A firearms licence is a licence or permit

Permit

Permit may refer to:*Permit *Various legal licenses:*License*Work permit*Learner's permit*Permit to travel*Construction permit*Home Return Permit*One-way Permit*Permit is the common name for the Trachinotus falcatus, a type of Pompano....

 issued by some Governments (typically by the police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

) of a country (or state or municipality thereof), that allows the licensee to buy, own, possess, and use firearms, often subject to a number of conditions or restrictions, especially with regards to storage requirements or the completion of a firearms safety course, as well as background checks, etc. Firearms licenses are not required in all jurisdictions.

The permit or license scope varies in what firearm(s) and or activity(s) they allow the holder to legally do with their firearms. For example, a licence may allow the holder to engage in hunting, target shooting, and/or collecting, or permit the owner to own firearms for self defence, carry a concealed firearm, or operate a business (such as being a gun dealer or a gunsmith). Rifles, Shotguns, and Handguns may require separate licences (depending on jurisdiction).

Countries with firearms licensing

• Australia
  Gun politics in Australia
  Gun politics have only become a notable issue in Australia since the 1980s. Low levels of violent crime through much of the 20th century kept levels of public concern about firearms low...
  
  
• Brazil
  Gun politics in Brazil
  Because of gun politics in Brazil, all firearms are required to be registered with the state; the minimum age for ownership is 25 and although it is legal to carry a gun outside a residence, extremely severe restrictions were made by the federal government since 2002 making it virtually impossible...
  
  
• Canada
  Gun politics in Canada
  Gun politics in Canada is largely polarized between two groups with opposing views. One group includes those who object to the registration of personal firearms...
  
  
• Czech Republic
  Gun politics in the Czech republic
  Gun politics in the Czech Republic incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country. Policy in the Czech Republic is in many respects less restrictive than elsewhere in Europe . The most recent Gun Act was passed in 2001, replacing the previous law and tightening...
  
  
• Finland
  Gun politics in Finland
  In Finland there are 32 privately owned firearms per 100 civilians according to the Finnish Ministry of the Interior. By the end of 2006 there were more than 1.6 million licensed firearms. Averaged among Finland's population of 5.3 million it comes to 30.5 per 100 people...
  
  
• Germany
  Gun politics in Germany
  The German Weapons Act is a gun regulation law enacted in Germany in 1972. It includes, and modifies, previous gun regulation laws. It regulates the handling of knives, firearms and ammunition as well as acquisition, storage, commerce and maintenance of weapons...
  
  
• India
• Ireland
• Italy
  Gun politics in Italy
  Gun politics in Italy incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country. The Italian Constitution does not recognize the right to keep and bear arms, however different types of gun licenses can be obtained from the national police authorities...
  
  
• New Zealand
  Gun politics in New Zealand
  About 230,000 licensed firearms owners own and use New Zealand's estimated 1.1 million firearms. Like in Australia, but unlike in the US and Canada, gun laws usually gain the support of both major parties before they are passed...
  
  
• Norway
  Gun politics in Norway
  Gun politics in Norway incorporates the political and regulatory aspects of firearms usage in the country. Citizens are allowed to keep firearms...
  
  
• Romania
• Slovakia
• South Africa
  Gun politics in South Africa
  In South Africa, owning a gun is conditional on a competency test and several other, albeit ill defined factors, including background checking of the applicant, inspection of an owner's premises, and licensing of the weapon by the police introduced in July 2004...
  
  
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
  Gun politics in the United Kingdom
  Gun politics in the United Kingdom generally places its main considerations on how best to ensure public safety and how deaths involving firearms can most effectively be prevented. The United Kingdom has one of the lowest rates of gun homicides in the world, and did so even before strict gun...
  
  
• United States of America
  Gun politics in the United States
  Gun politics in the United States refers to an ongoing political and social debate regarding both the restriction and availability of firearms within the United States. It has long been among the most controversial and intractable issues in American politics...
  
   (for some states and/or municipalities)
• Zimbabwe