A group of mostly elderly pro-euthanasia protesters drew attention at a publicity stunt yesterday when they were turned away from a Queensland police station after trying to apply for gun licences.

"The funny thing is, people who believe strongly in euthanasia actually love to live," said Carmel Margenburg, a visitor to the two-day conference being held at Brisbane's Convention and Exhibition Centre.

"People want to know they can execute this situation at a time if they desperately need it.

"Often if they know (that option) is there, it doesn't happen," said Judy Dent, widow of Bob Dent, the first person in the world to die using legislation which legalised euthanasia for a brief time in the Northern Territory.

"The mere fact that you can get this prescription (for a barbiturate) have it locked in your cupboard just in case, it's a security blanket."

Speakers at the conference includes politicians Lyn Allison and Barnaby Joyce, media representatives and members of The Peanut Project team, a group who, with limited knowledge of chemistry, spent a weekend concocting the barbiturate nembutal.

"(It) shows in a fairly assertive way the levels to which elderly folk are prepared to go and the level of sophistication they are prepared to adopt," said Dr Nitschke.

"If you can make a barbiturate, put it in the cupboard, you'll know you've got the choice you want, and if people have got that, that don't care if they've got the law or not."