Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is genuine reason and how does it work?
To own a firearm in Australia you will need to obtain a firearms licence. To obtain a firearms licence you are required to fulfil the requirements of a ‘genuine reason’. There is a heap of different genuine reasons, but the most common genuine reason is sports or recreational shooting.
Each state or territory is a little bit different but most of them require you to either have access to a substantial amount of rural land or be a member of a hunting/shooting club that is licensed in that state or territory.
Do you plan on offering genuine reason in TAS, WA, NT and SA in the future?
Yes, we currently have pending applications in several states and territories and hope to offer a genuine reason for these states and territories in the future. However, this can be a long process.
You can still join HSSA in these states and territories to help us grow our presence in your state or territory. When we get genuine reason in your state or territory, or you move to a state or territory we have genuine reason we will honor your membership for 12 months from that date.
Do I get a membership card?
Nope! But you will get an electronic certificate that will do everything you need. At HSSA we care for the environment and do not want to add to the micro plastics in the ocean by making plastic membership cards.
Is there a physical clubhouse?
At the time of writing this there is no physical club house for Hunters and Shooters Society of Australia.
However, we do have a Hunter Education Centre in Queensland and as our memberships grow, we hope to acquire land in other states and territories. When our memberships can sustain clubhouses, these will be established in the relevant states and territories.
How do I cancel my membership?
Memberships are bought in yearly blocks. Once your certificate has been issued, we are unable to refund your membership fees. If you wish to cancel your membership without refund, please advise our team by writing and you will be removed from our members list.
I read your rules and it seems pretty full on! Do I really have to follow all of them?
Yep! I know it can seem a little overwhelming when you see it all in black and white, but our rules are in line with the firearm laws and basically being a good person. If you break the rules HSSA can suffer loss of licence or permits needed to run the hunting club, you won’t be covered by our insurance, and you could get charged and lose your firearms. So as much as rules don’t sound fun, rules are rules Jacko.
This is why HSSA has disciplinary procedures and can cancel your membership if warranted. We are also legally obligated to inform police when you no longer hold a membership with us, or it comes to our attention that you may no longer be a fit and proper person. Thankfully all our members are great people and we haven’t had to do any of these things to date.
What happens if I try to use my certificate after it has been cancelled or suspended?
Fraud, possible loss of licence and maybe a new cellmate.
We regularly advise the states and territories weapons registries of new, expired, cancelled, and suspended members as required by law.
Are the rules the same if I join a sister club of Hunters and Shooters Society?
Yes, if you are a member of one of our sister clubs you will need to follow the rules of HSSA and the sister club. This is to ensure we can maintain our licences to provide genuine reason to all members.
Why does HSSA have sister clubs?
Although the team at Hunters and Shooters Society of Australia are very talented and awesome, we can’t do everything! So, we focus on what we do best which is running a grass roots hunting club. We then work with other clubs who offer things we can’t and work together for the benefit and growth of both clubs.
How do sister club memberships work?
When you join a sister club you are buying 2 memberships at a discounted price. You buy a membership of club X to obtain their benefits and a membership from HSSA which gives you all our benefits.
When and where is the annual Member Muster held?
It changes! At the time of writing, we have members in 3 states and 1 territory. To make sure everyone gets an opportunity to attend a member muster we intend to move them around. Different states have different times that are better for camping. Thus, the time of year may also change.
How do I access my membership certificate?
When you sign up a copy of your membership certificate will automatically be sent to the email address you used during registration. If you can’t see it try checking your spam folder.
For this reason, please be careful when entering your details during your registration as this is what will show on your certificate.
If you require changes or a new certificate a fee will be charged before re issue. This is because the manual production of certificates is time consuming and takes us away from progressing our club.
I have never heard of Hunters and Shooters Society of Australia (HSSA) before why is that?
Because we are relatively new! We were a concept in 2019 and received New South Wales Approved Hunting Club status along with our permits to be a weapons club in Victoria and Queensland in 2020.
Although we haven’t been around long, we have proven ourselves by obtaining so many permits to run a hunting club in most of eastern Australia.
We believe that the main difference here at HSSA is that we strive for unity and are currently working with several other hunting and shooting peak bodies, clubs, business, influencers and other stakeholders.
I have just one more question?
What is with all the questions? What are you, a cop or something??? But seriously if you do have more questions email us at admin@huntersandshooters.com.au or through our contact page and we will do our best to answer them.
