As part of being an effective firearms regulator, Police is working hard to ensure the firearms licensing process is improved and that only those who are fit and proper can lawfully purchase firearms and ammunition.

As part of this work, in 2021 when new licence cards were issued, they came with embedded additional security features and with licence version types marked for clearer identification.

In December, the firearms Online Licence Checker also went live, which enables dealers to immediately check the validity of firearms licences during face-to-face sales.

Police are reminding dealers the Licence Checker is an invaluable tool to ensure a buyer holds a valid licence, and that the card presented it isn’t suspended, revoked or stolen from a lawful holder.

Suspended or revoked licence cards are not always recovered by Police and there have been recent incidents where fake cards have been used in attempts to purchase firearms and ammunition.

The diversion and theft of firearms to gangs and organised crime groups continues to be a threat to wider community safety, and the use of invalid or fake licences can perpetrate this.

Under section 43 the Arms Act, anyone supplying a firearm to another needs to take reasonable steps to ascertain whether the proposed recipient is the holder of a firearms licence.

Now that the Licence Checker is available, dealers should always do that check with every firearms or ammunition sale, to validate licence cards presented. Doing this will help demonstrate that reasonable steps have been taken to confirm the licence holder is valid and that the dealer is following the good business practices expected of a fit and proper dealer.

Relying on pre-populated store customer systems, or knowing customers personally when selling firearms and ammunition, is not sufficient to ensure that the buyer is a currently licensed person.

The Licence Checker is a quick two-minute exercise which simply identifies if a licence is valid or not, in real-time, and the tool will ensure all firearms and ammunition purchases are lawfully made.

Further information and details on using the firearms Online Licence Checker can be found here.