Proactive release of papers regarding the Arms (Licence Holders' Applications for New Licences) Amendment Act

On 29 November 2022, the Arms (Licence Holders’ Applications for New Licences) Amendment Act (the Amendment Act) came into effect.

The Amendment Act amended the Arms Act 1983 (the Act) to ensure that if the holder of a current firearms licence applies for a new licence before the expiry of their current licence, their current licence will continue to be in force until they are notified of the outcome of their application. These changes will assist licence holders to continue to lawfully possess and use firearms and help maintain the integrity of the firearms regulatory system.

The successful implementation of this change requires that anyone checking the validity of a licence, uses the online licence checker to ensure the expired licence presented to them is covered by the Amendment Act.

Police has proactively released the following documents relating to information on this decision.