Cat A/B to Cat ABH Licence - Things to know

[SlickColt]

I am planning to go out and get my Cat H licence on top of my existing Cat A/B licence and I wanted to know what fees I have to prepare for when applying? I live in QLD.

I understand I will need to join a club, wait 6 months and shoot a minimum of 3 times in that period (I plan to shoot a lot more than that) and I will also need to do a safety course which is around $125. What will the fees be when actually applying for the licence ? Is it just an extra category attached to my existing firearm licence?

[Blr243]

I started the process and spent some money but I forget the costs eventually......the fees are Next to nothin compared to the hoops you have to jump thru ....I gave up and I don’t think I’ll ever try again

[deye243]

I started the process and spent some money but I forget the costs eventually......the fees are Next to nothin compared to the hoops you have to jump thru ....I gave up and I don’t think I’ll ever try again

Which is exactly what they want I call it hassle Factor make them jump through enough hoops they say bugger it not doing it

[rc42]

Pistol club fees are usually expensive but include unlimited visit range passes, the license fee itself is about $200 for 5 years, (it will be on the WLB web site) and you need to have completed your 6 months probation, 3 competitions and passed a cat H safety course in the 12 months before applying.

Cat H is a completely separate license card and license number in QLD, your existing A/B means you can join a pistol club without pre-approval from the police and you won't have to do an ID check during license processing, other than that there is no connection between the two.

Processing of cat H licenses and PTAs makes the A/B side look like a super efficient well oiled machine, be prepared to wait and wait some more as they try to make you lose interest and forget all about it.

[boingk]

What they said. It's a pain in the butt however the end results will allow you to go and do what you will enjoy out at the club.

Cheers - boingk

[matt4350]

Yep, been there. Would think they’d add the category to your A/B licence like a driver licence hay. Took more than a year before I could eventually shoot my own gun (and now I gotta wait another year to get a second one!). I found the process quite frustrating, but it’s ultimately worth it. Hang in there and don’t get your hopes up early!

[linkoln]

I started the process and spent some money but I forget the costs eventually......the fees are Next to nothin compared to the hoops you have to jump thru ....I gave up and I don’t think I’ll ever try again

Which is exactly what they want I call it hassle Factor make them jump through enough hoops they say bugger it not doing it

They have said that the laws are purposely vague and confusing so that only people who genuinely want to shoot will jump through all the hoops. It almost got me as well because you have to give up so much personal information after I had my finger prints taken I felt like my privacy was violated. You are treated like a criminal when you haven't broken the law and have no intention of ever doing so.

[Macross]

Pistol Shooting Qld web site had a great breakdown of the process. I printed it off and would mark off each component as it was completed and marked the date. Its still on the wall next to my gun bench. It was great to be able to see actual progress as each bit was marked off and a visual reminder that i was actually moving along and not stagnated. As others said, its definitely a tactic to drive off all but the most committed people.