Mental and physical health

If you have immediate concerns about someone’s behaviour and their access to a weapon, if a crime is happening now, or a life is threatened, call Triple Zero (000) or speak to your local police station. 

If you have general concerns about someone's behaviour and their access to a weapon, please contact your local police station or Policelink on 131 444.

When you lodge an application for a weapons licence you must provide information on your medical history with the application. This is so we can assess your mental and physical fitness to hold a weapons licence. You must report any medical history or ongoing condition you have, specifically if you have ever suffered from any of the following conditions:

• Serious eye or vision impairments,
• Any condition causing seizures, dizziness or blackouts,
• Brain injuries or neurological condition,
• Psychiatric disorder, psychological or emotional problem,
• Alcohol or drug related problems/dependency,
• Physical impairment,
• Other serious health diagnosis (e.g. diabetes, acute sleep disorder, heart disease or if you have a medical condition imposed on your driver licence).

You are required to provide a medical report issued by a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist which outlines your present suitability to be issued with a weapons licence, possess and/or use firearms held under your licence/s with consideration to the need to ensure public and individual safety.

Such a report must include that the licence holder is a fit and proper person to exercise continuous and responsible control over firearms and have unrestricted and unsupervised access to them.  We are guided by the principles contained in the decision of Ward v COP NSW Police Service [2000] NSWADT which states:

“The Tribunal could never be totally satisfied that a person would not pose any risk to public safety if they were given access to a firearm.  However, in the context of the Act, the Tribunal must be satisfied that there is virtually no risk.”

The medical report must be detailed and guided by the decision in Medical Board of Australia v Kanyowa [2016] QCAT 450, which indicates it is necessary for a license holders’ treating doctor or psychologist to review all material in sufficient detail regarding the concerns surrounding their mental health.

A combined capacity and risk assessment, including assessment of the relevant personality, physical and cognitive factors is an appropriate response. Therefore, the treating medical practitioner may consider specialist referral.

You should make your medical practitioner aware of any previous incidents that have occurred which may affect their decision.

The medical report is to detail, as a minimum:

1. The medical history taken from you,
2. Sufficient details of any mental/physical health condition and the subject’s level of insight into that condition,
3. The period of time you have been treated by the medical practitioner,
4. The medical practitioner’s opinion in relation to your fitness and propriety to possess/use firearms and the reason for coming to that conclusion, for example support strategies in place to prevent or mitigate a future incident,
5. Whether the person is a fit and proper person to unconditionally hold a firearms licence having regard to whether the person may present a risk to themselves or the public,
6. Whether the community can have confidence that no improper conduct will occur with respect to a firearm if the applicant were to be issued a firearms licence and the basis for this opinion,
7. An expert opinion that at the time of assessment, there is no real risk to public and individual safety.

An acknowledgement is required from your medical practitioner indicating they have viewed the content we require, therefore, it is recommended that you refer your medical practitioner to this website or print a copy of this webpage and take it with you.

Information for medical professionals

Please email all s151 ‘Notification to Weapons Licensing’ to weapons.compliance@police.qld.gov.au.

The Health and Weapons information booklet and notification form provide information and advice to health professionals dealing with clients who are affected by a mental illness and have or may have access to firearms.

Information booklet (PDF)

Notification form (PDF)

Secure storage of weapons

To complete a weapons licence application, you must show that you have access to secure storage facilities for any weapon you might acquire. There are different storage requirements depending on the category of weapon and the number of weapons you are storing.

See more on safe storage of weapons and ammunition.