Eligibility to Apply for a Weapons Licence - Fact Sheet

• Download Eligibility to Apply for a Weapons Licence - Fact Sheet (PDF)

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible to apply for and hold a Queensland weapons licence, you must:

• only reside in Queensland
• be at least 11 years old
• have a genuine reason to hold a weapons licence
• be a fit and proper person
• have access to safe and secure weapon storage
• complete an approved weapons safety course.

Obligations and responsibilities

Queensland weapons licence holders must follow rules set out in the Weapons Act 1990, Weapons Regulation 2016, and Weapons Categories Regulation 1997.

Disclosure requirements

When applying for a weapons licence, you will be prompted to disclose any criminal, traffic, and offence history. You will be prompted to disclose any historical or ongoing medical or psychological conditions.

Assessing fitness and propriety

All applications undergo a criminal history check to ensure that provisions of the Weapons Act 1990 are met, and the principles of individual and community safety are considered.

A person may not be considered ‘fit and proper’ if they have been convicted, charged, or discharged from custody on sentence, for any of the following:

• Offences relating to the misuse of drugs, the use or threatened use of violence, or the use, carriage, or possession of a weapon; or,
• Named as a respondent in a domestic violence order (other than a temporary protection order).

An Authorised Officer will also consider your mental and physical fitness, the provision of false or misleading information, the public interest, criminal intelligence, and other information about you when making a determination of fitness and propriety.

Genuine reason

You must demonstrate that you have a genuine reason to possess and use weapons under a Queensland weapons licence. Below are common genuine reasons:

• Sports or target shooting – shooting club activities on an approved shooting range.
• Recreational shooting – recreational shooting on rural lands with permission to shoot from an owner/occupier of the land.
• Occupational – e.g., primary production/rural employee on rural land, security guard.

Different licence types and their associated genuine reasons require specific supporting documentation to be provided.

Safe and secure storage

You must demonstrate that you have access to safe storage for the weapons you intend to possess.

Weapons safety training

You must complete the Firearms Safety Training Course (1102NAT) endorsed for the category of weapon you are applying for and wish to operate.

You must complete training in the 12 months immediately prior to lodging your application and provide the Firearms Course certificate to demonstrate that you have completed the training.