Australian Firearms Regulations are different in every State, and Regulations can be changed from time to time (sometimes without adequate public notice).
While we try to keep this page updated, the following information is a general guide only, and should not be solely relied upon to make decisions.
Please contact us for current information (NSW) or check with your State’s Firearms Registry before proceeding with advice given on this page.
The following information is current to July 2021 for NSW, Australia.
LSAFM has an in-house Firearms Dealer who can provide the following services for other museums and the general public.
We can assist with transfer of ownership, dealing with firearms in a deceased estate, and disposal of unwanted firearms. Talk to us if you are considering donating your firearms.
If a firearm is not registered please see this section.
We also give advice on safe storage, identification of firearms, and displaying firearms in museums.
If your firearms related issue is not listed, contact us for advice.
Transfer ownership of a firearm
Note: Information in this section applies to NSW only. Contact Firearms Registry in your state for advice.
In order for a transfer of ownership of a registerable firearm to take place, the transaction must be conducted by a registered firearms dealer and the new owner must have the appropriate license for the category of the firearm.
The recipient must obtain a Permit To Acquire (PTA) from NSW Firearms Registry. An application for a PTA can be made online at Firearms Registry’s website, or by phoning them.
There are two ways of doing transfer of ownership depending on the circumstances.
- If you need time to get a Permit to Acquire (PTA), or have other problems, eg a license expires before a transfer can take place, we will transfer your firearms onto our Dealer’s books and hold them in safe storage until you get a Permit to Acquire.
- If all requirements are in place, make an appointment with our Dealer. Both owner and recipient need to bring the firearm into the Museum with the registration certificate, the PTA, and the appropriate licenses of both parties. (Any firearms brought into the Museum must be covered and not in public view.
Contact LSAFM for further information or to make an appointment with our Firearms Dealer.
Unregistered firearms
Note: Information in this section applies to NSW only. Contact the Firearms Registry in your state for advice.
The ongoing National Firearms Amnesty commenced on 1 July 2021. In NSW the amnesty allows for:
- Firearms or firearm related articles to be registered, supplied or surrrendered to a participating firearms dealer without fear of prosecution
- Firearms or firearm related articles to be surrendered to a police station without fear of prosecution
- Prohibited weapons (such as grenades and ordnance, fighting knives and knuckledusters, flick knives, flame throwers, etc) to be surrendered to a participating firearms dealer or police station withtout fear of prosecution
LSAFM’s firearms Dealer is registered as a participating dealer. If you have an unregistered firearm, we can assist in the following ways:
- Register the firearm to you if you want to keep it
- Register the firearm to another person if you want to sell or give it to somebody
- Accept the firearm as a donation to the Museum
- Accept the firearm to be surrendered
Register an Unregistered Firearm
To register a firearm through the Amensty, a Permit to Acquire (PTA) is not required. The acquirer must hold a license appropriate for the class of firearm. If the acquirer needs to apply for a license or update their license categories, we will transfer the firearm onto our Dealer’s book and hold it in safe storage until the applicant gets their license sorted.
To use our service, contact LSAFM to make an an appointment with our Dealer. If all paperwork is available, registration takes place on the spot and in most cases the owner can take the firearm home with them.
On the odd occasion, Firearms Registry will flag the transaction, in which case the Dealer will need to hold the firearm until the transaction has been approved by Registry. Unfortunately, Registry will not give a time-frame on this process, and once registration process has started, there is no going back. If your registration is flagged, we will have to keep the gun until the flag is cleared.
Contact LSAFM for further information or to make an appointment with our Firearms Dealer.
Donating Firearms to LSAFM
LSAFM may accept donations of firearms and related items that fit within our Collection Policy. We cannot guarantee that donated items will be displayed. We maintain a reserve collection which forms an invaluable reference library for both the Museum and external researchers, and provides for display rotations and special displays.
Significant gifts to the museum may be eligible for tax deduction under the Cultural Gifts Program. Please see the Cultural Gifts Program website for more information.
Except for exceptional cases, we accept unconditional donations only. We ask you to sign a “Deed of Gift” form that ensures both sides agree on the conditions under which the donation is made. The Deed of Gift is retained in our records indefinitely. If an item leaves our collection, the reason and relocation are recorded.
Donor’s details are recorded with the object in the collection database and entered into our Donors register on display in the museum’s foyer.
Firearms in deceased estates
Note: Information in this section applies to NSW only. If you are administering a Will in another State contact Firearms Registry in your state for advice.
Some antique firearms don’t require registration, and in this case they can be distributed or kept by the Executor of the Will without complications. They must, however, still be stored in compliance with safe storage requirements.
If you need advice on the Category of the firearm, contact Firearms Registry in your State. We can also provide this advice for firearms in NSW.
For firearms that require registration, the Executor of the Will has six months to do one of the following with a registered firearm:
- Transfer the firearm registration into their own name;
- Transfer the firearm to a person nominated in the will or another person nominated by the Executor;
- Dispose of the firearm by giving it to a dealer to sell, with proceeds going back to the Estate;
- Dispose of the firearm to the Police for destruction; or,
- Donate the firearm to a museum or similar organisation.
While a firearm is in the hands of an executor it must be kept in safe storage as specified by the Firearms Registry in your State.
If a registerable firearm in a deceased estate is found to be unregistered, the executor must either registered it or surrender it to a firearms dealer or police. Registration can be done through the National Firearms Amnesty by an amnesty-approved firearms dealer, and then the executor has the above options for dealing with the firearm. See the section on Unregistered Firearms above more information on dealing with unregistered firearms.
Disposal of unwanted firearms
Note: Information in this section applies to NSW only. Contact Firearms Registry in your state for advice.
Some antique firearms don’t require registration, and in this case they can be dealt with in the same way as registered firearms. If you need advice on the Category of the firearm, contact Firearms Registry in your State. LSAFM can also provide this advice for firearms in NSW.
Registered firearms can be disposed of by one of the following methods:
- Sell or give the firearm to another licensed owner. (Transfer must take place through a firearms dealer);
- Dispose of the firearm by giving it to a firearms dealer to sell on your behalf;
- Sell the firearm to a firearms dealer;
- Donate the firearm to a museum or similar organisation; or,
- Surrender the firearm to the Police for destruction
If you wish to dispose of a unwanted firearm that is unregistered, and you wish to do any of the above other than surrender it, the firearm must be registered first either by you or the new owner. See the section on Unregistered Firearms above more information on dealing with unregistered firearms.
Identification of firearms
We are happy to help those who are truly perplexed, however, we receive many requests of this nature, so if possible do as much of your own research as you can before contacting us.
In some cases we will be able to help with firearms identification by description only. In other cases, photographs will be required.
It is best to first contact us with a description of the firearm and its markings, including the serial number. If we need further information or photographs we will let you know.
If we require photographs to properly identify the firearm, we will generally need an overall photograph of the firearm and clear pictures of its markings.
We receive many requests for the history of Lithgow made Lee Enfield (SMLE) rifles. The Factory kept no records of these rifles after they left store so we cannot assist with these enquiries. This fact sheet explains many of the markings found on the rifles, which can give you some indication of their history.
