Information for Weapons Clubs
- What is a Weapons Club?
- What is a Recreational Shooting Club?
- What is a Crossbow Club?
- Who can conduct a Weapons Club?
- What are the primary purposes of a Weapons Club?
- How do I make application for a Weapons Club?
- Fees What fees are applicable when making application for a Weapons Club?
- How does a Weapons Club decide whether an individual is an appropriate person?
- Does a Weapons Club need to keep range use registers?
- What details must the register include?
- What documentation must I provide when applying for approval for a Weapons Club (recreational shooting purposes)?
- What categories of weapons may be used at an approved Weapons Club for recreational shooting?
- What documentation must I provide when applying for approval for a Weapons Club (Historical or Military Re-enactment - Demonstration Use)?
- What categories of weapons may be used at an approved Weapons Club for Historical or Military Re-enactment Demonstration Use?
- What documentation must I provide when applying for approval for a Weapons Club (Historical or Military Re-enactment Training Only)?
- What categories of weapons may be used at an approved Weapons Club for Historical or Military Re-enactment Training Only?
- What documentation must I provide when applying for approval for a Weapons Club (Sports Target Shooting purposes)?
- What categories of weapons may be used at an approved Weapons Club for sports target shooting purposes?
- a crossbow club; or
- a recreational shooting club.
What is a Recreational Shooting Club?
A recreational shooting club is an approved organisation or an association that engages in the sport of hunting using category A and/or B weapons, and/or category M (g) crossbows.
A recreational shooting club is a weapons club.
- an archery organisation; or
- a historical or military re-enactment organisation that demonstrates the use of category M (g) crossbows; or
- a genuine historical or military re-enactment organisation that gives training in the use of category M (g) crossbows.
Who can conduct a Weapons Club?
A person must not conduct a weapons club unless it is approved by the Authorised Officer, Weapons Licensing Branch. The Authorised Officer may approve a weapons club only if satisfied of the primary purpose of the club.
What are the primary purposes of a Weapons Club?
The following are primary purposes for a weapons club:
- Crossbow club (archery organisation conducting sports and target shooting)
- Crossbow club (demonstration of category M (g) crossbows for historical or military re-enactment)
- Crossbow club (training in the use of category M (g) crossbows by an organisation for historical or military re-enactment)
- A recreational shooting club
A weapons club cannot have more than one primary purpose. Therefore applicants should choose one option only.
How do I make application for a Weapons Club?
An application for a weapons club must be made in the approved form, and lodged in person at a Queensland Police Station.
The approved form for this application is Form 15G Application for approval of a weapons club (
61 KB). When completing this form, the applicant must specify the primary purpose of the club.
Annexures
If the primary purpose of the weapons club is recreational shooting, the Form 15G application must be accompanied by a Form 15G Annexure Recreational Shooting (
48 KB).
If the primary purpose of the weapons club is historical or military re-enactment demonstration use, the Form 15G application must be accompanied by a Form 15G Annexure Historical or Military Re-enactment Demonstration Use (
46 KB).
If the primary purpose of the weapons club is historical or military re-enactment training only, the Form 15G application must be accompanied by a Form 15G Annexure Historical or Military Re-enactment Training Only (
46 KB).
If the primary purpose of the weapons club is sports or target shooting, the Form 15G application must be accompanied by a Form 15G Annexure Sports Target Shooting (
46 KB).
Fees What fees are applicable when making application for a Weapons Club?
There is no fee applicable when making application for approval of a weapons club.
How does a Weapons Club decide whether an individual is an appropriate person?
Each individual member of the governing body of the weapons club must be an appropriate person. When deciding whether an individual is an appropriate person, an Authorised Officer may have regard to:
- whether the individual demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the obligations of an approved weapons club and the individual's proposed position under this Act; and
- whether the individual is a person of good repute; and
- whether the individual is the holder of a licence
Further, the Authorised Officer may obtain:
- the criminal history of the person
- a report from the appropriate authority in the other State. If the person held or previously held in another State a relevant licence, permit, authority or position.
Does a Weapons Club need to keep range use registers?
Yes, if a crossbow club conducts a range, it is a condition of the club's approval that the club must:
- keep a range use register; and
- ensure the register is available at all times when the range is being conducted by the club.
Before a person discharges a weapon at the range, the person must--
- if the person is a licensee--produce the person's licence to a range officer at the range; and
- enter in the range use register the details
What details must the register include?
