ok Treo, this is the stuff I will one day go through to legally own any kind of gun and the corresponding lisence for it. Will research more on how long the whole lot takes to process, but here it is.
This is the process for the state of New South Wales according to the Sporting Shooters Assosiation of Australia (SSAA) the national gun club I think. The process will vary between states (but in Australia there are only 8 states). I live in Sydney, so here's what I have to do. Brace yourself...
1.
Telephone the Firearms Registry (1300 362 562) and ask that they send you a Firearms Licence Application.
The registry staff will ask you for some basic information and send you a personalised application in your name.
2.
When applying for a licence you must post the the following to the Firearms Registry:
- A completed "Application for a Personal Firearms Licence Form" (P561)
- One or more of the following completed "Genuine Reason" forms:
° Target Shooting (P660), Recreational
° Hunting/Vermin Control (P661),
° Collecting (P662)
- A certificate showing you have completed an approved Firearms Licence Qualification Course, such as the "SSAA Safe Shooting Course"
- A copy of your current SSAA membership card marked with T, H, and/or C, to show that you have the relevant activities registered with your club.
* If you are applying for a firearms licence to hunt, you may supply a copy of a property owners "letter of permission" to use their property for this purpose instead of, or as well as, showing that you have H on your membership card.
You cannot submit your application for a Firearms Licence, to the Firearms Registry, until you have passed an approved Firearms Licence Qualifcation course.
3.
Firearms Licence Qualification Course: A certificate showing you have completed an approved Firearms Licence Qualification Course, such as the SSAA Safe Shooting Course must be submitted with your licence application.
- When you’re ready to do the Safe Shooting Course, you will need to complete a NSW Firearms Registry Declaration Form P650, which will allow you to handle firearms during the course. To avoid any disappointment on the day, click here for a sample of the personal history questions from the declaration form.
- If you truthfully answer NO to all the questions, you can go ahead and book in to do the Safe Shooting Course. If you answer YES to any question, you will be required to complete the form and send it to the Firearms Registry. Please speak to the Safe Shooting Instructor if you answer YES to any of the questions.
- When you attend the SSAA Safe Shooting Course please bring suitable personal identification, such as a driver's licence. Minors should bring a copy of their birth certificate.
4.
Finally, and just as important as all the other steps, in order to keep your Firearms Licence and your firearms you must meet the Minimum Attendance and Safe Storage requirements, as specified by the Firearms Act.
The number of attendances required depends upon the genuine reasons that you specified when applying for your Firearms License and which your Firearms Licence specifies as approved.
How long that all takes to get processed completely, I will find out for you later. I copied that straight from the SSAA website. If you like, you can visit the site for yourself =
www.ssaa.org.au
I'll keep looking though
Andrew