Queensland firearm licence wait times defended by police

Applicants are currently waiting more than eight months (34.4 weeks) on average to obtain a new licence from QPS's weapons licensing branch, while permit to acquire applications are taking 22 days average.

In a statement, a QPS spokesperson said safety took precedence over cutting wait times.

"Community safety will continue to be the priority for the QPS, and ensuring that all applications are properly considered will always take precedence over a reduction in processing times," they said.

Police said processing times varied and delays were often caused by incomplete or incorrect information provided and the growth in the number of new applications received.

Hunters and Shooters Society of Australia president Phil (last name withheld) recently raised members' concerns and questioned the lead time on his application on behalf of the club for a club licence.

"I've raised this concern several times for other members and for ourselves at how long it's taking to get licences looked at and approved and I just felt like the response was a little bit lacklustre," he said.

Phil said he was "left wondering how the service got left to degrade so far" even after a significant boost in budget and resources.

Following a push from several industry groups and politicians last year to address processing times, the state government allocated $1.6 million in the 2022-23 budget to improve the branch, including recruiting an additional 50 client service officers to aid in reducing the timeframes.

In early September 2022, QPS confirmed it had more than 80 personnel processing about 1100 permits to acquire, 360 licence renewals and 330 new weapons licence applications each week. Later that month, the branch brought in 10 new authorised officers.

Police say the recent injection of additional funding and the recruitment of additional members "has seen an improvement in processing times".

"The QPS will continue to review resource requirements and make adjustments as necessary."

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