Junior firearm licences

Junior licences

A child aged between 12 and 17 years of age may apply for a junior firearm licence in Victoria.

Junior licences are slightly different from adult firearm licences in that rather than holding a licence for a certain category of firearm with activities or genuine reasons endorsed on that licence, a junior licence is a supervised licence endorsed for different categories of firearms (category A or A and B, category C or handgun). A junior may have their licence endorsed for one or all of these categories.

A junior licence holder may only carry and use firearms under the immediate supervision of an adult with a current firearm licence for the same category of firearm. Victoria Police recommends that adult licence holders supervising juniors remain within one metre of the junior and pay close attention to them in all instances where they are in possession and/or use of a firearm.

A junior firearm licence holder may not own or store firearms. However, a parent or guardian who also holds a firearm licence may own and store firearms on behalf of a junior licence holder.

Like adult licences, new junior licence applications are subject to a mandatory 28 waiting period and will not be finalised until that waiting period has been completed.

Junior (supervised category A or A and B)

To be considered for a junior firearm licence (supervised category A or A and B) the junior must submit a completed application form endorsed by a parent or guardian and successfully complete the relevant Victorian Firearm Safety Course.

Junior (supervised category C – clay target shooting)

To be considered for a junior firearm licence (supervised category C – clay target shooting) the junior must submit a completed application form endorsed by a parent or guardian and:

• successfully complete the relevant Victorian Firearm Safety Course
• have a current membership of an approved clay target shooting club or organisation – juniors cannot be licensed for a Category C longarm for any purpose other than clay target shooting

Juniors will be limited to participating in clay target shooting at an approved shooting range.

Junior (supervised handgun target shooting)

Licensing for a junior handgun licence is broken down into two stages. The first stage is applying for a Provisional Junior Handgun licence. These licences are issued for six or 12 months.

A provisional licence provides the holder an opportunity to try the sport while working towards meeting the requirements of a junior licence (supervised handgun target shooting).

The second stage is to apply for a junior supervised handgun licence. If the junior already holds a junior firearm licence (Category A, A and B, or C) then they would just apply to add supervised handgun to their current licence reasons. If no junior licence is held then the junior just needs to apply for a new junior firearm licence. They would then select supervised handgun as the reason for the licence.

To be considered for a junior firearm licence (supervised handgun) the junior must submit a completed application form endorsed by a parent or guardian and:

• arrange with an approved handgun target shooting club to receive instruction in using a handgun
• become a member of an approved Victorian handgun target shooting club
• successfully complete the relevant Victorian Firearm Safety Course
• apply to the Licensing and Regulation Division for a Provisional Junior Handgun Licence, and
• submit a completed junior firearm licence application to Licensing and Regulation Division.

You may be eligible for a junior firearm licence (supervised handgun) without having held a provisional licence if you:

• have been a member of an approved handgun target shooting club for six months (your application will have to be endorsed by a nominated officer of the club where you are a member); or
• if you hold an interstate handgun licence for target shooting at the time you apply for your Victorian licence.

All handgun type licence holders must remain a member of an approved handgun target shooting club for the duration of their licence.

Juniors are limited to participating in handgun target shooting at an approved shooting range. Unlike adult handgun target shooters, juniors do not have to meet a minimum number of shoots or matches as a condition of their licence.

Moving on from a junior licence to an adult licence

A junior licence will be considered valid beyond the 18th birthday of the licence holder if the junior licence holder submits an application for an adult licence in the same category before they turn 18.

Where an application is received by the Licensing and Regulation Division prior to them turning 18, the licence will remain valid until a determination on an adult licence application is made by the Chief Commissioner of Police.

Juniors who are awaiting a determination on their full licence must still abide by the conditions in their junior licence, including the requirements to carry and use firearms under supervision.

Failure to abide with the conditions may affect any pending licence applications.

To apply for an adult firearms licence please submit a new firearm licence application form through the eServices Portal.

More information on how to submit a new firearm application can be found on Apply for a new firearm licence.

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