The guide includes detailed information to help you meet your obligations.
All museum curators or directors responsible for firearms must comply with the laws relating to the possession, secure storage, and display of firearms and ammunition.
Guidance on the obligations of museums possessing and displaying arms items.
What’s in the guide?
Museums and the Arms Act (the legislative framework)
Legislative framework, criteria for bona fide museums, licensing requirements, and operating across multiple premises.
Licensing as a curator of firearms
Requirements for holding a dealer's licence, including when firearms are stored but not displayed. Also covers endorsement requirements based on the types of firearms held.
Obligations of the dealer's licence holder
Responsibilities under the Arms Act 1983 and Arms Regulations 1992.
Museum staff
Obligations for staff assisting the curator or director, including those under a dealer's licence.
Record keeping requirements
Simplified guide to maintaining records in perpetuity, aligned with legislative requirements.
Security provisions
Secure storage and display requirements, including safes, strongrooms, layered security, and use of CCTV.
Transactions involving arms items
Information on acquisition and disposal of arms items by sale or loan.
Last updated
7 November 2025
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