How to get your Firearm Licence in South Australia

How to get your South Australian Firearms License:

So, you’ve decided to become a Law abiding Firearm Owner? Well, these are the steps you will need to follow on your path to joining one of the most enjoyable and safe sports in Australia:

Obtaining a Firearms License in South Australia is quite a simple process provided you have no criminal history that would prevent you from being eligible to obtain such a license. It requires you to follow a simple step by step process which will be simplified below, but can also be found on the SA Police website at the following link: https://www.police.sa.gov.au/services-and-events/firearms-and-weapons/apply-for-a-firearms-licence.

Step 1 in obtaining your firearms license in the SA is to determine your ‘Genuine Reason’ to own a firearm. Your genuine reasons will usually be as follows:

Sport and target shooting:

In South Australia you are not generally required to provide justification for obtaining a Firearms License in class ‘A’ and ‘B’ for the purposes of target shooting, hunting or paintball. Some calibres of firearm require justification when submitting a Permit to Acquire a Firearm but this is on a case by case basis and dependent upon your use of the particular firearm.

Recreational hunting and vermin control:

In regards to recreational hunting and vermin control, it is again not generally a requirement to provide justification for this purpose when applying for a Firearms License in South Australia. This however is a requirement if applying for a ‘C’ class Firearms License as you will need to provide a reason for the use of this class of firearm as well as the details and addresses of the properties that the firearms will be used on.

Step 2 is to consider which class or classes of firearm you wish to use. Generally speaking most recreational shooters will choose to apply for a Class A (Air rifles, rimfire rifles, and shontguns) and Class B (Centrefire rifles).
Category C and D is primarily for Primary Producers and Professional Shooters.

Category H is a handgun license, which has a number of other conditions applied to it, including a national police check and 2 referees.

Step 3 is to fill in your SA Firearms license application form PD303 (available from the SA Police website) This form needs to be submitted to your local police station and you will also need to bring in 100 points of ID to be copied and certified. You will also need to pay the application fees which can be also be found on the aforementioned website.

These forms are then submitted to the SA Firearms registry by your local police for processing. This will take a minimum of 28 days from the date of submission so that criminal record checks and accuracy of your evidence can be verified. It is also considered a ‘Cooling off’ period’ however you can call the registry and verify they have received your application and ask for an estimate as to when they expect it to be approved.

Once your application has been processed and approved, you will receive a letter stating that your application is approved and it will provide you with the details of what training you require and who to contact to arrange the training.

Step 4 in obtaining your firearms license is to complete your firearms safety course. This course outlines the basic principles of firearms safety, and is followed by a multiple choice questionaire to determine your safety awareness of firearms and their correct storage and use. There is also a practical component of the course which requires you to demonstrate safe handling and accuracy with firearms. This generally consists of shooting both a .22 cal rifle and a shotgun while demonstrating all safety aspects of the course and a minimum accuracy requirement. This course is conducted at a variety of ranges and will be determined by your closest location.

At the conclusion of the course the training provider will send a copy of your training-certificate to the Firearms Branch as proof of you having completed the course.

Step 5 Soon after this course you will receive letter notification of completion and will need to take this to a photo point with 100 points of ID to have your picture taken and pay the Licensing fee. They will provide you with a paper interim license on the spot which can be used the same as a normal firearms license until you receive your proper license via mail within approximately 28 days.