Firearms Licensing in Western Australia: The New Firearms Act 2024 (2026)

Western Australia now licenses firearms under an entirely new Act, the Firearms Act 2024, which replaced the previous 1973 legislation. Section 25 states directly that a licence must not be granted for personal protection, the most explicit wording of any Australian jurisdiction.

Jurisdiction scope: This page addresses firearms and weapons law under the law of Western Australia only, verified 21 July 2026. It is general legal information, not legal advice about a specific licence application or a specific item. Firearms and weapons licence applications in Western Australia are assessed by WA Police Force.

A New Act: The Firearms Act 2024

Western Australia's firearms licensing framework changed materially with the Firearms Act 2024, which replaced the earlier Firearms Act 1973. This is a genuinely new Act, not an amendment carrying the old name forward, and any source, article or summary still describing WA firearms licensing by reference to the 1973 Act, its section numbers, or its specific requirements, is describing a regime that no longer applies. A reader relying on older material about WA firearms law should treat it as unreliable until confirmed against the current Firearms Act 2024. Among its changes, the Act caps how many firearms a licence can cover: an Individual Licence can apply to no more than 10 firearms at any one time and a Hunting Licence to no more than 5 (s 30, with regulations able to allow more for competition shooting), and a Primary Producer Licence is capped at 10 (s 58(3)).

Section 25: The Most Direct "No Self-Defence" Wording in Australia

Firearms Act 2024 (WA) s 25 is headed "No licence for personal protection" and provides, in full: "A licence must not be granted to authorise the possession or use of a firearm for the purpose (or for purposes that include the purpose) of personal protection." Of the Australian jurisdictions that use an express exclusion clause rather than relying only on a closed list (the others include NSW, Tasmania and the ACT; South Australia's position is not covered here), Western Australia's is the most direct, naming personal protection as the sole subject of the section rather than folding it into a broader "genuine reasons" provision alongside a list of other exclusions.

A Separate Rule: Capsicum Spray for Lawful Defence

In Western Australia, carrying capsicum spray for defence can also be lawful, but this is governed by an entirely different Act, the Weapons Act 1999, not the Firearms Act 2024. Weapons Act 1999 (WA) s 5A sets the general rule that carrying a weapon "for defence" is not a lawful excuse, "unless subsection (2) applies," and subsection (2) allows the regulations to prescribe a specific weapon and circumstances for a defence-purpose exception. Two regulations are made under that power. Weapons Regulations 1999 (WA) reg 7 permits carrying a capsicum spray weapon "for the purpose of it being used in lawful defence in circumstances that the person has reasonable grounds to apprehend may arise." Regulation 6 covers a narrow class of anti-theft electric shock briefcases or suitcases approved by the Minister by notice in the Gazette.

Both provisions are recent in their current form, although the regulations have allowed capsicum spray to be carried for lawful defence since 1999: s 5A was inserted by the Police Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (No. 33 of 2024) s 13, in force 20 December 2024, and reg 7 was inserted by SL 2024/282 r 9. This exception applies to capsicum spray specifically. It does not extend to firearms, which remain governed by the personal-protection exclusion in the Firearms Act 2024 s 25 described above, and it does not extend to tasers, which remain a prohibited weapon for civilians in WA. Full detail, including how WA compares with the other seven jurisdictions, is in capsicum spray and taser laws in Australia.

Two Different Questions, Two Different Acts

A Western Australian reader should keep these as two entirely separate legal questions. Whether a firearm can be licensed for personal protection is governed by the Firearms Act 2024, and the answer is no, under s 25, in every case. Whether carrying capsicum spray for defence can be lawful is governed by the separate Weapons Act 1999 and Weapons Regulations 1999, under the provisions described above. Neither Act's rule extends to the other; a firearms licence confers no authority over capsicum spray, and the capsicum spray exception confers no authority to possess an unlicensed firearm.

