Queensland Weapons Licensing - Wait times

[Jumanji]

Just received an email stating my request for a fast track has been approved, I wonder how quickly I see my license now

[rc42]

"fast track" after sitting on the application for 12 weeks is an odd concept that only government could come up with.

The approval process seems to be little more than validating the ID documents and then looking up our history on their computer system, they should be able to turn all applications around on the same day that the ID check completes but they choose to drag it out for months for who knows what reason, maybe poor system design or incompetence or just to make the process appear more complex and thorough than it actually is.

I had a friend that went through full security vetting for the army, they sent out senior officers (retired) to do personal interviews with all of his family and close friends, WLB certainly don't do anything like that and probably don't even move from their chairs throughout the process.

[Jumanji]

"fast track" after sitting on the application for 12 weeks is an odd concept that only government could come up with.

The approval process seems to be little more than validating the ID documents and then looking up our history on their computer system, they should be able to turn all applications around on the same day that the ID check completes but they choose to drag it out for months for who knows what reason, maybe poor system design or incompetence or just to make the process appear more complex and thorough than it actually is.

I had a friend that went through full security vetting for the army, they sent out senior officers (retired) to do personal interviews with all of his family and close friends, WLB certainly don't do anything like that and probably don't even move from their chairs throughout the process.

You're not wrong mate, they have us jump through so many hoops to get an application into their system in the first place I can't imagine there is much work to do once it reach WLB, but nevertheless it still takes over 1/4 of a year to get a firearms license in QLD.

[bigrich]

i put in a pta for a 22lr , 24.5 hrs later i got the approval email

better yet , dealing with alcock and peirce , they sent a new weihrauch to my local gunshop in under two days . yes, you read right two days from ordering a 22lr from melbourne to it being in my hands, pta approved in brisbane

i've heard customer service was good from A&P , but this is exceptional .

WLB desrve a pat on the back too

[Jumanji]

Approval email received today not even 3 full business days after receiving a fast track approval.

[Jumanji]

Approval email received today not even 3 full business days after receiving a fast track approval.

[dreysi]

Applied for license on 14th of March, photos taken at post office around March 19th. Permit to acquire March 23 and 26. Should I time my expectation (to receive my license so i can at least go shooting with Dad using his rifles) from photos at post office? If so I have,,,,,,,,, probably 6 months to forever to wait.....

[Macross]

I have been waiting 8 weeks for my Cat H renewal. Starting to get a little concerned as my wifes didnt take this long. May give them a call this week to see whats happeing.

[cathari5]

Approval email received today not even 3 full business days after receiving a fast track approval.

I got mine (A+B) yesterday, took 3 months, and now wait another 2 weeks till after they do " quality assurance checks have been undertaken" do you have any idea`s what that might mean?

[Cool fish]

Hi guys, any timelines for H licence?

[rc42]

I got mine (A+B) yesterday, took 3 months, and now wait another 2 weeks till after they do " quality assurance checks have been undertaken" do you have any idea`s what that might mean?

The details need to be checked and sent off to Victoria where the cards are printed, after printing the card will be posted to you, mine took 9 working days so 2 weeks is about right.
This is probably the worst part of the wait, you'll be be checking the post box several times per day by next week

[Macross]

Hi guys, any timelines for H licence?

Get ready for a long wait mate. Its taking longer and apparently acording to the guy i spoke on the phone to last week, they have about 4000 new applications in the queue and a few thousand renewals. Not to mention PTA's. Buckle up for 20 odd weeks from time you submit it.

[Cool fish]

Hi guys, any timelines for H licence?

Get ready for a long wait mate. Its taking longer and apparently acording to the guy i spoke on the phone to last week, they have about 4000 new applications in the queue and a few thousand renewals. Not to mention PTA's. Buckle up for 20 odd weeks from time you submit it.

Thanks mate! Long time to get.

[Buster21]

Applied for license on 14th of March, photos taken at post office around March 19th. Permit to acquire March 23 and 26. Should I time my expectation (to receive my license so i can at least go shooting with Dad using his rifles) from photos at post office? If so I have,,,,,,,,, probably 6 months to forever to wait.....

