sets out the following the "Genuine reasons for possession of a weapon":

• Sport or target shooting;
• recreational shooting;
• an occupational requirement, including an occupational requirement for rural purposes;
• collection by a collector of weapons;
• another reason prescribed under a regulation.

Note: there are a number of additional 'genuine reasons' for the possession of a firearm set out in the Weapons Regulation 1996 - including military re-enactment, starting sporting events and theatrical production.

Under Section 13 of the Act, a licence applicant whose genuine reason is 'sports or target shooting' must be a current member of an approved shooting club. Anyone seeking to licence a firearm for 'recreational shooting' must produce written permission from a landowner authorising them to shoot on the owner's rural land.

Under Section 56 of the regulations, a 28 day waiting period does not apply to existing license holders who already have one firearm registered in the particular category and it may be waived for other applicants.

Under Section 19 of the regulations, pursuant to certain physical needs, exemptions for category C shotguns extend to

• A member of an approved club that takes part in, or is affiliated with a body that takes part in, national and international clay target shooting competition".
• New licensees in Qld are required to complete an approved safety training course.

2. Storage requirements

Under Regulation 60 (3) the container used to store Category D, H or R firearms (other than a martial arts of historical or military weapon mentioned in Section 25a(1) must be made of solid steel and be bolted to the frame or floor of a permanent building. In the case of another class of firearm, the container must be made of solid steel or solid timber and if the container weighs less than 150 kilograms, then it is to be securely fixed to the frame or floor of a permanent building.

The container must also have a sturdy combination lock, keyed lock or keyed padlock. The container must also always be locked (other than for the time necessary to insert or remove a weapon, or something else, for a proper purpose.)

When a person who possesses a weapon must, when the weapon is not in the person's physical possession, store it in the way provided in sections 39 to 43, if there are, at the premises where the weapon is, more than

(a) a total of 30 category A,B,C or D weapons; or

(b) 30 category H weapons.

To prevent any doubt, it is declared that subsection (2) does not apply while a weapon is in the physical possession of a body's representative endorsed on the licence, or another individual, under the authority of a licence held by the body.

3. Hunting

Hunting is permitted on private property where written permission has been given and the property is of sufficient area to shoot safely.

Hunting is not permitted on Crown land.

4. Moving between states

Section 32 of the Act, provides for temporary recognition of interstate licenses for the purposes of participating - "in a shooting competition conducted by an approved shooting club or approved by the Commissioner" or "for another purpose specified under a regulation for this section." License holders who move to Qld 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 the period is 7 days.

5. Juniors

Under Section 23 of the regulations, Qld issues what is referred to as a 'Minor's licence'; an applicant must be at least 11 years of age. The license authorises the holder to use a firearm of a specific category (A, B, H or C) under the supervision of a range officer at an approved range for the particular category of firearm.