How I Would Change Gun Laws Part 2 – PTA’s
This week I’m talking about the PTA system. PTA forms or Permission To Acquire forms are a pain in the rear.
If I could, I’d abolish the PTA system, you already have a cooling off period for when you get a new firearms license so why do you have to wait again for your first firearm of a particular class? You shouldn’t but you do. With that said we do have it a lot better in NSW now, thanks to the Shooter’s Party. In NSW now you only have to wait 28 days for your first firearm in each class, for second and subsequent firearms all you have to do is send off your PTA and get it back anywhere from 2-6weeks. We use to have to wait a minimum of 28 days for all PTAs and we would also have to provide a “Genuine Reason”. Now we don’t have a minimum cooling off period nor do we have to provide the genuine reason though we still have to wait a long time due to a dismal system that is a costly waste of money which has not saved a single life since its introduction.
If we can’t get rid of the PTA system, lets streamline it. All Firearms dealers can connect back to the Firearms Registry (FAR) via the internet now. So why can I not go in and pick a rifle off the shelf, pay for it and pay for the PTA then and there?
We should be able to do it, it would save the FAR time and make them money. This is how I propose it would work:
The Dealer applies for the PTA on your behalf – He enters your details into the FAR site, which checks its database and provides approval on the spot printing off a registration certificate after it has been done. The dealer collects the $30 for the PTA on the registry’s behalf and pays it to the registry monthly (or some other regular interval)
How would the PTA’s be approved or disapproved? On the FAR database it should be easy for a registry staff member with authority to do so to flag your license, that means that if there is a reason why you shouldn’t be able to buy a new firearm the database has a flag next to it and when the PTA is being processed by the FAR computers it comes back saying your PTA request has been refused and to call the registry to find out why not. The dealer could call the registry, find out why and perhaps offer advice on how to rectify the problem
If the FAR processed their PTA’s like this, they would save huge amounts of money on man power & postage whilst still collecting their $30 tax to keep the lights on (lets face it thats the only reason why they charge us for a PTA that and maybe to deter us from buying a new rifle).It would also allow us to go into a gunshop and say: “I want that one” and walk out of the shop with it. This is how it should be, the technology has existed forever and it is just bureaucracy that is stopping this from happening.
So there you have it. Look out this time next week for the next gun law I’d change.
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Category: Keith Drain's Column
Keith, your proposal sounds pretty much like my reply to your first blog in part 1, so couldnt agree more. Just like paying your greenslip and rego online.
Having put in 2 applications for a PTA yesterday I couldn’t agree with you more there.
I wasted police time as they had to generate it, I had to then go and send it off to Weapons Licensing, LGS has my rifles sitting in their safe.
I have just waited 10 weeks for my licence (meant to take 28 days) and despite that long delay I still have to wait an additional 28 days ….. plus whatever delay there is on that.
Having just been approved for the licence there is obviously no way I will now be declined for the PTA’s as everything I am doing is standard.
I think you are right ….. the PTA should be handled by the gun shop and should be automatically granted unless something gets flagged. That flag might be, say, something over a certain caliber, or if you have over a certain amount of guns etc. If there’s a flag then it needs to be looked at manually, which might mean a delay, but the vast majority would go through smoothly and not waste so many people’s time.
I assume the 28 days wait is so you can’t go and buy a weapon when having a bad day and go do some damage …. but having waited 10 weeks already, or even just 28 days, why delay the process yet further?
I am all for police checks etc …. but this is just a time waster.
I read that mate and kicked myself I thought geez now Greg’s going to think I’m copying him haha. Though it doesn’t surprise me that we have the same idea’s!
Cheers Mate.
Hi Simon,
You pretty much said it all there, as I’m in exactly the same boat as you. I applied for my licence and PTA in mid december 09 and I’ve only just finished the whole process and am now in a position to actually by a rifle (though I now only have 2 weeks left before the PTA expires even though it only turned up a week ago).
Its frustrating and unneccessary.
If all the weapons liscensing work as a business we would be getting our money back in the way of penalty for failing to complete the contract on time
cheers Keith