Australian Gun Laws

[N00b_Shooter]

I've had a few people PM me about gun laws down here in Australia, they wanted me to clear up the myth that guns are banned but we can still hunt. So i thought i would post my response here for those who are interested.

Pretty much we have 5 different licences, class A, B ,C ,D and H.

Class A licence includes Rim fire Rifles (Can't be Semi Auto), Air rifles, Paintball markers, Single shot shotguns.

Class B licence includes Center fire (Can't be Semi Auto) and Muzzle loading rifles.

Class C licence includes Semi Auto rimfire riflle (Can't be more then 10 shot), Semi Auto shotgun (Can't be more then 5 shot), Pump Action shotgun (Can't be more then 5 shot).

Class D licence includes Semi Auto Center fire (Unlimited capacity), Semi Auto rimfire (Unlimited capacity), Semi Auto shotgun (Unlimited capacity), Pump Action shotgun (Unlimited capacity).

Class H licence includes all pistols including blank firing pistols and air pistols.

Fully Automatic firearms are completely banned unless your military or police and even they arn't allowed to own one, they can just use the governments.

In our system if you get a class B licence (Like i have) they automatically give you every licence below it (So they gave me class A when i aquired my B licence)

It takes about 2 months minimum to get your firearms licence, you must attend a safety course and sit a test that you MUST pass to get your firearms safety certificate. You need that certificate before you can even apply for your licence, you also NEED to be a member of a shooting club or own your own property thats classed as rural land.

Class C and D licences are nearly impossible to get unless you are a proffesional shooter, a farmer, work for the government or your a disabled target shooter.

28 day minimum waiting period to get your licence, then its another 28 day waiting period for your first Permit to aquire (You need a permit to aquire for each firarm you want to purchase and pay $30 for each permit). Each firearm MUST be registered or it can be confiscated and you can be fined.

You also need a safe that is either bolted to the ground or weighs 330lbs and your ammo needs to be locked in the safe but in a seperate compartment with a different key. Your safe also gets inspected twice a year by the police. Any time your firearm or ammo is not being used or cleaned it MUST be in the safe. Bullet press and parts are ok to have out though. Safe requirements are much more strict for class C and D licences.

I dont have a handgun licence so i'm not sure on the Safe requirements for them but i know its more strict then rifle safes.

Other then that its ok, here in NSW there is no limit on Caliber but if you wanna shoot a .50 bmg it needs to be on large private property. i think we can own 30 guns each person and if we want more we have to get a dealers licence and the appropriate safe.

It sounds really strict and confusing but once you have your class A/B licence its fairly laid back.

Laws are slightly different in each state but the basic system is the same, just minor differences i think.

Hope that makes sence, any questions feel free to ask, this might be the direction the the US is moving (I hope not though, I'd like to go myself one day to try out some firearms that arn't legal here).

If any Aussies find something i said was wrong please tell me.

[KLRANGL]

If the US moves in that direction, I think I might just cry...
Australia is a beautiful country, but man those are some messed up laws...
Thanks for clearing it all up though.

Would airsofts fall under a Class A license?

[vranasaurus]

Thats horrible. I feel bad for you guys.

The worst part is we have elected oficials in this country who would love to do the same or worse here.

[kyle1974]

Good Lord.... that sucks.

a license to own a friggen BB gun....

[jammin1237]

just read an article in american hunter magazine, that the feral camel population has reached over a million animals... the largest wild herd on the planet ?is this true?

what would it take for a non-aussie to obtain a license and help you out?

if you could set up a meeting with your local gov officials so i could discuss the effects of over one million daily camel farts on the global warming situation, that would be great... not to mention the amount of natural habitat these animals eat away every year....

[N00b_Shooter]

Hey guys, yeah our restrictions do suck abit for people who want to use restricted firearms sensibly but i personally REALLY like bolt action rifles and even if i lived in the US it would still be my most used and favorite type of rifle, that being said, i would still like the opportunity to use or own atleast 1 AR

Yes u need a class A licence for a bb gun

As for the camel problem, yes its true about the ammount of wild camels and also if you want to come into Australia and shoot its not all that hard, i live in NSW and the camel problem isn't in my state but i'm guessing other states have very similar rules for overseas hunters, all you have to do is fill out a "OVERSEAS VISITOR SAFARI TOUR/HUNTING PERMIT" and go hunting with a registered hunting club (Very easy to find) or safari tour group (not sure on any). My local government officials wouldn't have anything to do with the camel problem up north so cant really do much there, sorry.

As for Airsoft, there is much debate about that, airsoft games are illegal, but that is about to change in atleast 1 state (Queensland). As for the airsoft guns themselves, apparently having a class A licence is enough. Dont know why you would want one if you cant play the actual games though. Just a last note that i'm not sure on but have heard a few times, any airsoft gun that resembles a real gun is automatically illegal (might be wrong on that note)

I'll look into the airsoft debate abit more and post any relevent findings for anyone who is interested.

