Victorian Consolidated Legislation

Firearms Act 1996 - SECT 15

Issue of handgun licences for general category handguns

15. Issue of handgun licences for general category handguns





(1) The Chief Commissioner may licence a person to possess, carry or use
general category handguns for all or any of the following reasons-

   (a)  for the occupation of security guard or prison guard;

   (ab) for the carrying on of a private security business that provides the
        services of armed guard activities or cash-in-transit activities;

   (b)  for target shooting;

   (c)  for an official, commercial or prescribed purpose or for a purpose
        authorised by an Act or regulations;



   (d)  for possessing or carrying a general category handgun, for carriage
        and use by the holder of a junior handgun target shooting licence in
        accordance with the licence of that holder.

(2) For the purpose of demonstrating that the licence is required for-

   (a)  the occupation of security guard or prison guard, the applicant must-

   (i)  hold a licence under the Private Security Act 2004 that authorises the
        applicant to perform armed guard activities or cash-in-transit
        activities or be a prison officer, a contractor or a sub-contractor,
        within the meaning of the Corrections Act 1986, or an employee of such
        a contractor or sub-contractor; and

   (ii) in the case of an applicant who is a natural person, produce evidence
        that the applicant has a genuine need for the licence because the
        duties he or she performs as a security guard, prison officer,
        contractor, sub-contractor or employee are such as to require the
        carriage and use of a general category handgun; and

   (iii) in the case of a person who carries on a private security business
        that provides the services of armed guard activities or
        cash-in-transit activities, produce evidence that the applicant has a
        genuine need for the licence because the nature of the private
        security business the person carries on is such as to require the
        carriage and use of one or more general category handguns;

   (b)  target shooting-

   (i)  the applicant must be and continue to be a member of an approved
        handgun target shooting club; and

   (ii) if the applicant is not, at the time of the application, the holder of
        a licence in another State or a Territory of the Commonwealth that
        authorises the possession, carriage or use of handguns for the reason
        of target shooting, the applicant must, for the period of 6 months
        immediately preceding the application, have been a member of that
        club;

   (c)  for a purpose specified in subsection (1)(c), the applicant must
        produce evidence that the licence is required for that purpose;





   (d)  for the purpose specified in subsection (1)(d), the applicant must
        demonstrate that the person who carries and uses the general category
        handgun is the holder of a junior licence.

(3) In the case of a person who is applying for a handgun licence for general
category handguns for the reason of target shooting, the Chief Commissioner
must not issue such a licence to that person unless a nominated officer of an
approved handgun target shooting club of which the person is a member has, on
behalf of the club, endorsed the application.

(4) In issuing a handgun security guard licence under this section the Chief
Commissioner-







   (a)  in the case of an employee of a private security business, must not
        issue the licence for more than one general category handgun; and

   (ab) in the case of an operator of a private security business, must not
        issue the licence for more general category handguns than are, in the
        opinion of the Chief Commissioner, reasonably necessary for the
        operation of the business; and

   (b)  where the holder of the licence is employed as a security guard, must
        not issue the licence for a handgun that is not registered to the
        person who employs the holder as a security guard; and

   (c)  must not issue, unless the Chief Commissioner reasonably believes that
        there is an exceptional and legitimate reason for doing so, a licence
        for a handgun that is-

   (i)  a semi-automatic handgun with a calibre of more than ·40 inch; or

   (ii) a revolver or single shot handgun with a calibre of more than ·38
        inch.

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