It is necessary to complete an Application for a Firearms Licence. You must be 18 years or over and have a genuine reason for using or possessing a firearm. Once the licence application is lodged at Service Tasmania with the required fee, the application is forwarded to Firearms Services, Tasmania Police, for processing. If you are eligible, an enrolment will be forwarded to you to enable you to complete the Firearms Safety Training Course.

You must notify Tasmania Police Firearms Services in writing and request a replacement licence card. You will need to include your full name, date of birth and current postal address.  A replacement firearms licence card will be mailed out in a few days.

You must have a current firearms licence to purchase a firearm or ammunition and all sales of firearms must be done through a licensed firearms dealer. It is necessary to complete an “Application for a Permit to Acquire a Firearm” form. There is a minimum 28 day waiting period from the date of lodgement if it is your first firearm (otherwise a minimum of 14 days).

Note if you are a first-time applicant for a Category H pistol for sport/target shooting you cannot obtain your first pistol until you’ve held your licence and been a member of an approved club for at least 6 months

If approved, you will receive a letter advising the date your permit to acquire will be effective from. After the waiting period has expired you will be mailed out a yellow Permit to Acquire a Firearm form which is valid for 90 days only. The issue and expiry dates are printed on the form.

If the permit expires you must start the process again.

Yes, an air rifle is a Category A firearm, therefore it must be registered under the Firearms Act 1996. A firearm cannot be registered unless the person is the holder of a firearms licence of the appropriate Category.

It is necessary to forward details of a change of address to Tasmania Police Firearms Services in writing. This can be in the form of a letter, a change of particulars form or via the online Client Update Service (CUS).

It is necessary to provide Tasmania Police Firearms Services with proof of your need for a category B firearm, for example if it is to shoot deer or wallaby. It is necessary to forward this proof and your current firearms licence to Tasmania Police Firearms Services to enable the upgrade. Once this documentation is received your licence will be upgraded and a new firearms licence will be forwarded in the mail.

It is necessary to complete an Application for a Firearms Licence. Licence Applications are lodged at Service Tasmania with the required fee, and proof of requirement documentation. You must also present 100 points of Identification when lodging your application.

The application is then forwarded to Firearms Services, Tasmania Police, for processing.

Please include a copy of your current mainland firearms licence with the application form. If you have firearms registered interstate, please include copies of the registration certificates with the application and pay the appropriate registration fee.

You may be required to undertake a Firearms Safety Training Course in this State.  This will be assessed upon receipt of your application at Tasmania Police Firearms Services.  If you have completed Firearms Safety Training previously, please attach a copy of your Certificate of Competency to your application to assist with assessment.  You may also refer to:– Application Process and Interstate Licences on this website for further information.

You will be advised in writing to have your photograph taken at a Service Tasmania outlet at a later date.

It is necessary to complete an Application for a Minors Permit form. The form must be accompanied by a letter from a parent or guardian giving the applicant permission to have a minors permit and a letter from a current firearms licence holder stating they will supervise the minor in the safe use of a firearm at all times. There are two types of minor’s permits available. The first is for a minor aged 12-14 years and allows them to shoot on an approved range only. The second is for a minor aged 14-18 and allows the option to shoot on an approved range or to receive instruction in the safe use of a firearm in the field with a supervisor.

  • Section 110A of the Firearms Act 1996 (the Act) states that a person is guilty of an indictable offence punishable under the Criminal Code if the person traffics in firearms without lawful excuse.
  • A recent court decision found a person guilty of trafficking in firearms because they were found to be transporting another person’s firearms. Importantly, this was not a case of loaning firearms, it was clearly a case of a person trading for illegal firearms.
  • This court decision has caused some general concern in the community. Loaning/sharing of firearms is a common practice in Tasmania. These groups have sought legislation change to protect people from prosecution.
  • The need to seek an appropriate court penalty where it has been demonstrated that a person has trafficked in firearms is a cornerstone to the objectives of the Act. This is important to reinforce the objective of firearms being only possessed by fit and proper people.
  • The matter was raised by Tasmania Police with the Director of Public Prosecution and as an interim measure the DPP has issued new charging guidelines to ensure the objectives of the legislation are clear for charging in relation to Section 110A of the Act.
  • The publicly available DPP Prosecution Policy and Guidelines now stipulate:
    • Unlawful trafficking in firearms contrary to s 110A is reserved for cases involving serious unlawful activity. Factors to be considered include:
      • Whether the conduct involves criminality of a greater order than the summary offences;
      • Whether or not the firearms were to be used for a serious criminal purpose;
      • Whether or not the conduct included a commercial context (noting that it is not necessary for the offender to have any belief or intention as to the future sale of the firearms).
    • With these guidelines now in place it is highly unlikely that any person transporting firearms for another person or that have been lawfully borrowed from another person will be charged for trafficking under Section 110A of the Act.