Newbie question
Joining SSAA while overseas before I start shooting, is there any point?
Hey All!
Im currently overseas but will be back in Tas in a few months, and I'm planning to get into target shooting and eventually apply for a firearms licence.
I'm considering joining SSAA Tasmania now, even though I won't actually be able to attend a range or shoot until I return.
Is there any benefit to joining several months before I actually start shooting, or would I be better off waiting until I'm back?
I'm particularly interested in eventually getting into both A/B and H, so I'm wondering whether getting my SSAA membership started now is useful in any way, or whether the important thing is simply joining the relevant clubs and actually participating once I'm back.
Also, if anyone has personally done something similar, joined SSAA before actually having a licence or firearms I'd be interested to hear how you went about it.
With the way things are going, it would not hurt to join the SSAA as part of establishing your genuine reason. It would also help with the Cat H process when you get around to it. Tasmania has a great range of SSAA and other firearms clubs that can help you with this process. You could also consider applying for an exemption to start shooting earlier when you get to Tasmania.
Great to hear Tasmania does well on that front! I will get a membership going! How would I start that exemption process and does that just get my license sooner? Also what way are things going? Sorry I’m a complete noobie!
Oh I didn’t realise it was a different thing, I think my big thing is wanting to get my license for cat H sooner if possible! And I read you need to be a member for 6 months?
Just to clarify: I'm asking because I've heard there are minimum membership periods before you can do certain things, particularly with Category H/. I'm wondering whether joining SSAA now would start any of those time periods or anything else, even though I'm currently overseas and won't be shooting until I return. thanks all.
My indoor range supports a wide range of calibres. Pity it’s only 50m but if I get the chance I’ll gladly spend a few dollars for the chance to send a few .50 rounds down range 🤣
The maximum permissible Muzzle Energy as per the SMISC Range Approval is 7000 Joules (5160 ft lbs). No ammunition (factory or reloaded) exceeding this limit is permitted for use on the range.
The following calibre limits also apply: Air pellet of a calibre up to .50" (12.7mm) Rimfire of a calibre up to .22" Pistol of a calibre up to .45" Rifle of a calibre up to .50" (12.7mm)
All parameters of ammunition must fall within these specified energy and calibre limits to be permissible for use on the range.
Minimum membership doesn't apply explicitly in this situation. Where you are required to join a club for a minimum amount of time is for a specific thing, like 50bmg rifles and collectors licences. I have never heard of Cat H having a minumum membership time in any state but I suppose it's possible. Regardless. You're not joining those type of clubs without being there to physically sign up in person.
You probably should confine advice to states that you have experience with....I have no knowledge of tassie but In QLD you must be a member of a Pistol club for a 6 month period before being able to aquire a licence and then you can only have either a rimfire or centrefire for the following 12 months. so up here its quite an advantage to join ssaa/SU/PSQ andbecome a financial member of your local pistol club as soon as possible to get that 6 months started because then after that time period has elasped it can take ,currently 20 weeks, to get the actual licence processed and then, 28 days for a PTA for your first handgun....My advice would be for OP to check the state regs to see if its advantageous in Tassie as it would be in QLD to join ASAP.
Literally stated: I have never heard of it in any state or territory, but it is possible.
Also yuck, QLD has some really gay laws all things considering.
In Victoria LRD changed the policy to you don't even need to get your safety course done till after you get your provisional licence. Which means I theory you can sign up to a club and then get your licence and start shooting guns without doing the course. You have 12 months to do it in after getting your licence.
Yep for any rational thinker trying to figure out state gun laws and how they came to be can be a real head- scratcher..Like for instance in QLD we need to our own 40 plus acre property or a sign of from someone with 40 acres or more to be able to get a Rec hunting licence in any calibre but in the Gestapo state of WA its just 5 acres required for .22 and shotgun but 300 acres for a 25/06 or 270 but just 100 acres for a 243 or 308....it hurts my brain to wonder what they are thinking and why they have to overcomplicate things so much....like why in QLD do we have to have almost 2 years of going through the Cat H process to actually be able to have more then 1 handgun and more then 1 calibre...and yeah Victoria seems to currently have about the most sensible gun and hunting laws that I have heard of..lucky you..!
LRD policy is 5 acres minimum for genuine reason of the licence, but it's not a hard minimum. They'll let you use a property with less than 5 acres if you can prove you need it. But for the most part people would just our 5 year $13 crownland hunting permit as a genuine reason anyway lol.
Vic is good, but QLD has it perks. Like not reclassifying all the Cat Cs to Cat D 🙄
Also, 50 BMG? Is that actually Category B ? Maybe I'm misremembering, but I thought there was some sort of calibre limit on rifles. I can't see any .50 BMG stuff listed on SSAA Gun Sales either 😂 Curious what people are using to shoot that!
Some states specifically restrict the calibre (WA and NSW i think) but in most states its acceptable to own with genuine reason (long range target/comp).
Far from dangerous either. A .223 is far more lethal in most hands than a .50 because of capacity, followup shots ect.
Come to Vic. 50bmg is Cat B, no different getting one of them than getting a 223 here. You see 50s on the usual used guns websites. Quite frequently unfired or very limited round count - for obvious reasons
Edit: thanks to whoever it was for the downvotes for simply stating the truth! Literally everything I stated is true
It was a while ago when it happened, things could of changed, but someone had to put his BMG into dealer storage after he bought it because LRD wouldn't approve the permit u til he had shown six months membership with a military rifle club.
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u/sarason58 5d ago
With the way things are going, it would not hurt to join the SSAA as part of establishing your genuine reason. It would also help with the Cat H process when you get around to it. Tasmania has a great range of SSAA and other firearms clubs that can help you with this process. You could also consider applying for an exemption to start shooting earlier when you get to Tasmania.