While the sign does not violate advertising regulations, residents incensed by its prominence are demanding the ad be pulled.

But the business that placed the advertisement questioned whether the children who attended the centre would even be aware of what was on the sign.

The billboard is near the intersection of Anzac Avenue and Deception Bay Road in Rothwell and a Goodstart childcare centre is on the other side of the intersection.

A complainant, Robyn Collett, submitted her concerns to the standards bureau, and said her issue with the billboard was not its legality but its morality.

"In this day and age and everything happening around the world with gun violence, I thought it was highlighting that kind of culture," she said.

"I also recognise it’s a very difficult situation, I know [shooting] is a sport and people can pursue that, but I don’t believe in suburbia we need to be advertising guns.

"If you’re out west where people on the land require a weapon for wild animals then fair enough, but to advertise a weapon of that size in suburbia is inappropriate."

But Jason Muller of Gunworld Australia, based in the Logan suburb of Hillcrest, said the ad was not targeted at children and everyone was entitled to their opinions.

"A lot of people love our billboards and would like to see more, but there are also parts of the community who raise issues," he said.

"I certainly don’t like seeing alcohol, betting, [Brisbane strip club] Love & Rockets or gentlemen’s clubs ads either, but I don’t go ringing them up and complaining. Everybody is entitled to advertise.

"The billboard is not targeted at children by any means at all, it's specifically aimed at adult traffic in the area.

"I wouldn’t think children of childcare age would know what was on the billboard."

Ms Collett said others had raised the issue of the sign's closeness to the childcare centre and "whether the ad was appropriate in this day and age".

Australian Christian Lobby state director Wendy Francis said outdoor advertising should always be G-rated.

"If you're stopped at the lights, is that what we want in [our children's] minds as they head off to school?" Ms Francis said.

"Advertisers need to get on board, children have enough things to worry about, let alone imagery not suitable for them.

"Sexualised or violent ads are not part of Australian culture, we don’t live with firearms. What is that saying to children about their safety?"

A spokeswoman for the standards bureau said while complaints had been received, the billboard did not show any violence, did not breach any regulations and it was not illegal to advertise firearms.

"Advertisements for weaponry may fall under Section 2.3 of the AANA Code of Ethics which states: 'Advertising or Marketing Communication shall not present or portray violence unless it is justifiable in the context of the product or service advertised'," the spokeswoman said.

"However, in this example there is no violence shown, only the image of the product.

"We have received complaints on this billboard, however, we cannot disclose how many.

"The complaints received to date about this advertisement have been rejected as they do not raise an issue under the Codes and Initiatives administered by Ad Standards.

"The complaints received were about the type of product being advertised, not about the content of the advertisement.

"While members of the community may not want guns advertised, it is not illegal to do so."

The spokeswoman said Ad Standards would assess an advertisement if they received just one complaint, but it had to relate to an apparent breach of regulations.

She also said there were regulations relating to the location of outdoor advertisements, but the Rothwell billboard was no longer being investigated.