Thread: New FAL waiting time

My timeline:

Renewal submitted: May 2021

Licence expired: June 2021. Cleared out safe and stored firearms and ammo with a licenced mate.

12 month extension granted: 08/10/2021. Took firearms and ammo back off mate.

Noticed 12 month extension was due to expire. Emailed Arms Office to get an update and maybe () even an extension to the extension. Obviously got told no.

12 month extension expires: June 2022, as it was 12 months from original FAL expiry, not 12 months from the extension being granted in October 2021. Offload firearms and ammo again. This time to a different licenced mate.

Vetting interviews take place: Very early Sep 2022. During the day wasn't an issue in my case. I'm a shift worker, wife works just down the road and was interviewed at her place of work. Referee lives a block away and is retired. Interviewer was lovely, seemed scathing of Police and this govt in general, particularly regarding covid. I wondered if they were fishing to see what opinions I would open up about to a "sympathetic" bureaucrat.

3+ weeks later and still no FAL.

Total wait time since submitting the paperwork: 16 months so far. Not as bad as some, but bad enough.