Gun Licence

[bradley.webber1]

Hey everyone,

I am currently in the process of trying to purchase a Paintball Gun. To do this I need to have a Paintball Marker Permit, and to get this I need to do a Firearms (Longarms) Safety Training course. The problem is that I have no idea where I can do this in the local area. I am currently living in Queanbeyan (Just outside of Canberra but still NSW).
If anyone knows a place where I can do the course it would be much appreciated, thanks guys

 

[WolfCreekPsycho]

Try calling Wayne Brown from the Sports Shooters Association Australia (SSAA)
He is one of the approved Long Arms course instructors and is based in Canberra... should help you out.

If you have any questions around it just ask

Canberra
SSAA ACT
Wayne Brown
0421 615 514

Cheers
WCP

 

[Nabdaddy]

Try calling Wayne Brown from the Sports Shooters Association Australia (SSAA)
He is one of the approved Long Arms course instructors and is based in Canberra... should help you out.

If you have any questions around it just ask

Canberra
SSAA ACT
Wayne Brown
0421 615 514

Cheers
WCP

^^^ That

Or try the gun shops in Canberra...most shops do the safety course once a month or so.

 

[FuelXC]

Holy nanny state batman, firearm training for a paintball gun? youch

 

[0psi]

Absolute pain in the arse and you're best option is to forget about it

I think the laws may have changed a bit since I tried to get a paintball ticket (about 5 years ago) but the only real way to do it is to be part of a club/paintball ground and your gun stays there. If you are going to another field then staff will have to transport the gun for you to the other site. I think you still need some sort of ticket to be able to do this though.

If you actually want to keep your gun (as I did due to having friends with massive properties off in woop-woop) then you need to get a special weapons (I think that's what its called) licence. Under the same licence you are allowed to keep a whole heap of military weapons (including fully automatic machine guns and my personal favourite, a cannon. Yup that was actually listed, a fricken cannon. So it's not the easiest thing to do as you need a normal gun licence for a few years first and once you get said licence you can expect a visit from the coppers every few months to make sure all is in order. Other inconviences include having to install several rather large safes, one for the guns and one for the ammo and the list of annoying thing just goes on. I was given the list of requirements by the cop shop and gave up about half way through reading it.

Only way to know for certain though is to hit up your local cop shop, they'll have all the info for you.

 

[0psi]

Holy nanny state batman, firearm training for a paintball gun? youch

Comes under the same class as a machine gun. It's very easy to kill someone with a paintball gun with no modifications. I won't say how on a public forum but lets just say there's a reason you aren't allowed to bring your own ammo to a field.

 

[WolfCreekPsycho]

hmmmm Cop shops are maybe not the best source of information as they are not really up to speed on the latest info, unless you ask to speak with the officer that performs the safe inspections.

Probably better, if you want clarification on future requirements is to call the Fire Arms Registry... very friendly people and will be able to point you in the right direction in regards to requirements for storage, ownership and transportation. http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/services/firearms


http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/133216/fact_sheet_paintball_gun_permit.pdf Have a read of this too.

BTW you can get a single safe that has a separate internal lockable ammo section, and not really that expensive. You bolt it in and honestly its no big worry, unless you get a semi auto PB gun... then you need a rather special safe.

..Also friends I know who have been down the "Paintball gun ownership" path have also given up due to so many hoops and still having to pay for ammo as mentioned by Opsi.

IMO, just get yourself a real gun... Easier process and no chance of guys on the other side wiping the stain off when you shoot them.

WCP

 

[Nabdaddy]

hmmmm Cop shops are maybe not the best source of information as they are not really up to speed on the latest info, unless you ask to speak with the officer that performs the safe inspections.

Probably better, if you want clarification on future requirements is to call the Fire Arms Registry... very friendly people and will be able to point you in the right direction in regards to requirements for storage, ownership and transportation.

Agreed. Police stations are generally pretty hopeless with Firearms laws. As WCP mentioned you need to talk to the officer in charge of Licensing in the station, he is the ONLY one you should listen to there.