Have you received anything yet? I applied a couple weeks after you

[Nolez44]

Applied 28/1/2021 and went to post office next day for identification check and photo received my email approval on the 3/6/2021, my mrs applied exact same time as me and hers has not arrived yet
Update ....
My mrs email approval arrived today 8/6/2021

[smartalec]

Does the wait time start from when you submitted the identity check from the Post office or when you submitted the application online? I submitted the application on the 27th March, guess i'll be waiting for a few months yet.

[stewartbrisbane]

Well I was going to email the department but a quick google has lead to here and it seems like my application submitted 9th March 2021 is just stuck in their bureaucratic bottom draw like everyone elses. Must really be tough on clubs and organisations trying to promote a fun sport when any newcomer's initial enthusiasm has faded away and they have probably gone off to another less nanny state controlled hobby after 3 months of silence

[dreysi]

Applied for license on 14th of March, photos taken at post office around March 19th. Permit to acquire March 23 and 26. Should I time my expectation (to receive my license so i can at least go shooting with Dad using his rifles) from photos at post office? If so I have,,,,,,,,, probably 6 months to forever to wait.....

Have you received anything yet? I applied a couple weeks after you

Not a peep mate. I called them on the 24th of May and they said (polity) don't call for anoyje 6-8 weeks because that's the wait time. I said I was concerned the identity check didn't go through (from the P.O) do she checked for me and said it was all good just gotta wait wait wait.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

Speak to your local MP. Tell them the wait for a paid service is unreasonable. They will either talk to weapons licensing on your behalf or speak to the police commissioner. It does work as I have tried it and it got me a rather quick response.

[emmteecee]

Applied for my license at the post office on the 23rd of Feb, have not heard boo about it yet. Put in a PTA at a shop at the end of March and have not heard anything about that yet either. It does seem a bit poor, how can it take this long? what is the process? surely QLD weapons licensing have access to the correct databases to do background checks. In this day and age of technology I can't understand how this can take this long.

[Sandpitturtle]

18 weeks and counting for my Cat A&B. Submitted early Feb and still haven't heard anything

[rc42]

The WLB website is currently claiming 17-20 weeks typical processing time for new licenses, they request that you don't contact them until after 20 weeks.
This is a disgraceful service which required little more than checking names on a computer against their database of police records.

I would urge you to contact your local member, the minister for police and the police commissioner and let them know that this is neither reasonable nor acceptable and ask them to take action on your behalf, remember to be polite though.
Only if they get lots of such complaints will they even consider doing anything about it.

[the_sovereign_man]

A friend of mine is currently up to week 18 for his cat H.

[emmteecee]

Submitted my application in the last week of Feb. Received the approval email yesterday. So, about 19/20 weeks. Now a 2ish week wait for the actual license I guess. I put in a PTA in March, when should I hear back about it?

[Cool fish]

Submitted my application in the last week of Feb. Received the approval email yesterday. So, about 19/20 weeks. Now a 2ish week wait for the actual license I guess. I put in a PTA in March, when should I hear back about it?

PTA is around 2 weeks after licence approval. If not, just give them call, and possibly can be approved on phone.

[Communism_Is_Cancer]

Submitted my application in the last week of Feb. Received the approval email yesterday. So, about 19/20 weeks. Now a 2ish week wait for the actual license I guess. I put in a PTA in March, when should I hear back about it?

What licence category?

[emmteecee]

A and B.
So hopefully I'll hear something about the PTA being approved around the same time as receiving my license in the mail.

[str8shutr]

First post.

I'm about 8 weeks into the licence application process. Based on the QPS website and info here, I've decided to try and shake up the bureaucracy by writing letters to my local member and ministers for Police (Mark Ryan) and Sport (Stirling Hinchliffe):
https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/ministers-portfolios.aspx

In the interests of collaborative effort, I've copied the outline of the letter that I drafted that may be useful to others to modify to suit personal circumstance. I've referred back to Labor's policy platform to shine a light on where the government is falling short of its commitments to the electorate. My local member is with another party, so I used a similar approach again focussing on rifle shooting as a sport and his party's policies.

It's a bit long but, as with any complex issue, it takes some explaining to bring the threads of an argument together. By all means, do what you can to make the wording work for you. Or start afresh. Looks like you've got months of time, so that's not a barrier..

