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Capsicum spray is a prohibited weapon in most of Australia. Western Australia is the exception since a 2024 law change. Tasers remain banned for civilians everywhere, including WA. Verified July 2026.
Safe firearm storage is a legal requirement, not a suggestion. NSW and Victoria both set specific storage rules with real penalties for failing to meet them. Verified July 2026.
NSW firearms licensing runs on five categories, A/B/C/D/H, a genuine-reason test that excludes self-defence, and a mandatory safe-storage requirement. Verified July 2026.
Queensland limits firearms possession to a short, closed list of genuine reasons under the Weapons Act 1990. Personal protection has never been on that list. Verified July 2026.
Victoria runs its own longarm category system, separate from NSW's, plus a closed list of genuine reasons that has never included self-defence. Verified July 2026.
Western Australia replaced its 1973 Firearms Act with the Firearms Act 2024, which expressly bars licensing a firearm for personal protection. It is also the only state to permit capsicum spray for defence. Verified July 2026.
Carrying a knife without a reasonable or lawful excuse is an offence in NSW and Victoria. This page covers what has been verified in both states; other jurisdictions are not addressed here.
NSW and Queensland both allow police to use a hand-held scanner without a warrant. The two schemes work differently. Verified July 2026.
Every Australian jurisdiction keeps its own list of prohibited weapons, separate from firearms licence categories. Learn how classification works, verified July 2026.
Self-defence is not a valid reason for a firearms licence anywhere in Australia. Compare firearms, capsicum spray, knife and prohibited-weapons law across all eight states and territories, verified July 2026.
No Australian jurisdiction accepts personal protection as a genuine reason for a firearms licence. NSW, WA, Tasmania and the ACT exclude it expressly; Victoria, Queensland, SA and the NT never listed it. Verified July 2026.