Importing Cat C firearms on a collectors license

[Tomotron]

Does anyone know if you can import Cat C firearms on a collectors license? The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 doesn't seem to provide for it, unless if I'm reading it wrong. I imagine sport shooting Cat C license holders in WA who aren't members of the ACTA having the same issues. WA being the only state that allows Cat C shotguns for disciplines other than clay target shooting and not having the 1996 membership or medical exemption clauses. Cheers.
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2021C00545

[bladeracer]

Does anyone know if you can import Cat C firearms on a collectors license? The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 doesn't seem to provide for it, unless if I'm reading it wrong. I imagine sport shooting Cat C license holders in WA who aren't members of the ACTA having the same issues. WA being the only state that allows Cat C shotguns for disciplines other than clay target shooting and not having the 1996 membership or medical exemption clauses. Cheers.
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2021C00545

I can't see why it would be a problem, but the cost would be high to own a firearm you can only use at the occasional club event. Is the firearm you're interested in not available in Australia already?

[bladeracer]

Put in a B709 and see what they say.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

In Queensland collectors and firearm instructors can not import cat C,D And cat R. I know this for a fact as I have a collector licence. So I assume the other states and territories are the same as its federal. You can posses them when they come into the country and have been released to another licence but you can not import them.

Even if a firearm is physically at the gun store it may still be in a custom bond that requires a B709 or attorney general permit to release.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

I can't see why it would be a problem, but the cost would be high to own a firearm you can only use at the occasional club event. Is the firearm you're interested in not available in Australia already?

A collectors licence opens up a lot of fun things that the normal sports/recreational shooter can't have. So yes they are not something you can shoot all the time but they are fun none the less. A bloke in the Northern Territory just sold a nice uzi pistol with a 30 round mag and a much bigger drum mag. There are only a handful in the country legally.

[Tomotron]

Put in a B709 and see what they say.

A B709 looks to be for primary production only regarding Cat C and I know that collectors can import unrestricted CAT H with that form. The AG permit doesn't seem to be available for collectors according to the regulations. I have not started on the license yet, just planning ahead. Cheers.

In Queensland collectors and firearm instructors can not import cat C,D And cat R. I know this for a fact as I have a collector licence. So I assume the other states and territories are the same as its federal. You can posses them when they come into the country and have been released to another licence but you can not import them.

Even if a firearm is physically at the gun store it may still be in a custom bond that requires a B709 or attorney general permit to release.

Yep, that's what I thought. The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 is contradictory to state/territory legislation and should be addressed to allow collectors, firearm instructors etc to import Cat C/D/R and fix other things.

[bladeracer]

A collector's licence can take years to get as I think it often requires a period of membership in a collecting club before you can apply.

Put in a B709 and see what they say.

A B709 looks to be for primary production only regarding Cat C and I know that collectors can import unrestricted CAT H with that form. The AG permit doesn't seem to be available for collectors according to the regulations. I have not started on the license yet, just planning ahead. Cheers.

In Queensland collectors and firearm instructors can not import cat C,D And cat R. I know this for a fact as I have a collector licence. So I assume the other states and territories are the same as its federal. You can posses them when they come into the country and have been released to another licence but you can not import them.

Even if a firearm is physically at the gun store it may still be in a custom bond that requires a B709 or attorney general permit to release.

Yep, that's what I thought. The Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 is contradictory to state/territory legislation and should be addressed to allow collectors, firearm instructors etc to import Cat C/D/R and fix other things.

[No1Mk3]

G'day Tomotron,
You can import anything you want if you can fulfill the requirements. On a Cat 1 Collectors licence in Victoria you just need to contact a dealer, preferably one familiar with importing, show that you are appropriately licenced and can obtain Police approval for a PTA, pay the costs (purchase, freight, tax, any associated import/export charges including the dealers time to attend Border Force to pick up the gun which could be 1 hours charge or 6 hours) and wait. Easy! Be absolutely sure what you want can't be found here as it will almost always be significantly more expensive to import single, or even a few, firearms, Cheers.

[Tomotron]

G'day Tomotron,
You can import anything you want if you can fulfill the requirements. On a Cat 1 Collectors licence in Victoria you just need to contact a dealer, preferably one familiar with importing, show that you are appropriately licenced and can obtain Police approval for a PTA, pay the costs (purchase, freight, tax, any associated import/export charges including the dealers time to attend Border Force to pick up the gun which could be 1 hours charge or 6 hours) and wait. Easy! Be absolutely sure what you want can't be found here as it will almost always be significantly more expensive to import single, or even a few, firearms, Cheers.

Cheers, although are you sure that collectors can import Cat C even with a dealer? The federal regulations don't make sense.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

A collector's licence can take years to get as I think it often requires a period of membership in a collecting club before you can apply.

In Queensland it is kind of broken into 3 licence types each with their own condition code.

The easiest will let you collect cat A,B,C firearms that are temporarily inoperable (trigger lock) and all other firearms that are permanently inoperable (welded, firing pins removed etc). To get this licence do the safety course and apply.

