The Tasmanian Government is committed to consulting with the community about proposed amendments to the Firearms Act 1996.

We are seeking feedback on the Firearms Amendment (Antique Firearms) Bill 2025.  The consultation period will be open between 26 February 2026 and 2 April 2026 and can be located on the consultation page of the Tasmania Police website located here: https://www.police.tas.gov.au/consultations/

What is the Firearms Act 1996?

The Act was introduced in 1996 and provides for the regulation, registration and control of firearms in Tasmania.

Purpose of the proposed amendments

The Government identified that an important part of the 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future is to keep Tasmanians safe from firearms crime and support law abiding firearms owners, this change ‘Supporting Tasmanians Who Own Antique Firearms’ aims to strike that balance.

Antique firearms are defined in the Bill as being manufactured before 1 January 1900, and are not designed to discharge and not capable of discharging cartridge ammunition or ammunition that is loaded into the breech end of the barrel.

Under the current proposed Antique firearms Bill

• There will be no licensing requirements, and no requirement to complete a firearms safety course;
• Antique firearms manufactured prior to 1 January 1900 will only need to be registered with Tasmania Police;
• Owners will simply need to provide contact details, information about the type of firearm and where and how it is stored;
• There will be no requirements for engraving or stamping of the antique firearm
• The process will be 100 per cent free; and
• If it is to be displayed, there will be display requirements including that the firearm must be safely secured in a rack or in a locked display cabinet that is fitted with glass or other material of sufficient strength to prevent theft.
• Antique firearms will be registered against either an antique firearm permit or an existing firearms licence, and a certificate issued for each firearm. The intent is to make the process simple and convenient for existing firearms licence holders.
• An antique firearm permit holder will be able to possess, display or store antique firearms. If a person wishes to use an antique firearm, they must register it against a firearms licence and relevant category, under the Firearms Act 1997.
• Once an antique firearm is registered against a permit or licence, it may be displayed. When an antique firearm is on display there are requirements for it to be kept secure to prevent theft. When an antique firearm is not being displayed then the general storage requirements of Section 84 of the Firearms Act 1996.

How to make a submission

We must receive all written submissions by 5pm on Thursday 2 April 2026.

You can make a submission by:

EMAIL to submissions.strategy.support@DPFEM.tas.gov.au

POST to Submissions at Strategy and Support, Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management
GPO Box 308
Hobart
TAS 7001

In accordance with the Tasmanian government’s public submissions policy, all submissions will be published on the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management website at https://www.police.tas.gov.au/consultations/

Parties making a submission may request that the submission is treated as confidential.  Reasons are to accompany such a request.  A copy of the public submissions policy is available at https://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/