There is currently a large number of licence holders whose licence have expired and are therefore unlicensed.

The process to renew an expired license can take up to several months.

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During this time the holders firearms are deemed unregistered and therefore must be stored at a police station for safekeeping.

Of recent months there has been a marked increase in the amount of expired licenses, so police are encouraging all license holders to check expiry dates, and their current address status with the firearm registry so all license renewals arrive on time and at the correct address.