Thanks for the warm welcome everyone...
The process to get a probationary handgun licence takes 3-6 months depending on how often you attend the pistol club you must be a member of and take part in the nominated amount of shoots/matches. After you get the probationary licence you have to wait 6 months before you can apply to own a gun and you can only have 2 guns till you get your full licence.
I'm in my 40s and I'm a patient person now... I would never have been able to stay committed to the process 20yrs ago.
I am kind of greatful we're still able to get handguns and have them in the home, even if the process is long and tedious. We had some low level massacres (compared to others around the world) that could have easily influenced the government to ban all handguns...