The next will let you collect the same as above but will allow temporarily inoperable handguns regardless of calibre, magazine size, barrel length so long as they are made before January 1st 1947. To get this licence you must do the safety course and be a member of a historical society.

The top level will let you collect the same as above but will allow all handguns made after January 1st 1947. To get this licence you must do the safety course, be a member of a historical society and as the law states you have a “prolonged and genuine interest in the study, preservation or collection of firearms”. This will give you Condition code CH5 which is what you want to have.

The law does not state a length of time just a matter of proving that you have a interest in firearms which in practise can take time.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

No1Mk3

Are you sure about that? I am sure that only dealers, primary producers and feral pest controllers can import C and D?

[No1Mk3]

G'day Communism_Is_Cancer,
Which is exactly what I said in my post, go to a dealer experienced in importing, pay them oodles of money and wait. They import it, and you receive it from them when your PTA is approved. This is the process to import such things as we cannot import directly, use a dealer. There are a few around that specialize in this and charge reasonable fees, but it is almost always cheaper to buy here. A case in point is the Winchester 1897 Trench Gun, I found one in California for US$1100, cost on arrival would have been, at that time, AU$2750, bought at auction here for $1900,Cheers.

[No1Mk3]

G'day Tomotron,
The Fed Law does make sense if you look at it in these terms, Federal Law applies to Federal (ie: Customs) considerations only, and do not take any State Law into consideration. After Federal Law has been applied to any issue, then State Law comes into play. The two views do not always agree with each other, Cheers.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

Yes the dealer can import the firearm but it has to be released to someone who has a B709 or an Attorney Generals permit. The only way to obtain those is to be a pest controller or a primary producer. Then once it has been released into the country any cat C or D holder can purchase it.

Firearms on a dealers wall may still be held under a customs bond waiting for a b709 or Attorney Generals permit holder to buy them.

[bladeracer]

I haven't looked at it for a while, but I thought you had to support your interest in collecting by being a member of a collector's club or something for some period of time?

A collector's licence can take years to get as I think it often requires a period of membership in a collecting club before you can apply.

In Queensland it is kind of broken into 3 licence types each with their own condition code.

The easiest will let you collect cat A,B,C firearms that are temporarily inoperable (trigger lock) and all other firearms that are permanently inoperable (welded, firing pins removed etc). To get this licence do the safety course and apply.

The next will let you collect the same as above but will allow temporarily inoperable handguns regardless of calibre, magazine size, barrel length so long as they are made before January 1st 1947. To get this licence you must do the safety course and be a member of a historical society.

The top level will let you collect the same as above but will allow all handguns made after January 1st 1947. To get this licence you must do the safety course, be a member of a historical society and as the law states you have a “prolonged and genuine interest in the study, preservation or collection of firearms”. This will give you Condition code CH5 which is what you want to have.

The law does not state a length of time just a matter of proving that you have a interest in firearms which in practise can take time.

[bladeracer]

Yes the dealer can import the firearm but it has to be released to someone who has a B709 or an Attorney Generals permit. The only way to obtain those is to be a pest controller or a primary producer. Then once it has been released into the country any cat C or D holder can purchase it.

Firearms on a dealers wall may still be held under a customs bond waiting for a b709 or Attorney Generals permit holder to buy them.

The firearm has to be collected from Border Force by a licenced dealer with the _original_ B709, then it can be transferred from the dealer's licence to yours.

[bladeracer]

I just checked. In Victoria before you can apply for a Cat 1 collectors licence you have to have been a member of a club for six months. To apply for a Cat 2 licence requires two years club membership and you must also own at least ten registerable handguns, which makes no sense if you aren't interested in handguns.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... XV7c73xmUO

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... 4TyBjy6-f5

[bladeracer]

I know that if I had a CatB rifle on a collectors licence, and I wanted to go shooting with it, I have to transfer it to my CatB licence first, including a PtA. I would assume if I owned a CatC rifle on a collectors licence, and wanted to use it that I would have to have a CatC licence to transfer it to first. Which would require transferring a current CatC firearm onto the collectors licence as well, since you can only own one CatC rifle and one CatC gun at any time?

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

I just checked. In Victoria before you can apply for a Cat 1 collectors licence you have to have been a member of a club for six months. To apply for a Cat 2 licence requires two years club membership and you must also own at least ten registerable handguns, which makes no sense if you aren't interested in handguns.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... XV7c73xmUO

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source= ... 4TyBjy6-f5

That is different to Queensland. Interesting.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

I know that if I had a CatB rifle on a collectors licence, and I wanted to go shooting with it, I have to transfer it to my CatB licence first, including a PtA. I would assume if I owned a CatC rifle on a collectors licence, and wanted to use it that I would have to have a CatC licence to transfer it to first. Which would require transferring a current CatC firearm onto the collectors licence as well, since you can only own one CatC rifle and one CatC gun at any time?

Correct. I know in Queensland it is easier to transfer from sports/recreational licence to collectors licence than the other way around. Having firearms you don't shoot often is hard for some to grasp but it is like people with classic cars who barely drive them. Everybody has their hobbies and interests.