Prohibited Weapons in Australia: How Classification Works by State (2026)

Every Australian state and territory maintains its own list of prohibited weapons, entirely separate from firearms licence categories, covering items such as batons, knuckledusters, sprays and stun devices. There is no single national prohibited-weapons list, and classification is jurisdiction-specific.

If you are worried about your safety. In an emergency, or if you are in immediate danger, call 000. For an ongoing safety concern that is not an emergency, contact your state or territory police on their non-emergency line, who can advise on safety planning and, where appropriate, protection orders. If the concern involves family or domestic violence, 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 provides free, confidential support 24 hours a day. Lawful options such as home security measures, alarms, sensor lighting and personal safety planning are available even where a weapon is not.

Jurisdiction scope: This page explains how prohibited-weapons classification works structurally across Australia, verified 21 July 2026, drawing on New South Wales' and the ACT's schedules as worked examples. It does not reproduce every jurisdiction's full prohibited-weapons list, and it is not legal advice about whether a specific item is lawful to possess. For a specific item, contact the police service or weapons regulator in the relevant state or territory.

What "Prohibited Weapon" Means, and Why It Is Not National

A prohibited weapon is an item that ordinary civilians cannot lawfully possess, carry or use without a specific permit or a narrow statutory exemption, classified by name or by design and function under each jurisdiction's own legislation. This is a different legal concept from a firearms licence category. A firearm's category governs the conditions under which it may be licensed to a permit holder; a prohibited-weapons list instead governs items, which are frequently not firearms at all, that fall outside ordinary civilian possession altogether. New South Wales sets its list in the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998, the ACT in the Prohibited Weapons Act 1996, and the other states and territories in their own equivalent legislation and regulations. There is no single Australia-wide prohibited-weapons list; an item's classification, and any permit or exemption pathway, must be checked against the specific jurisdiction's own schedule.

Worked Example: NSW's Schedule 1

New South Wales' Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 Schedule 1 illustrates how detailed and design-specific these lists are. Alongside more obviously weapon-like items, it names an extendable or telescopic baton at cl 2(17A), knuckledusters or a similar hard-substance article designed to be fitted over two or more knuckles at cl 2(19), and a studded glove designed to increase the effect of a punch at cl 2(21). It separately names, at cl 2(18), "any hand-held defence or anti-personnel device that is designed to administer an electric shock on contact," and at cl 2(18A)-(18B), a taser gun or similar conducted-energy device together with the cartridges or probes it fires. Defence and anti-personnel sprays are covered at cl 2(22)-(23), defined by their capacity to discharge an irritant substance such as CS, CN, DM/Adamsite or oleoresin capsicum (OC), or any similar substance. Each item is defined by its design or function, not by a general category name, which is why small design differences can move an item from one side of the line to the other.

Worked Example: The ACT's Schedule 1

The ACT's Prohibited Weapons Act 1996 Schedule 1 follows a similar structure. Its electric-shock item names, as a worked example, "a taser self-defence weapon," alongside other electric devices such as a taxi protection cushion system or a super safety suitcase, showing that the classification captures the underlying function (administering an electric shock on contact) rather than only a specific named product. Separate items in the same schedule cover defence or anti-personnel sprays capable of discharging an irritant, whether or not the specific irritant substance is separately named, and acoustic or light-emitting anti-personnel devices designed to cause incapacity or disorientation.