All the best

Dear Minister

Weapons Licence Processing Time Impacting Access to Organised Sport

As the incumbent Minister for Sport, I am writing to you with a request to assist me to understand why an application for a weapons licence should take 15 to 20 weeks as currently advised by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) website: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/weapon-licensing/when-will-my-weapons-licence-application-be-processed

Queensland Labor does not appear to have a publicly stated position in terms of the party’s views towards firearm ownership as far as I can tell from reviewing: https://www.queenslandlabor.org/labor/policy-platform. Of relevance to my inquiry and request for assistance, Queensland Labor has an extensive policy platform regarding sport under the banner of Caring and Secure Communities. Labor’s beliefs, as documented in the State Platform – 2019, in terms of sport and recreation validate my request:
"8.294 Access to, and participation in, organised sporting and recreational activities enhances the quality of life of all Queenslanders. Labor believes in giving Queenslanders access to a wider range of local quality sporting and active recreation infrastructure.
8.297 The values of fair play should be embraced, and policies and guidelines should be implemented to ensure a quality sport experience for all participants."

Currently, I am not in a position to participate in the sport of rifle shooting and, in my view, the delay to engage in the activity appears to be excessive.

According to the QPS (https://www.police.qld.gov.au/weapon-licensing/performance-audit-regulating-firearms), the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) conducted a performance audit and published the audit results as Regulating Firearms - Report 8: 2020-21 (the “Report”). The objective of the audit was to assess whether the QPS “effectively regulates the acquisition, possession, use and disposal of registered firearms to ensure community safety” (Report Appendix B).

The Report (p.2) found that the:
"QPS does not have the right balance between affording procedural fairness for licence applicants and managing community safety."

This finding is reflected in Recommendation 4 of the Report and is agreed to by the QPS in their response given at Appendix A, where the QPS commits that it will:
"… incorporate business rules and quality assurance reporting to ensure timely identification of issues."
Unfortunately, identification of an issue and investigation and resolution of an issue are not equivalent commitments, but I assume that the QPS are committed to meaningful action rather than mere bureaucratic activity.

From my perspective as a licence applicant, I have difficulty seeing that balanced procedural fairness is being provided by the QPS in a timely fashion. As a general principle, members of the community have a right to expect timely performance from the public service. This is why I am seeking your assistance. Unfortunately, the audit did not report on application turnaround times that is a notable shortfall in the quality of the audit that I find disappointing. If this aspect of application processing performance had been reviewed, it may have provided the insight that I am seeking.

I recognise that the time frames noted in Appendix B to respond to the audit’s recommendations have not yet run to their conclusion. Even so, I would value your feedback to help me understand why this process should take up to three working months to complete (acknowledging that the first month probably accounts for no meaningful action given that it represents a “cooling off” period), especially when the Report notes at p.8 that:
"The unit’s automated vetting system efficiently searches multiple databases to check a firearm applicant’s history, including whether the person has a drug, violence or weapons offence or a domestic violence order against them."

If the application process has such efficient automated vetting systems, then what is the reason for the lengthy processing time? Is the delay due to lack of personnel and/or management commitment or some other resourcing shortfall?

My respectful request is that you advocate, on my behalf, for government focus on the reason for the long licence turnaround time with a view to reducing it to the greatest extent practicable, as an interim measure until implementation of the Report’s recommendations are completed. This advocacy would assist in providing community concerned and responsible citizens, like myself, with access to the sport of rifle shooting without excessive delay.

I look forward to any advice or insight that you can pass on when you get the opportunity. Furthermore, I am most grateful for any assistance you can provide to help me understand the issues that I have raised.

Yours faithfully ...

[BigB1]

That is gold - good onya. Keep us posted on the responses and any improvement in processing times please

First post.

I'm about 8 weeks into the licence application process. Based on the QPS website and info here, I've decided to try and shake up the bureaucracy by writing letters to my local member and ministers for Police (Mark Ryan) and Sport (Stirling Hinchliffe):
https://cabinet.qld.gov.au/ministers-portfolios.aspx

In the interests of collaborative effort, I've copied the outline of the letter that I drafted that may be useful to others to modify to suit personal circumstance. I've referred back to Labor's policy platform to shine a light on where the government is falling short of its commitments to the electorate. My local member is with another party, so I used a similar approach again focussing on rifle shooting as a sport and his party's policies.

It's a bit long but, as with any complex issue, it takes some explaining to bring the threads of an argument together. By all means, do what you can to make the wording work for you. Or start afresh. Looks like you've got months of time, so that's not a barrier..

