Firearms safety course

After you have become a financial member of the club, you will then be booked into the next available Firearms Safety Course (FSC). This course is held at the club by qualified instructors over a day or two on a weekend. This course covers the skills and knowledge essential to firearms legislation, licensing requirements, safe firearm handling, safe storage and transport, as well as additional information which is essential to all shooters. There will also be a written and practical examination which must be successfully completed by all new members. Once you have successfully completed the FSC, you will receive a certificate which you must keep filed at home.

Provisional licence application

Once you have successfully completed the FSC, you must then apply for a provisional licence. As part of the application process, you will need to attach a copy of your FSC certificate as well as some other documents that are listed on the application form. You need to select how long you wish to be on a provisional licence for (minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months) and then you must send your application form to Licensing and Regulation Division (LRD). Expect to wait at least 28 days before your application is processed by LRD, at which point, you will receive a payment notice in the mail. You will then need to pay for your licence as well as to take a photo at Vic roads or the Post office; the instructions will be on all forms. Once this done you will receive your actual provisional licence card within a week or two. Once you receive your provisional licence, you must then inform the club in order to make arrangements to commence your Training Plan. Whilst on your provisional licence you must complete a minimum of 5 approved competition shoots in order to be eligible to apply for your full Licence. We have a very healthy competition calendar, so there are plenty of opportunities to have these completed. A pistol cannot be purchased on a provisional licence, so you will be utilising club guns during this time. Please note, you will not be able to shoot at the club until you receive your provisional licence. We may, however, arrange for you to get started on your Training Plan prior to receiving your provisional licence, however, we will need you to complete a Notification of Receiving Instruction (NORI) form for each session until your provisional licence arrives.

Finger printing

It is a requirement for all pistol shooters to have their finger prints taken. Upon completion you will receive a National Record Check certificate which will need to be kept in safe storage along with your FSC certificate. Please complete this step anytime prior to, or during the provisional licence stage as you will need to attach a copy of the National Record Check to your full licence application. Appointments are usually booked months in advance, so please get in early and do not leave it until the last minute.

Full licence application

Once you have been a financial member for a minimum of 6 months, and you have participated in a minimum of 5 competition shoots, you will then be eligible to apply for your full licence. Again, you can expect to wait at least 28 days for your application to be processed, so please ensure you don’t delay and risk getting your application form in after your provisional licence expires.

All forms are available on the LRD website.

For details on acquiring a pistol, click the “Permit to acquire a Handgun” tab.