Thread: Can i buy a gun while over in australia

So I'm over in western australia for my dad's funeral and while I'm here ice bumped into dad's mates who is a current firearms dealer collecter and I found out he has my grandads old .22. He wants to give it to me seeing I'm the only shooter in the family. I'm interested in how hard it will be to take back.

Has anyone dealt with this before?

Could the paper work be sorted in the next few days?

Does an NZ FAL count over here? I do not has an Australian one and I wonder if my Australian passport would complicate things.

If I got it to NZ (legally) would I then need to register all my firearms?

I'm only over here a few more days and then I'll be back in nz. I figure I don't have enough time to sort it. The collecter is an old guy and he knows the days are number for his collection as the laws are getting harder and harder.

The gun has little value other then sentimental. It's a hexagon barrel 22 pump. Likely a winchester or Remington.

All help is appreciated.

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Export permit from the Aussie side, DoD paperwork etc plus NZ import permit. Doable, but a bit of a pain especially with the export paperwork from Aus.

I’m not sure about export requirements from Australia, but the police might be the first people to ask.
To get the firearm into NZ you will need a permit to import which is likely to take more than a few days.
I expect you will need to present both these sets of paperwork when checking the firearm onto to the plane, but the airline will be the one to ask about that.
It can be done if all the flaming hoops are jumped through, but unlikely within a few days.
The other option is for the dealer to export it to you after you’ve returned to NZ, and the dealer should be aware of Australian export requirements and shipping options.

I had a chat to him. He wasn't sure. He has a dealers lic only to do his hobby in WA. He said the simplest would be to send/import it If I were to get an nz dealer to import it. Do you know what would that may cost?


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Originally Posted by Rn-85

I had a chat to him. He wasn't sure. He has a dealers lic only to do his hobby in WA. He said the simplest would be to send/import it If I were to get an nz dealer to import it. Do you know what would that may cost?


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Generally sending one firearm between Aus and NZ is a nightmare due to costings and not worth it.

I went through this a while ago when based up the east coast. A loverly Mannlicher Schonauer 308 in Townsville. Because I did not have an Australian Firearm license I could not touch it. I had to rely on others to get the rifle passed airport customs. That person had to have a current FA license and allow time to coincide, with me flying out to NZ. In the end only one freight forwarder was prepared to do it. 3km from the airport and 45 minutes set aside. $2000. Ouch. I didnt do it.
For the following few months every time I went into that gunshop that bloody rifle was there, waiting.

So just the trip from the gunshop to the airport and for a bloke to walk it through customs would cost you 2k? That's crazy. Yeah I don't think i could organize that.youd think if I was hunting over here I could then take it back as though I was. But no such luck.

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One other point to watch out for if its and old 22, it will likely have a mag capable of holding more than 10 rounds, so the minute it gets here it will be classed as prohibited and would need to be modified before you can take it on an A cat license.

Back in 1995 my family moved back to NZ from Oz, and dad put all his rifles into a metal locker and carted into the airport, declared it, and it went onto the plane with zero fuss, except for paying extra for overweight luggage. No one even asked to open it and take a look inside.

Im a dealer in WA
PM send

People do it all the time travelling between the two for hunting and shooting competitions. But usually is sorted well in advance.

If you can get import paperwork sorted (unlikely in the shrot time frame) Bringing it on the aircraft with you will probably be the easiest. Or if you could get the paperwork sorted later and someone flying home with a FAL brings it with them.

Yes 2k. As I said, without an Australian FA license no touch. I would see it in NZ at customs with the import paperwork.

If you are worried about the magazine capacity - take the inner mag tube out and send it seperately. Without the mag tube the rifle is unusable , and the mag tube without a rifle is just a brass tube with a spring inside.

If any of u get stuck ever give me a message - happy to help out on AU side- Dealer

I tried it, gun dealer was happy to take my NZ licence details and my cash… and post it to another dealer for me to collect when I was on holiday in 6months. when we arrived to pick it up the next dealer then told me my NZ licence wasn’t enough and I needed a permit to procure which would take longer than I was in Auz to process. Then he offered to buy it back at 2/3rds the price, minus the storage fees he charged me on a monthly basis for the 6months it sat in his shop. I was so mad, dealers knew all that stuff when I bought the rifle and told me nothing. My bad for trusting that the dealers would let me know any specific details. NEVER AGAIN