[jdscholer]

The scary thing is that most non-gun owners, and even many gun owners (I know some), would say, "That seems reasonable."

We had better come up with some good ideas, or at least decide where we will draw the line, or we will wind up with the same rules. jd

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day, Shooting Camels is not very smart. The Arabs pay top dollar for them, because they are not inbred (unlike some).
Noob forgot to mention that if somebody walks past your house and sees you inside with a firearm you can be charged with an offence. He also forgot to mention the gun brokerage fee of $11 per transfer (in Qld). Probably similar to your FFL. My local gun shop charges $20 for the statutory $11 fee. He can only hold 20 guns at his shop. Minimum charge for any .22lr is $8 for a box of 50. The next gun shop is about 400 Miles each way. He must record your details if you buy powder. He must see your photo shooters licence if you want to get ammo or primers.
Cabelas sold and shipped me a Lee anniversary loading kit, (Breach Lock) but will not sell/ship spare collets because of the stupid laws. The kit has 3 collets in it. They will sell me LEE dies that include shell holder but not the LEE shell holder kit.

[N00b_Shooter]

Lol, i new i would have forgotten something it was hard tryin to think of everything. I think NSW is abit different because about 90% of gun shops i walk into hold ALOT more then 20 rifles, i have about 4 gun shops within 30 minutes drive and all them would have more then 20. I havn't bought powders or primers yet (Though i plan to start reloading soon) but i'm pretty sure they would take your details here too.

I Didn't know the camels were worth anythin either, thats cool. Thanks for clearing that up Skull

[SKULLANDCROSSBONES65]

G'day. One little problem with selling the camels is you need to catch them. Then race them and win. (Ferrel camels don't like to be ridden) They only want the absolute best animals. The rest get shot.

[N00b_Shooter]

Sounds like more effort then its worth

[jonutarr]

Class A licence includes Rim fire Rifles (Can't be Semi Auto), Air rifles, Paintball markers, Single shot shotguns.

Semi auto air rifles and lever action / double barrel shotguns are both in A CAT in most states


I agree we have stupid gun laws in Australia but we have better hunting laws here IMO

We can hunt many different animals with no bag limit & do this day or night

[hardhit]

just read an article in american hunter magazine, that the feral camel population has reached over a million animals... the largest wild herd on the planet

Hey there jammin1237 I live in southern Australia, But about two days drive north in some remote and inhospitable Arid areas,
it is estimated that they exceed one million animals distributed over more than 40 percent of the continent, so pockets of animals over a large area The total feral camel population in Australia is increasing at about 10 percent per year resulting in an additional 100,000 in 2008.
I often talk to people at my shooting club and they tell me that a station owner has invited them up to his property that has feral camels roaming around, he is happy for you to clean them up for him.
Because of the Impacts and the damage to infrastructure such as fences, increasing grazing pressure to native vegetation, and the degradation and depletion of important natural water sources such as rock holes and water holes.

[shortwave]

Thanks for the Aussie gun law clarification`s. How long have these laws been in effect? What was the reason your Parliament instilled these laws? Lastly, if laws were inst`d to reduce crime, did it? P.S. From what I`ve read, I love the Aussie people and Parliaments attitude towards illegal immigrants in your country but those gunlaw hoops suck.

[shooter01]

Found the post on Aussie gun laws very interesting. I live in a former British colony as well [is that a coincidence?] and we have even more restrictive Firearms Legislation. We too need a Licence to own an air rifle - and even then there is a restriction to .177 and smoothbore only. In fact rifles are not at all allowed [but to be fair it is a relatively small island anyway].

One trend though is that somehow the thinking goes to the effect that the Laws are predicated on the basis of safety. I have no issues with safety being an imortant consideration, but the question then becomes "whose safety?" The is no consideration for the right to self defense by the citizenry.

In fact judging from the occurrence of gun related violence from the criminal element, these laws quite frankly don't seem to be effective at all. Isn't that a typical pattern wherever there are very restricitve gun laws?

[Shane Tuttle]

It sounds really strict and confusing but once you have your class A/B licence its fairly laid back.

Maybe because it is strict and confusing.

I've had a few people PM me about gun laws down here in Australia, they wanted me to clear up the myth that guns are banned but we can still hunt.

I think your post proved that guns are banned. They may have it on paper that there are permits to buy certain guns, but doesn't make it true that they aren't banned if the permits themselves are impossible to get in the first place. Based on my observation of your post, your rights are trampled on like a feral camel in the midst of being lassoed. It's downright wrong.

I feel badly for the citizens of Australia. Problem appears that it's the citizens themselves. I don't know how the election process goes. But in America citizens are ultimately to blame as a whole since we elect the very ones that violates our rights and then are too lazy to vote them out.

