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BALLARAT has more than 33,000 guns registered in the region, but that puts it a long way behind other major regional centres. The figure equate to almost five per cent of the firearms in Victoria. FULL COVERAGE: Half the state's handguns registered in Collingwood Stolen guns ending up with drug dealers in Ballarat Inside the oldest continuous gun store in Australia Compared with its regional counterparts, Ballarat has fewer guns than Geelong, with 51,448, and Bendigo, which has 57,621. Police statistics show there were more than 18,000 rifles, 10,000 shotguns and nearly 900 handguns registered in the Ballarat region as of September last year. Victoria Police have warned firearms are increasingly being targeted in burglaries, particularly those stored on rural properties. Statewide there are 695,108 registered guns, ranging from air rifles and paintball guns to machine guns and cannons. Apart from a few exceptions, all firearms in Victoria have to be registered with Victoria Police's Licensing & Regulation Division. Only people who have a valid firearm license are allowed to register a gun. Strict criteria must be met to get a firearm license, including having a "genuine reason" for holding one. Applicants must also complete an identify check, hand over a set of fingerprints to police and undergo a firearm safety course. Reasons for needing a firearm license include target shooting, hunting and primary production. More than 12,000 genuine reasons have been given for holding a firearm license in Ballarat, however this does not necessarily reflect the number of licensed shooters as multiple reasons can be given. The most popular reason in Ballarat was hunting, with nearly 6300 instances. Primary producer was the second most common reason, chosen 1715 times. Guns registered with Victoria Police are identified by category, ranging from single shot rifles to semi-automatic firearms. There are also categories for antique guns, hand guns and paintball guns. A separate "Category E" exists for firearms which include machine guns, tear gas projectors and rocket-propelled grenades. In Victoria there are 880 registered Category E firearms, although there are none registered in Ballarat. FULL COVERAGE: Half the state's handguns registered in Collingwood Stolen guns ending up with drug dealers in Ballarat Inside the oldest continuous gun store in Australia The statistics were released to The Courier by Victoria Police's corporate statistics unit last year. They include registered firearms by postcode and firearm license reasons by postcode in Victoria. tom.cowie@fairfaxmedia.com.au

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