All the best

Dear Minister

Weapons Licence Processing Time Impacting Access to Organised Sport

As the incumbent Minister for Sport, I am writing to you with a request to assist me to understand why an application for a weapons licence should take 15 to 20 weeks as currently advised by the Queensland Police Service (QPS) website: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/weapon-licensing/when-will-my-weapons-licence-application-be-processed

Queensland Labor does not appear to have a publicly stated position in terms of the party’s views towards firearm ownership as far as I can tell from reviewing: https://www.queenslandlabor.org/labor/policy-platform. Of relevance to my inquiry and request for assistance, Queensland Labor has an extensive policy platform regarding sport under the banner of Caring and Secure Communities. Labor’s beliefs, as documented in the State Platform – 2019, in terms of sport and recreation validate my request:
"8.294 Access to, and participation in, organised sporting and recreational activities enhances the quality of life of all Queenslanders. Labor believes in giving Queenslanders access to a wider range of local quality sporting and active recreation infrastructure.
8.297 The values of fair play should be embraced, and policies and guidelines should be implemented to ensure a quality sport experience for all participants."

Currently, I am not in a position to participate in the sport of rifle shooting and, in my view, the delay to engage in the activity appears to be excessive.

According to the QPS (https://www.police.qld.gov.au/weapon-licensing/performance-audit-regulating-firearms), the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) conducted a performance audit and published the audit results as Regulating Firearms - Report 8: 2020-21 (the “Report”). The objective of the audit was to assess whether the QPS “effectively regulates the acquisition, possession, use and disposal of registered firearms to ensure community safety” (Report Appendix B).

The Report (p.2) found that the:
"QPS does not have the right balance between affording procedural fairness for licence applicants and managing community safety."

This finding is reflected in Recommendation 4 of the Report and is agreed to by the QPS in their response given at Appendix A, where the QPS commits that it will:
"… incorporate business rules and quality assurance reporting to ensure timely identification of issues."
Unfortunately, identification of an issue and investigation and resolution of an issue are not equivalent commitments, but I assume that the QPS are committed to meaningful action rather than mere bureaucratic activity.

From my perspective as a licence applicant, I have difficulty seeing that balanced procedural fairness is being provided by the QPS in a timely fashion. As a general principle, members of the community have a right to expect timely performance from the public service. This is why I am seeking your assistance. Unfortunately, the audit did not report on application turnaround times that is a notable shortfall in the quality of the audit that I find disappointing. If this aspect of application processing performance had been reviewed, it may have provided the insight that I am seeking.

I recognise that the time frames noted in Appendix B to respond to the audit’s recommendations have not yet run to their conclusion. Even so, I would value your feedback to help me understand why this process should take up to three working months to complete (acknowledging that the first month probably accounts for no meaningful action given that it represents a “cooling off” period), especially when the Report notes at p.8 that:
"The unit’s automated vetting system efficiently searches multiple databases to check a firearm applicant’s history, including whether the person has a drug, violence or weapons offence or a domestic violence order against them."

If the application process has such efficient automated vetting systems, then what is the reason for the lengthy processing time? Is the delay due to lack of personnel and/or management commitment or some other resourcing shortfall?

My respectful request is that you advocate, on my behalf, for government focus on the reason for the long licence turnaround time with a view to reducing it to the greatest extent practicable, as an interim measure until implementation of the Report’s recommendations are completed. This advocacy would assist in providing community concerned and responsible citizens, like myself, with access to the sport of rifle shooting without excessive delay.

I look forward to any advice or insight that you can pass on when you get the opportunity. Furthermore, I am most grateful for any assistance you can provide to help me understand the issues that I have raised.

Yours faithfully ...

[rc42]

That is gold - good onya. Keep us posted on the responses and any improvement in processing times please

Do you mean the eventual generic response from a political staff member that will never forward the email to the intended recipients?
Followed by the addition of the sender's email address tot he party's propaganda/spam email lists.

Unless they get such emails in the thousands they will just be ignored, a personal visit to your local member is the only thing likely to get further and at best that will be a question on notice which the Minister will see but will still reply with a generic response.


Everyone being made to wait an unreasonable time should be sending these emails though, and for those still waiting there's no excuse that you're too busy as it's not like you can go shooting instead