Regulations for shooting clubs and shooting ranges have been published today and will come into effect on 15 December 2022.

The regulations implement amendments made in 2020 to the Arms Act 1983 that established a regulatory framework for shooting clubs and shooting ranges.

The regulations strengthen Police oversight of all shooting clubs and shooting ranges by requiring clubs to obtain approval and ranges to be certified. The approval and certification process is designed to enable clubs and range operators to demonstrate their adherence to safety standards. This aligns with our role of being an effective regulator rather than an administrator.

The regulations require that:

• Shooting clubs and shooting ranges that existed before 24 June 2022 must apply to Police for approval or certification by 24 June 2023 to continue operating, (with exception of pistol shooting clubs and ranges that have already been recognised or approved). If they do not apply by this date, they must cease operating.
• A new shooting club or shooting range that was not in operation at 24 June 2022 may not operate until it has been approved or certified by Police.

Earlier this year, Police held a six-week public consultation on a proposed regulatory approach for shooting clubs and shooting ranges. Police analysed the 1,038 submissions received and conducted workshops with established advisory groups.

Police listened to the feedback and has addressed the key themes in the final regulations, including changing proposed age restrictions, reducing fees, reducing the burden of compliance, removing the requirement for committee members to hold a firearms licence, and removing the requirement to record details of when individual duty officers are on duty.

Shooting range operators are encouraged to engage with a Police-trained and recognised shooting range inspector now to understand what may need to be addressed on their range to successfully apply for range certification. Contact details for shooting range inspectors by location and discipline are available on the Clubs and Ranges page on the Police website.

Applications for shooting club approval or shooting range certification can be formally accepted by Police when the regulations come into effect on 15 December 2022.

For further detail on what this means for clubs and ranges, please see the Clubs and Ranges information page and the frequently asked questions (PDF, 273KB).

Police is committed to maintaining its good partnership with the firearms community and will continue to work with it to ensure members understand their new compliance responsibilities.