Understand your firearms licence.
Tasmanian licence categories, the purposes they cover and what you need to apply. Find the guide that matches your question.
Tasmania · Guide by SHOT · Sources checked
Category
Which firearm types?
The letter describes the types of firearms the licence can authorise you to possess or use.
Purpose
For which activity?
The genuine reason describes why you possess or use them. Your licence must cover both the firearm and the activity.
For example, Category A with purpose 1 covers relevant sport or target shooting. It does not automatically authorise recreational hunting under purpose 2.
The firearm types
Licence categories
Open a category for its firearm types, uses, eligibility and conditions.
Category B
Non-self-loading centrefire rifles, muzzle-loaders and certain combination firearms and lever-action shotguns.
Read this guide →Category C
Restricted self-loading rimfire rifles and self-loading or pump-action shotguns within specified capacities.
Read this guide →Category D
Self-loading centrefire rifles and specified rimfire rifles and shotguns above the C/B capacity limits.
Read this guide →Category H
Pistols, revolvers and air pistols, with conditions specific to their approved purpose.
Read this guide →These are broad descriptions. Individual firearms can have specific classification decisions or restrictions. Check Police classification guidance ↗
The approved activity
Licence purposes
You can seek more than one genuine reason, with evidence for each. Having one reason does not automatically give you the others.
Sport or Target Shooting
Taking part in shooting activities through an approved organisation.
Read this guide →Recreational Hunting or Vermin Control
Hunting or controlling vermin with the relevant permissions.
Read this guide →Primary Production
Firearm use connected with a primary-production business and its land.
Read this guide →Animal Population Control
Professional vertebrate pest-animal control or qualifying government-agency work.
Read this guide →Animal Welfare
An eligible occupation or role requiring firearm use for animal welfare.
Read this guide →Security Agent or Security Guard
A demonstrated firearm requirement for qualifying security work.
Current application formRead this guide →Paintball Business
Operating or working in a paintball business under the applicable approvals.
Current application formRead this guide →Commercial Fishing
A demonstrated need connected with a commercial-fishing business.
Current application formRead this guide →Firearms Collection
An eligible collection supported by membership of an approved collecting society.
Read this guide →Show or Exhibition
Showing or exhibiting firearms through the firearms museum licence pathway.
Police information-sheet numberingRead this guide →A note about purpose codes
Codes 1–7, including 6A, 6B and 6C, follow the application form linked by Police when these guides were checked. Older information sheets use different business-purpose numbering. Show or exhibition is labelled 8 in Police information sheets and uses the museum licence pathway. Use the full purpose name and current form; ask Firearms Services about a different code on an existing licence.
Other licence pathways
These have their own authority and application requirements.
Dealers and Dealer Employees
Separate licences for conducting a firearms business and working for a dealer.
Read this guide →Heirloom Firearms
A specific pathway for retaining an inherited firearm as an heirloom.
Read this guide →Militaria Firearms Licence
A specialised authority for possessing and displaying ex-military firearms and ordnance.
Read this guide →Applying or making changes
Your first application
Work through eligibility, evidence, lodging the application, approved training and receiving your licence.
Follow the application guide →Adding a purpose
Police currently require your licence, a statutory declaration, evidence for the new reason and the replacement-card fee at Service Tasmania. Adding a category may require a different application and training.
A firearms licence, a permit to acquire and a wildlife or hunting permit serve different purposes. Read about acquiring your first firearm, and check the permissions for your activity.
About these guides
These are plain-English summaries of the Tasmanian framework checked on 14 September 2026. The current law and conditions on your licence apply. Some older Police summaries omit the lever-action shotgun changes, so the category descriptions have been checked against the Act and current form.
At that check, the 2026 amendment Bill had reached the Legislative Council. Proposed changes are not presented here as rules already in force.
- Firearms Act 1996: current law ↗
- Current application form (PDF), page 5 ↗
- Parliament: progress of the 2026 Bill ↗
Found something unclear or out of date? Send SHOT a correction or question.