Queensland’s citizenship rule for gun licences starts today

From today, non-citizens are no longer eligible for a new Queensland ‘weapons licence’ – the state’s official term, covering firearms as well as crossbows, certain knives and other regulated items – unless they qualify for an exemption tied to sport, target shooting or their job.

The change comes from the Fighting Antisemitism and Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Terrorists and Criminals Amendment Act 2026, which received royal assent on March 11, 2026. Queensland Police has confirmed the citizenship provisions commence by proclamation today, August 3, more than four months after the Act itself became law.

Premier David Crisafulli set out the intent when the bill was introduced back in February: gun ownership in Queensland would now require Australian citizenship. What followed was months of fine print, and that fine print is what actually matters to licence holders.

What the exemptions cover
Two exemptions sit inside the new rule.

The first is occupational. “One of the exemptions is for occupational use,” Shooters Union Australia president Graham Park said, noting that primary producers, gunshop staff and gunsmiths fall into that category and won’t see any real change.

The second is genuine sports or target shooting through an approved discipline.

Not retrospective, at least not yet
Nothing changes today for anyone who already holds a Queensland weapons licence. Queensland Police has said there’s no plan to audit the existing register for citizenship status.

“If you apply for a licence, that’s when this will take effect,” Police Minister Dan Purdie said.

Current non-citizen holders will only need to meet the new criteria when they come up for renewal. Even then, the occupational and sporting exemptions still apply.

Applications already climbing
ABC Rural reported Queensland firearm licence applications were running 21 per cent higher in March than during the same month last year, with uncertainty surrounding the incoming rule cited as one factor.

If that pace continues, Weapons Licensing may be processing a heavier workload than usual. Non-citizens applying or renewing a licence should therefore allow additional time.

What to do next
Queensland Police runs a self-assessment tool through the Weapons Licensing section of its website, offering a quick way to check where you sit under the new criteria.

For more complex circumstances, particularly involving occupational exemptions or renewals, advice specific to the individual case may be more useful than general reporting, including this article.

The rule is now in effect. How it works in practice will become clearer as the first wave of applications and renewals is processed.

SSAA QHS receives genuine-reason approval
In a related development, SSAA Queensland Hunting and Shooting (SSAA QHS) has received Queensland Police approval as a genuine reason for holding a firearms licence. This allows eligible members to meet Queensland’s licensing requirements while remaining part of the broader national SSAA community. Find out more: https://www.ssaa.org.au/?ss_news=queenslands-genuine-reason-to-be-part-of-bigger-picture

Contact
Phone: +61 401 808 718
Email: [email protected]
Join: https://membership.ssaa.org.au/new-membership/qld