nightforcenxs wrote:i spoke to the blokes at my local GS and he said weapons licensing is so busy they cant even ring on wednesdays theres been over 14,500 PTA just this year so its just a waiting game as they are extremely busy
Does the PTA actually fulfil a useful purpose other than makework? Surely having jumped through all the hoops and checks to obtain a licence in the first place (firearm safety course, criminal history checks, club membership, ID checks, 2 x references and minimum annual participation in the case of Cat H licence) I have already been judged trustworthy enough to acquire a weapon of the licence class I hold. Why do I need a further layer of "permission"? . If I'm buying from a dealer, the PTA I submit just lists the dealer's licence number and the action type and calibre I want. I don't have to specify a make or serial number (WL actually told me not to list the serial number because it slows the processing time).. It's only after I buy it and walk out the door with my new firearm that the dealer sends in the paper work to WL telling them what I actually now own with make model and serial number. Why not cut out the PTA step altogether? Whether you buy from a dealer or the private exchange is brokered through the dealer, the dealer sights your licence. It should just be a case of the dealer submitting a form saying this is what this licensed person has now acquired, add it to their record. That way the State still knows who I am, where I live, what firearms I own and where I store them. The dealer is not going to sell you something that's outside your licence categories if they want to keep their licence. The PTA just looks like the answer to a question no-one was asking.