Club Safety Course

    Applicants joining SSAA (Para) are required to attend and pass the training course. The courses run for approximately 3 hours and are currently offered every 7-8 weeks on publicised Wednesday evenings, commencing at 6.00 PM sharp, in the canteen.  If you wish to attend the course you must complete an application form (available from the canteen) or by downloading from the web site (Attendance Registration form) and sent back to the trainer.

    Members wishing to complete this course are requested to register their interest in attending must contact the safety course trainer. SSAA Para Safety Course Trainer can be contacted on 0400152150 or email – grnsmith@bigpond.com.

    The reason why we need your details (name, address, DOB and licence number, as well as phone and email address) is because the Firearms Regulations 2017 (Reg 29.2.(b)) requires your instructor to keep records of those trained for three years. Your personal information will be treated as confidential and never shared without your prior consent.

    You will belong to one of the three following groups of people who do this training.

    1. People who have come from other clubs and have an existing licence that includes Category of Use 1 (club shooting).
    2. People who already have a licence, but which doesn’t yet include Category of Use 1 (club shooting).
    3. People who do not yet have a firearms licence at all and wish to obtain one to shoot at the club.

    If you already have a licence in Category of Use 1 you will still need to complete the SSAA assessment test of 25 multiple choice questions, but you don’t need prior approval from SAPOL.

    If you are in group 2 above and seek to vary your licence in any way (such as adding Category of Use 1 to Licence Categories A and B, or if you wish to add Category H1) or if you are in group 3 and seek an entirely new licence, you will need to complete both the SSAA assessment and also the SAPOL shooting test of 30 questions. People in either group 2 or 3 MUST produce a current letter approving training from SAPOL.  The “client number” on the top right of this letter is, or will be, your Firearms licence number. To obtain a letter please visit your local police station and ask for a licence application or licence variation form.  

    Assessment:

    Both assessment tests are concerned with safety on the range, legal obligations of firearms owners and rules about transporting guns and ammunition.  The SSAA test is more specifically about Para Range’s rules for members and the types of behaviour that is expected of our members.

    The course is delivered using a Power Point presentation and through a variety of examples, without having any operational firearms present.  Practical aspects of this training are undertaken later when applicants join individual sections and begin shooting under the supervision of Range Officers. In most sections there are club guns available for use by new shooters.

    Most applicants will already have a basic understanding of how firearms operate but much of the terminology specifically relating to guns and shooting can seem like a foreign language to some newcomers to the sport. We try to explain the basics, but applicants are encouraged to do some prior reading, if possible, especially when they have limited prior knowledge and PLEASE ask questions if there is anything you don’t understand.

    There are several “introduction to shooting” type publications and leaflets available both online and in print that applicants can read in preparation. The glossary of terms included in several of these are worth looking at. Similarly, the SSAA Para Range Rules are available in print from the canteen, in the front of the program booklet and on the Para web site.

    What happens after completion?

    Once applicants have completed the course and passed the tests, the SAPOL PD314 notification form that will have been completed during the training will be signed off by the Instructor (NOT the applicant!) to say training has been completed. Then the middle of this form must be signed off by the SSAA Para Secretary to say that you are now an active and financial member of the club. Naturally, you must have paid your membership fees before this can be sent off to SAPOL for further processing. 

    Applicants seeking Category H1 licences will need to have completed at least 6 probationary shoots under supervision before a “club chit” can be issued to say that your training is complete. You should discuss this in person at the canteen or in the relevant shooting section so that your application can be completed. (You could check in the Program booklet or section pages on the website to obtain the contact details of each section)

    SAPOL will then, within 4-6 weeks, send you a “data card” – an A4 sheet divided into three sections, that you need to take to Service SA with 100 points of ID and the relevant fees. Your photo will be taken, and the bottom of this sheet will be given back to you as your temporary licence for use until your plastic card arrives in a few more weeks.

    Once you have your temporary licence you will be able to purchase ammunition and Category AB firearms but having a Category H1 licence means you will have to wait until 6 months have elapsed before you can purchase your own handgun. With any firearm purchase you may be required to obtain a “Club Chit” confirming that you are a member of the club from one of the designated club signatories. This Chit, particularly for handguns, will also have to confirm that the proposed purchase will be suitable for a particular match which is listed on Para’s Range Certificate. You should seek advice from a match Captain or chit signatory before committing to a purchase.

    All persons who complete the SSAA Para training course will be provided with the “SSAA National Firearms Proficiency Certificate”, which will usually be available within a week or so from completion and can be collected from the canteen. This is for personal satisfaction only and can be kept as a record of your achievement. It carries no weight with SAPOL but may be useful if you transfer to another SSAA club or simply as another document in your resume.

    Specific Shooting Terminology:

    The following useful resource gives a good deal of important information for new shooters:  beginners_guide_2019.pdf

    While you are waiting to attend the next available course, you might like to check the meaning   of the following common shooting terms if any of them are unfamiliar to you:

    Bore, breech, calibre, cartridge case, centrefire, chamber, charge, choke, elevation, extractor, firing pin, follower, full metal jacket, grain, hang fire, head space, locking lug, magazine, muzzle, muzzle velocity, ogive, primer, propellant, rifling, rimfire, safety catch, sear, sight radius, twist, windage.

    Please read the Para Range Rules on the website or in the front of the program booklet prior to the course. PLEASE BRING A BLACK ballpoint pen and your SAPOL letter where applicable. 

    The next Safety Courses will be held on:  5th February,   2nd April,     4th June,    6th August,   1st October    and    3rd December 2025
    Bookings must be made with the Safety Course Trainer prior to attendance. 
     
     
    Extra Information for Handgun Shooters 
    • Members who have joined after the 1st of July 2017 and wanting to obtain a handgun licence, MUST also have supplied a copy of a national police clearance to the secretary. If one has already been supplied when joining the club then this requirement is met. 
     
    Safety Course Training Material 

     

    Range Officer Training Material

    Please read through the training manual and pre course notes prior to attending the range officer course. 
     
    The registration form will be fill out during the training session. 

     Please email to register: SnrVicePresident@ssaapara.org.au or sign in at the canteen in the RO book. 

     
    The next Range Officer Courses will be held on:  26th February,   28th May,   24th September 2025