[ted1a]

Shooter01 cites gun violence and the effect of these laws. Do criminals in Australia have the same access to guns as those criminals in the US?
If so, does anyone have a comparison of gun violence between the two countries? If no, I would like to know what the comparison would be.

I see some good safety requirements in the Aussie laws. I have only one gun now, but keep the bolt in a different room, and have a gun lock. I think the only difference to Australia is that as a tax payer, I would pay a policeman to come to my house to make sure I am doing it right. hmm!

I see some restrictions in the Aussie laws. But don't US laws restrict guns to law abiding citizens? Is it comparable? - no felons, etc. We don't however require training and testing. This is consistent with our "rights/entitlement" mentality, as opposed to a "priviledge/responsibility" mentality. Same as driving laws - elsewhere, driving has more training and testing. Many of us are responsible, but collectively we could do a better job.


bty, a British friend told me that they tightened the gun laws in the UK a while back, and now everyone just goes around stabbing each other. Typical British humor.

Our goal is to reduce gun violence. the less gun violence, the fewer people will be interested taking away gun rights.

[Shane Tuttle]

I see some good safety requirements in the Aussie laws.

I don't see ONE good safety requirement stated here. What requirement to you see that's "good"?

I see some restrictions in the Aussie laws. But don't US laws restrict guns to law abiding citizens? Is it comparable?

Every state has their own laws. Some are more restricted than even Australia.

We don't however require training and testing. Our goal is to reduce gun violence. the less gun violence, the fewer people will be interested taking away gun rights.

What country are you residing? This does't reflect the way some of America's politicians' thinking. It doesn't matter what the crime rate, or lack thereof. There has, and most likely always, been a struggle to keep our gun rights.

bty, a British friend told me that they tightened the gun laws in the UK a while back, and now everyone just goes around stabbing each other. Typical British humor.

I don't see any humor in it. It's the truth. Why are they looking to ban knives if it weren't?

[N00b_Shooter]

I did some research and found that our gun laws came into place when we had 35 people killed in Tasmania by a single gunman. apparently gun related deaths were at about 521 in 1997 before semi autos and pump action shotguns were banned, in 2006 that had dropped to 289. some people think that it is related to other factors but either way there are less people dieing. I'll try and find more resent figures later and post them.

[chadwick76]

Thanks for clearing this up, i have always heard rumors of your laws. Next, question though, when did these laws pass?

[N00b_Shooter]

Back in 1996 was when they made it near impossible to get semi auto rifles and pump action shotguns. I found out that laws were changed back in 1986 in NSW when 2 outlaw motorcycle gangs clashed and killed each other, the other states followed after that when the Port Arthur massacre occured in 1996.

Link bellow is just on what happened in Tasmania that changed our laws completely.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Ar...cre_(Australia)

[chadwick76]

thanks noob, if you ever make it to Indiana u.s.a., let me know. got lots of land to shoot on, and lots of guns to shoot!! always enjoy meeting new people on tfl. oh yea, got a brother over in sydney right now, he loves your ladies, and of course the weather. lol

[Benonymous]

I have nother couple of aspects of the Australian to add to this discussion. Every firearms owner must have 'safe storage' , a gun safe or locker. The police will inspect this prior to the first "Permit to Acquire" has been approved. For subsequent purchases, the storage is assumed to be in place so no further inspections are required. The police may do a random inspection however. I believe they need to inform you prior to this taking place. The other aspect is the range/hunt attendance requirement. If you have nominated target shooting or hunting on your license, you must attend a shooting range at least four times a year and attend two hunts.

In my opinion, the firearms laws in Australia were designed from the ground up to be frustrating, inconvenient and complicated for shooters.

Many people that I know who owned firearms that saw little use, were happy to have the gummint buy them in the buyback schemes. Millions of dollars of taxpayers money was spent on these exercises and if pressed I would have to admit that in some cases, it probably removed firearms that were badly stored and in danger of being stolen. However, when the second buyback came along and forced people to sell many handguns that were declared illegal, it was a massive scam and hoodwink that achieved practically nothing. Unless you count the licensed gun dealer who faked the paperwork and sold hundreds of guns into the crime network.

What an excellent result :barf:

I'd better stop here or I'll be accused of trying to start the "Legal and Political" department up again.

[eaglesnester]

We all know that all they have done is disarm the honest, law abiding gun owner. The outlaws will ignore any and all laws and gleefully go about their business of getting any and all the firearms they want, and they will use them in any manner they see fit. The politicans of course are unable to figure this **** out for themselves, their brains are just not wired up to be able to understand. You see they must put on the appearance of doing something about gun violence so they can get themselves re elected, so they do the easiest thing possible and that is try to disarm everybody. We all know how stupid that thinking is. Why would they outlaw pump shotguns, or require special permits? I could take a sawed off double barrel with buckshot and kill just as many people just as fast as someone with a pump. Makes no since to me.

[AirForceShooter]

I served with the Aussies in the 60's.
What the hell happened to you people?

AFS