Call the firearms registry, and talk to the "Dealers" unit. They will tell you everything you need to know. The NSW registry's number is 1300 362 562. Be prepared to wait for a bit to talk to someone though.

 

[321]

Does catergory A cover paint ball ? When i got my license 4 years ago it was scary how easy the course was and the drop kicks they pushed though who didn’t have a clue.. Some areas of study were to make sure you identify and aim at a target before firing..
One night coarse followed by a very easy test , fill in some paper work and you will be able to shoot shit in a few weeks when the licence shows up in the mail . They do have a 2 week cooling off period from the date u buy gun. So when u finaly get your hands on it your hopefully not as angry and reconsidered shooting someone.. Have the rules changed ?

 

[Nabdaddy]

Does catergory A cover paint ball ? When i got my license 4 years ago it was scary how easy the course was and the drop kicks they pushed though who didn’t have a clue.. Some areas of study were to make sure you identify and aim at a target before firing..
One night coarse followed by a very easy test , fill in some paper work and you will be able to shoot shit in a few weeks when the licence shows up in the mail . They do have a 2 week cooling off period from the date u buy gun. So when u finaly get your hands on it your hopefully not as angry and reconsidered shooting someone.. Have the rules changed ?

No Cat A does not cover a paintball gun. Cat A is rimfire rifles and shotguns (excluding self loading/pump action) only. There is still a cooling off period and all that.

 

[harmonix1234]

A few things to keep in mind when applying for your firearms licence.

Get your SSAA membership before you do anything.

When I went for mine I also had to specify 'genuine reasons' for owning a firearm.
For me I needed two, which were target shooting, and hunting/vermin control (to shoot rim fire and centre fire rifles)
You made need to also note two reasons on your app so think in advance about what you put because there are only a few options deemed as valid.

You may want to consider putting target shooting and SSAA approved sporting shooting events and competition.

You may also need to do what I did and provide the police with and intended destination for firearms secure storage.
I was lucky enough that I had a friend with a gun safe and he let me keep it there. I mentioned the address on my paperwork and it was already in there system as a safe destination.

If you don't have one of these you will have to purchase a rated and approved safe from a gun shop and mount it in your house. Must be mounted to concrete floor.

When you have the safe properly installed you can then proceed to get it inspected by the cops to make sure it's safe, and then you get your permit to acquire.

The trick is to get your permit to acquire first and have it filled out and ready.
Just get one from your gun shop.
The trouble with a permit to acquire is that you have a cooling off period. I think it's about a month.
This apparently stops gun crime (cough!). The thought being that if I want to off the missus with a shotty because she didn't butter my toast all the way to the edges, and I walk into a gun shop and say "That one please and two shells" the man behind the counter says "Sorry, you need to fill out this form (permit to acquire a firearm) and cool down for a month. Then you can have the shotty". Stops the hotheads buying guns on the fly they reckon.

If you need any help just PM me because I've been through it all.
and don't expect the SSAA or police to be quick in processing the paperwork, sometimes a phone call and a friendly reminder can help if things sdtart to go a bit slow.

 

[Mattydv]

If you don't have one of these you will have to purchase a rated and approved safe from a gun shop and mount it in your house. Must be mounted to concrete floor.

When you have the safe properly installed you can then proceed to get it inspected by the cops to make sure it's safe, and then you get your permit to acquire.

Or you can chain them up inside a locked (and fixed +solid) cupboard or wardrobe that is mounted in-wall, with the ammunition in yet another locked box ($10 from bunnings for me) and it's also approvable.

You're correct about the cooling off periods though, 1 month.

As far as genuine reasons go, it's pretty simple. Either join a club, or say it's for recreational hunting/vermin control on a friend/your's rural property.

The entire process took me about 3 months, and that was me stuffing around a bit.

 

[bradley.webber1]

thanks guys. i'm not actually sure if doing the course in canberra will be sufficient seeing it is a nsw licence, but on the other hand its about the safety side of it so i'll defs check it out, and as for a genuine reason i'll just say that i play tournament paintball cause that what the other guys on my team did. Plus i've already got a safe so all i now have to do is the safety course and the paperwork, its just a shame it takes ages to get through all of it.

