Quote:
Originally Posted by Admiral Halsey
Not wanting to sound stupid but I need to ask this. With those laws of yours I thought owning a gun was all but outlawed in Australia?
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No, just alot cash, alot of hoops to jump through, and alot of lube.
First you need to apply with the states Police Department. They do a background check, and if you don't have a violent history, you then get approval for a firearms training/safety course.
This sets you back several hundred dollars, depending on the category of firearms and licence you require. You study the various acts and legislations, safety, ethical hunting, followed by a mutiple choice examination.
Then comes a hands on with a bolt action .22lr and a O/U 12g. 10 rounds of each supplied, and a minimum score on paper and steels is required for a pass.
Once tests are completed and passed, the results are sent back to the police, who will then (at their leisure, up to several months later) send you the appropriate paperwork to aquire your Photo ID firearms licence.
This then sets you back several hundred dollars more, for up to five years, which will then need to be renewed with.............. you guessed it, more cash.
You'll spend about 1K all up to get started, and more if you then become a range member.
Then to purchase a firearm, you need to fill out a "permission to aquire" form, again at cost. The police will then sit on your application for 1 month before approving.
Once your firearm is purchased,you then need to take it to the nearest police station, and register it..........more cash.
You now wait for the knock on the door to have everything inspected, at the discretion of the police (could be several times a year..... could be never).......... and to the interpretation of the law held by whatever inspecting officer you manage to draw from the hat.
Most people aquire a "class a&b" licence.
Myself, I managed a class c.......... again with more cash required.
Class A
- Air rifles, air guns and paint-ball firearms;
- .22 calibre rim-fire rifles (not being self-loading rifles);
- Single or double barrel shotguns (not being self-loading or pump action shotguns).
- receivers of these firearms
Class B
- Muzzle loading firearms (not being handguns);
- Revolving chamber rifles;
- Centre-fire rifles (not being self-loading rifles);
- Break action combination shotguns and rifles;
- Double barrel centre-fire rifles that are not designed to hold additional Rounds in a magazine, and
- All other firearms (not being prescribed firearms, handguns, self-loading Firearms or pump action shotguns) that are not class A firearms.
- receivers of these firearms.
Class C
- Self-loading rim-fire rifles having a magazine capacity of 10 rounds or less;
- Self-loading shotguns having a magazine capacity of 5 rounds or less;
- Pump action shotguns having a magazine capacity of 5 rounds or less.
- receivers of these firearms (does not include revolving chamber rifles)
Class D
- Self-loading rim-fire rifles having a magazine capacity of more than 10 rounds;
- Self-loading centre-fire rifles;
- Self-loading shotguns having a magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds;
- Pump action shotguns having a magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds.
- receivers of these firearms (does not include revolving chamber rifles)
Class H
You also need to nominate how your licence will be used:
use as a member of a recognised firearms club - 1; (you must then compete in a minimum nuber of scored shoots per year, by law
target shooting - 2; (but not a match at a club)
hunting - 3;
paint-ball shooting - 4;
use in relation to carrying on the business of primary production or in the course of employment by a person who carries on such a business - 5
use in the course of carrying on the business of guarding property or use in guarding property in the course of employment by a person who carries on that business - 6
such other purpose as is approved by the Registrar - 7
So, not impossible, but to do it legally it requires work. You then paint yourself as a target for:
a) the police, as you're now an easy target, and makes them look like they're beating crime. (ooooh, look. a loose rimfire round up on the shelf. You've just lost the lot.)
b) the criminal element who have access to the datatbases containing your name, address, and what you have in the safe. (you get broken into, your stolen firearms get used in a crime. YOU bear the brunt of the law, while the crim is back out on the street, because his mommy didn't buy him that dolly when he was little)
Easier to grab one from the back of the van, down at the wharf on a Saturday night. No questions asked.