- the person's identity
- the category of weapon the person will discharge at the range
- Documentation from the weapons club supporting a member of the governing body to be the representative; AND
- A list of the members of the governing body of the weapons club including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- A copy of the weapons club or proposed weapons club rules and / or constitution; AND
- Details of any affiliation with any shooting organisation or association (eg. Sporting Shooters Association of Australia or Archery Associations); AND
- Details of any affiliation with any recreational shooting association (State, National and/or International); AND
- Details of your Public Liability Insurer; AND
- A list containing between 10 and 30 names of the proposed initial weapons club members including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- Provide information that will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the safety obligations of an approved weapons club; AND
- Details of all rural land owned and utilised for recreational shooting purposes; AND / OR
- Copies of all written landowners permission held by the body authorising members of the body to shoot on the landowners rural land (Authorisations are to include the name of the rural land, size of the rural land, the road address, Locality, Lot Plan Number, a description of terrain encountered on the land, nature of the use of the land, number of persons authorised by the landowner to shoot on the land at any one time.
- Please provide details of how the Club intends limiting and controlling the number of licensed shooters on the rural land, having regard to the safety of licensed club members engaging in the activity of recreational shooting as well as members of the public.
What categories of weapons may be used at an approved Weapons Club for recreational shooting?
Only category A, B and M weapons may be used at a weapons club approved for recreational shooting.
Category A weapons
- A miniature cannon under 120 cm in barrel length that is a black powder and muzzle loading cannon, depicting a scale model of an historical artillery piece or naval gun;
- An air rifle;
- A blank-fire firearm at least 75 cm in length;
- A rimfire rifle (other than a self-loading rimfire rifle);
- A single or double barrel shotgun
- A powerhead;
Category B weapons
- A muzzle-loading firearm;
- A single shot centre fire rifle;
- A double barrel centre fire rifle;
- A repeating centre fire rifle;
- A break action shotgun and rifle combination
As contained in Section 7A(g) of the Weapons Categories Regulation 1997
- Any crossbow designed to be discharged by the use of two hands that, when discharged, is capable of causing damage or injury to property or capable of causing bodily harm.
What documentation must I provide when applying for approval for a Weapons Club (Historical or Military Re-enactment Demonstration Use)?
- Documentation from the weapons club supporting a member of the Association / Club to be the representative; AND
- A list of the members of the governing body of the weapons club including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- A copy of the weapons club or proposed weapons club rules and / or constitution; AND
- Details of any affiliation with any historical association (State, National and/or International); AND
- Details of your Public Liability Insurer; AND
- A list containing between 10 and 30 names of the proposed initial weapons club members including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- Provide information that will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the safety obligations of an approved weapons club; AND
- Details of proposed demonstration techniques to be undertaken by club members (having regard to the need to protect persons from death or injury and property from unlawful destructions or damage); AND / OR
- Details of construction, equipment and location of the proposed sites where members of the club may use category M (g) crossbows (having regard to the need to protect persons from death or injury and property from unlawful destructions or damage).
Only category M (g) crossbows may be used at a weapons club approved for Historical or Military Re-enactment Demonstration Use.
Click here for description of category M (g) crossbows
- Documentation from the weapons club supporting a member of the Association / Club to be the representative; AND
- A list of the members of the governing body of the weapons club including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- A copy of the weapons club or proposed weapons club rules and / or constitution; AND
- Details of any affiliation with any shooting organisation or association. (eg. Sporting Shooters Association of Australia or Queensland Rifle Association or Archery Associations); AND
- Details of any affiliation with any historical association (State, National and/or International); AND
- Details of your Public Liability Insurer; AND
- A list containing between 10 and 30 names of the proposed initial weapons club members including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- Provide information that will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the safety obligations of an approved weapons club; AND
- Details of construction, equipment and location of the proposed range site utilised for training purposes; AND / OR
- Details of any firing rights that have been arranged with another approved club or association for use on their approved shooting range utilised for training purposes.
Only category M (g) crossbows may be used at a weapons club approved for historical or military re-enactment training only.
Click here for description of category M (g) crossbows
- Documentation from the weapons club supporting a member of the Association / Club to be the representative; AND
- A list of the members of the governing body of the weapons club including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- A copy of the weapons club or proposed weapons club rules and / or constitution; AND
- Details of the shooting disciplines proposed to be conducted by the club; AND
- Details of any affiliation with any shooting organisation or association (eg. Sporting Shooters Association of Australia or Queensland Rifle Association, Archery Associations); AND
- Details of any affiliation with any historical association (State, National and/or International); AND
- Details of your Public Liability Insurer; AND
- A list containing between 10 and 30 names of the proposed initial weapons club members including full name, address, date of birth and details of any Weapons Act licenses held; AND
- Provide information that will demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the safety obligations of an approved weapons club; AND
- Details of all construction, equipment and location of the proposed range site; AND / OR
- Details of any firing rights that have been arranged with another approved club or association for use on their approved shooting range.
Only category M (g) crossbows may be used at a weapons club approved for sports target shooting purposes.
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