HOW TO GET YOUR SHOOTER’S LICENCE

So, you want to join the ranks of hundreds of thousands of other Aussies who love the shooting sports, but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you are interested in hunting for meat with a rifle, or competition shooting with either a rifle, shotgun or handgun? Or maybe you just want the enjoyment of punching the tightest groups possible on paper targets at your local range? Whatever takes your fancy, there are a few “gotchas” that you need to sort out first. Fortunately, the hurdles are not that great.

In Australia, shooting and hunting is regulated by our state and territory governments. The laws, regulations, fees and license requirements are specific to each state or territory. The purpose of this article is not to define the specific rules, regulations and requirements for each state and territory, but rather, to point you in the right direction to ensure you comply with all government laws and requirements. Once you do this, you can look forward to participating in our many and varied shooting disciplines as well as hunting.

JOINING YOUR LOCAL SSAA BRANCH IS A GREAT WAY TO START YOUR SHOOTING SPORTS JOURNEY.

Like many things in life, a little help and guidance never hurts, and we encourage you to contact the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA) or Field and Game Australia (FGA) first. The friendly folks at either will bring you up to speed on the steps involved; but essentially, the process goes like this …

1. A genuine reason.You must have a genuine reason for wanting to own a firearm. Genuine reasons are usually membership of a shooting club or hunting. Either way, membership of either the SSAA or FGA is a great place to start. Membership provides you with a genuine reason and members are covered for liability and personal accident insurance.
2. Firearms safety certificate.Successful completion of a firearms safety course is a mandatory requirement when applying for your firearms license and SSAA and FGA clubs conduct these courses. Safety certificates are specific to the type and category of firearm you desire to start shooting first. Your club representative will guide you on which firearms safety certificate course to complete.
3. Safe and secure storage.By this stage you will be thinking about what first firearm to buy. A great place to browse for an extensive inventory of quality firearms to suit all budgets is right here at Beretta Australia.Owning a firearm and storing it along with ammunition comes with very specific obligations and compliance requirements. One of these requirements is safe and SEPARATE storage of your firearm and ammunition. They must not be stored together. Let’s repeat that, they must not be stored together. Separate storage for firearms and ammunition that complies with your state or territory legislation is required.

   Storage requirements vary between the states and territories and your club representative is your best point of contact for determining just what safe and secure storage you require for your ammunition and new rifle, shotgun or pistol. There are also storage requirements when travelling to and from the range, hunting grounds and when travelling interstate and overseas. Yes, you guessed it, your club representative can provide all the guidance on transport storage also.

   The Lokaway LOK 1 Series Gun Safe distributed by Beretta Australia, (pictured here) features separate, lockable storage for rifles/shotguns and ammunition and complies with the rifle/shotgun and ammunition storage requirements of all Australian states and territories at the time of writing.

4. Applying for a firearms license.Now that you have joined a club and completed your safety certificate, you can apply for your firearms license. You will need to organise a current passport photo. Depending on the license you wish to obtain, you may also be required to provide documentation from your club which is uploaded to the license application portal when you apply. Once again, your club representative can explain this to you with all the specifics you need to be aware of. The information is also available via the State Police links below. However, in some cases the online process can be a bit confusing, so save yourself some time and talk to your club representative first.Applying for your license can be done online and the links below take you to the relevant state or territory firearms license application web site.

   Australian Capital Territory – New South Wales – Northern Territory

   Queensland – South Australia – Victoria – Western Australia

   In Western Australia, things are a little different to the other states and territories. Click here for a link to the Western Australia PTA web site and read the section at the end of this article.

When your license is approved and you have received it in the mail, you can apply for your first firearms Permit to Acquire (PTA). While you are waiting for this process to complete, which takes a few weeks, start considering your first firearms purchase.

The humble 22LR rimfire really is the best place to start (for rifles and handguns) because ammunition is cheap. Lots of cheap shooting practice means you can focus on the fundamentals of good shooting. The fundamentals of safety, controlled breathing, proper stance or other position, target acquisition, trigger control and holding/supporting the firearm are required by all marksmen and markswomen if they wish to achieve their full accuracy potential. The 22 with its low ammunition cost and insignificant recoil means many hours of practice fun can be had for very little cost.

Click here to browse the Beretta Australia firearms section which has a well laid out format for searching for the right product for you.

TIKKA T1X MTR 22, STEINER SCOPE & MOUNTS, SELLIER & BELLOT AMMUNITION EQUALS A GREAT DAY OF FUN AT THE RANGE.

5. Permit to acquire (PTA).OK, so you joined a club, successfully completed your safety certificate and have decided which firearm you want to buy. There is one more step in the process, you need a Permit to Acquire (PTA) for each firearm you wish to own.PTA’s are specific to the type and category of firearm you wish to own. Applying for a permit is best done online and the links below take you to the relevant state or territory PTA web site.

   Australian Capital Territory – New South Wales – Northern Territory

   Queensland – South Australia – Victoria – Western Australia

   In Western Australia, things are a little different to the other states and territories. Click here for a link to the Western Australia PTA web site and read the section at the end of this article.

THE TIKKA T1X MTR 22LR RIMFIRE RIFLE, STEINER SCOPE AND HY-SKOR BIPOD. AN EXCELLENT CHOICE FOR YOUR FIRST RIMFIRE RIFLE PACKAGE.

So, there you have it. Five simple steps really, just don’t forget to tick all the boxes, meet the requirements and don’t be afraid to ask your club for help and guidance along the way, that’s what they are there for.

Now, get out there and have some safe and enjoyable fun with firearms. We promise you; the shooting sports are a safe, happy, healthy, family oriented and fun activity, you won’t regret the journey.

Western Australia

In Western Australia, here is the procedure that is current at the time of writing

1. At your gun shop, choose the firearm you would like to buy and pay a deposit to the dealer. If the firearm is not in stock, the dealer will acquire it and hold it for you.
2. At either your gun shop or local club, complete your WA Firearms Awareness Test. The test has 20 questions and you must answer all 20 questions correctly in order to pass.
3. The firearms dealer then completes a serviceability certificate for the firearm. This applies to both new and used firearms.
4. Purchase your safe. Gun safe requirements can be found here on the WA Police website.
5. If you wish to hunt on private property, obtain a Property Letter (LSF11), the PDF can be downloaded here.
6. To shoot at a club, contact your club to obtain a Club Letter.
7. Go online to WA Firearms Licensing, complete the online application and statutory declaration as to the authenticity of your safe, including images and measurements.
8. Print all of the above and take them to any WA Post Office for lodgement. WA firearms licensing fees can be found here.
9. If you are applying for your first firearm, there is a 28-day cooling off period. Following this, your application is assessed by a representative of the WA Police who will contact you in due course to further validate your application and genuine need.