Storage and Other Obligations Are Not Covered on This Page

Holding a firearms licence under the Firearms Act 2024 carries obligations beyond the genuine-reason test described above, including safe storage requirements. This page focuses specifically on the personal-protection exclusion and the separate capsicum spray change; it does not describe Western Australia's storage rule in detail. Security and storage are dealt with in Part 7 of the Firearms Act 2024 and the storage regulations made under it. For a comparison of how safe storage is regulated in the two jurisdictions where this site has verified the specific requirement, NSW and Victoria, see firearm storage laws in Australia. A Western Australian licence holder should confirm the current storage requirement directly with WA Police Force rather than assuming either the NSW or Victorian model applies.

Why Western Australia Is Worth Checking Twice

Western Australia changed two separate pieces of weapons legislation in 2024: a wholly new Firearms Act that states the personal-protection exclusion in unusually direct terms, and new provisions in a different Act restating the older rule that permits capsicum spray, and an approved electric shock briefcase or suitcase, to be carried for defence. Because both changes happened close together and both involve the word "defence," it is easy for a reader, or an outdated article, to conflate them, either by assuming the new Firearms Act relaxed the self-defence rule for guns, or by assuming the capsicum spray exception extends to other items or other states. Neither assumption is correct. A reader relying on any source about WA weapons or firearms law that predates 2024, or that does not clearly distinguish between the Firearms Act 2024 and the Weapons Act 1999, should treat that source as unreliable and confirm the current position directly.

See the full 8-jurisdiction comparison on why self-defence is never a genuine reason for a firearms licence and the Australia weapons law hub. For neighbouring jurisdictions, see firearms licensing in New South Wales and firearms licensing in Queensland.

This page provides general legal information about firearms and weapons law under the law of Western Australia, verified 21 July 2026. It is not legal advice about a specific licence application or a specific item. Firearms and weapons licence applications in Western Australia are assessed by WA Police Force. For advice about a specific application, item or charge, consult a legal practitioner admitted in Western Australia.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Firearms Act 1973 still in force in Western Australia?

No. It has been replaced by the Firearms Act 2024. Sources describing WA firearms licensing under the 1973 Act are describing a repealed regime.

Can I get a WA firearms licence for personal protection?

No. Firearms Act 2024 (WA) s 25, headed "No licence for personal protection," expressly prohibits granting a licence for that purpose.

Is capsicum spray legal in Western Australia?

Western Australia permits carrying a capsicum spray weapon for lawful defence under Weapons Act 1999 (WA) s 5A and Weapons Regulations 1999 (WA) reg 7, both in their current form from December 2024; the regulations have allowed this since 1999. Regulation 7 sets the condition: the spray must be carried for the purpose of it being used in lawful defence in circumstances that the person has reasonable grounds to apprehend may arise. That condition is the legal test, not a formality, and Western Australia Police should be the point of confirmation for any specific device or situation. If charged, the person carrying the spray has the burden of proving the lawful excuse (Weapons Act 1999 s 11), carrying it in a way that could reasonably be expected to make someone fear injury is still an offence (s 7(2)), and selling it to a child under 18 is an offence (s 8A). This is a separate question from firearms licensing, governed by a different Act.

Does WA's capsicum spray exception mean tasers are legal too?

No. Tasers remain a prohibited weapon for civilians in Western Australia. Apart from capsicum spray, the only other item the regulations allow to be carried for defence is a Gazette-approved anti-theft electric shock briefcase or suitcase (Weapons Regulations 1999 reg 6).

When did Western Australia's capsicum spray law change?

The rule is older than it looks: the Weapons Regulations 1999 have allowed capsicum spray to be carried for lawful defence since 1999. It was restated in new provisions in December 2024. Weapons Act 1999 (WA) s 5A was inserted by the Police Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (No. 33 of 2024) s 13, in force 20 December 2024, and Weapons Regulations 1999 (WA) reg 7 was inserted by SL 2024/282 r 9.

Does a WA firearms licence let me carry capsicum spray?

No. A firearms licence under the Firearms Act 2024 and the capsicum spray exception under the Weapons Act 1999 are governed by separate Acts, and neither confers authority under the other.

Did Western Australia's Firearms Act 2024 make it easier to get a gun for self-defence?

No. The new Act's s 25 states the personal-protection exclusion more directly than the wording used in any other Australian jurisdiction. The 2024 reforms made WA's position on firearms and self-defence more explicit, not more permissive.