 

[WolfCreekPsycho]

A few things to keep in mind when applying for your firearms licence.

Get your SSAA membership before you do anything.

When I went for mine I also had to specify 'genuine reasons' for owning a firearm.
For me I needed two, which were target shooting, and hunting/vermin control (to shoot rim fire and centre fire rifles)
You made need to also note two reasons on your app so think in advance about what you put because there are only a few options deemed as valid.

You may want to consider putting target shooting and SSAA approved sporting shooting events and competition.

You may also need to do what I did and provide the police with and intended destination for firearms secure storage.
I was lucky enough that I had a friend with a gun safe and he let me keep it there. I mentioned the address on my paperwork and it was already in there system as a safe destination.

If you don't have one of these you will have to purchase a rated and approved safe from a gun shop and mount it in your house. Must be mounted to concrete floor.

When you have the safe properly installed you can then proceed to get it inspected by the cops to make sure it's safe, and then you get your permit to acquire.

If you need any help just PM me because I've been through it all.
and don't expect the SSAA or police to be quick in processing the paperwork, sometimes a phone call and a friendly reminder can help if things sdtart to go a bit slow.

I had both genuine reasons as you did, but the mandatory required shoots can be a pita if you leave it till the end of the year.
I have just recently changed mine to Rec hunting and vermin control, I am also a member of the SSAA and the Game Council (R Class). The combination of these means you do not have to perform any mandatory range shoots... which can be quite a saving : )

Unless you are specifically wanting to enter comptetition matches just stick with the Rec Hunting/Vermin control and make sure you join an approved hunting org such as the SSAA. Cost to change license was $70 and a trip to the RTA for a new pic.

You can get a decent safe off Ebay : ) cheaper than LGS, also you dont need the safe inspected prior to purchase the firearm, just make sure its mounted as per the requirements because sooner or later the police will pay you a visit to check your safe and firearms are in order.

.....so begs the question.. who hunts and who shoots comp ?

 

[harmonix1234]

I have just recently changed mine to Rec hunting and vermin control, I am also a member of the SSAA and the Game Council (R Class). The combination of these means you do not have to perform any mandatory range shoots... which can be quite a saving : )

Ah, I have my R licence as well, and a SSAA member and I still get letters saying 'Please attend an approved range for a shoot within the next X amount of days or we'll take your longarm because your genuine reason of 'target shooting' is not valid'.

I hate those letters! Oh well, at least it gives me a reason to take the .22 up to the range and plink a few groups on some bits of paper.

 

[WolfCreekPsycho]

lol thats why I removed the Target Shooting as a Gen. Reason. The $70 cost for the change equates to one or two sessions at the local range depending on what rifle I take. Unless you are wanting to shoot comp, then you dont need it as the only thing it allows you to do that Rec Hunt doesnt... is enter matches

I think the logic is that if you have your R-Class, then you are going to go out on those "environmental" shoots and the Game Council system does not have the ability to confirm you did actually go to the forest and shoot at small furry animals, so they just accept you did.
This is justification of your genuine reason of Rec Hunt thus no time at the range is required.... if you had Just Rec Hunt but were not in the Game Council... then you would need to attend the mandatory 2 visits.

 

[harmonix1234]

I think the logic is that if you have your R-Class, then you are going to go out on those "environmental" shoots and the Game Council system does not have the ability to confirm you did actually go to the forest and shoot at small furry animals, so they just accept you did.

I always wondered about that. When I return from a hunt (specifically targeting foxes and feral cats) I have to fill out the form specifying what I shot, how many, what I saw etc, and then send it off to the guys at Orange. And they just accept what I say on the form no questions asked.

There is a program in Wollongong that's being started up by the council in conjunction with the game council and you can petition for a small piece of crown land to be managed by yourself, or your nominated party of shooters to help eradicate the deer. And it then becomes your patch that you are responsible for.
You can shoot on this piece of land, no questions asked..... as long as you fill out the form saying what you shot and what you saw. Again, no way of confirming!

Anyway, off topic...