Permits and Exemptions Exist, But They Are Narrow and Case-Specific

Every jurisdiction's prohibited-weapons scheme includes some mechanism for a person to hold a specific item under a permit, licence or exemption, for example a security professional's baton, a martial arts instructor's training weapon, or a licensed collector's historical piece. These pathways are narrow by design, tied to a specific proven need and often to a specific individual or organisation, not a general licence to possess the category of item. Western Australia's capsicum spray rule, in place since the Weapons Regulations 1999 and now in Weapons Act 1999 s 5A and Weapons Regulations 1999 reg 7, described in detail on capsicum spray and taser laws in Australia, is an example of a narrow defence-purpose excuse for specific items (capsicum spray and, under reg 6, a Gazette-approved anti-theft electric shock case); it is not a general permit pathway. Outside WA, no general personal-defence permit for a weapon has been identified; Queensland's only self-preservation licence route covers body armour (a category E weapon), and only for an exceptional need that cannot be satisfied in another way (Weapons Regulation 2016 s 42). This page does not describe how to apply for a permit or exemption, or advise a reader on how to structure a request to fit within one; that process is run entirely by the relevant jurisdiction's police service or weapons regulator, which is the only body that can properly assess a specific application.

Classification Turns on the Item and the Jurisdiction, Not on Intent

An item's classification as a prohibited weapon does not depend on why a person is carrying it or how they describe their purpose; it depends on the item's design and function as measured against the relevant jurisdiction's schedule. This means a reader cannot reliably self-assess an item's legality from a general description, a product listing, or a rule they read about a different state. The same category of item, such as a self-defence spray or a stun-type device, can be a prohibited weapon in one jurisdiction, subject to a narrow lawful-defence exemption in another (as with capsicum spray in Western Australia), and classified under an entirely separate legal category in a third (as with South Australia's "dangerous article" regime). This page does not, and cannot, tell a reader that a specific item is legal for them to possess or carry. Before treating any item covered by a prohibited-weapons list as lawful, confirm its current classification, and any permit or exemption that may apply, with the police service or weapons regulator in the relevant state or territory.

See how capsicum spray and tasers specifically are classified in capsicum spray and taser laws in Australia, and how knives are treated separately in knife laws in Australia. For the full cluster, see the Australia weapons law hub.

This page provides general legal information about how prohibited-weapons classification works across Australia, verified 21 July 2026. It is not legal advice, and it does not state that a specific item is legal for a specific reader to possess or carry. Classification depends on the exact item and the jurisdiction. For a specific item, contact the police service or weapons regulator in the relevant state or territory, or consult a legal practitioner admitted there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there one national list of prohibited weapons in Australia?

No. Each state and territory sets its own prohibited-weapons list under its own legislation, such as NSW's Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 or the ACT's Prohibited Weapons Act 1996. An item's classification must be checked against the specific jurisdiction.

Is a prohibited weapon the same thing as a firearms licence category?

No. A firearms licence category, such as NSW's A/B/C/D/H system, governs how a firearm may be licensed. A prohibited-weapons list is a separate scheme covering items, often not firearms, that fall outside ordinary civilian possession, such as batons, knuckledusters, sprays and stun devices.

Can I tell if an item is legal just by reading a general list?

Not reliably. Classification depends on the exact item's design and function measured against a specific jurisdiction's schedule, and small design differences can place similar-looking items on opposite sides of the line. Confirm a specific item with the relevant police service or weapons regulator.

Does every state classify capsicum spray and stun devices the same way?

No. NSW, Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory list them as prohibited weapons, and Queensland lists both as category R weapons. Western Australia lists capsicum spray as a controlled weapon with a narrow lawful-defence rule, and stun guns as prohibited weapons. South Australia classifies them under a separate "dangerous article" category, and in Tasmania the dangerous-article offence covers capsicum spray in public places, while a stun gun is a prescribed firearm (Firearms Regulations 2016 reg 8).

How do I find out if a specific item is a prohibited weapon in my state?

Contact the police service or weapons regulator in the relevant state or territory. This page explains how classification works structurally; it does not certify the legality of any specific item.

Can I get a permit to carry a prohibited weapon for personal protection?

This page does not describe how to obtain a permit or exemption, and it does not identify any general personal-protection permit pathway in any of the eight jurisdictions (Queensland's body armour licence for an exceptional self-preservation need is a narrow exception). Permit and exemption processes are run by the relevant jurisdiction's police service or weapons regulator, which is the only body that can properly assess a specific application.