Following last month’s edition of ‘Range/Branch Matters’, I have had several inquiries relating to the requirement for Range Officers to be reaccredited by those Range Officers who are Trainers. As such, and as a general reminder, if you are an RO Trainer, please ensure your reaccreditation status is current and that you have attended a reaccreditation session that is endorsed by SSAA NSW.
If it is the case that this has lapsed, please contact SSAA NSW as soon as possible via admin@nsw.ssaa.org.au allowing for arrangements to be made to assist. We are very happy to assist and are organising reaccreditation around NSW.
In recent times whilst being present, assisting Branches during an NSW Firearms Registry club/range review, several topics relating to Club Approvals, Shooting Range Approvals, and P650 requirements became discussion points.
As I listened to the questions being asked by the Branch officials, I thought it may be useful for the answers to be more broadly communicated.
Did you know…
- That when applying for a Shooting Range Approval (SRA) renewal, which comes around every 5 years, providing the Branch has forwarded the renewal application before the expiry of the existing SRA, the range has a continuing authority to operate. When the SRA is due for renewal the NSW Firearms Registry will forward the range approval holder all the necessary documentation allowing 90 days to submit the required information. IMPORTANT Please be sure that you complete this requirement, as failing to do so may result in the range having to cease its operations.
- If your Branch has club firearms, NSW Firearms Registry requires that a register be used to track the movements of these firearms. Please ensure that you retain this register and maintain its currency.
- When a person is shooting on the range under the authority of a P650, it is a mandatory requirement that this person is supervised one on one. Please ensure that this requirement is always strictly maintained.
- Please check that the version of the P650 form you are using at your Branch is the most recent version as it has changed, the current version is, version 1.7 Jan 2021.
- When NSW Firearm Registry Compliance Officers attend your Branch to review the club record, branch officials may be asked to provide the following: A copy of the club P650 forms from the last two (2) years, any “attendance” registers, and any ‘Sighting in’ registers. Please ensure that these documents are maintained accurately and readily available should they be requested by either NSW Firearm Registry or Police.
- If your Branch Club Approval has licenses attached to it such as Hunting and or Collecting, you may be asked to evidence the membership against each of these categories. To maintain these licenses, the requirement is that the membership has a minimum of 10 persons. (Note if your Branch is in a small populated Local Government Area, there is the capacity for the Commissioner to consider lowering the number to 5, however, this must be evidenced.)
To assist in ensuring that the P650 form is being completed correctly, I thought that it may be useful if I provided the following information which has been set out in the same order that the form is:
COMPLETING A P650 FORM
Section A – Personal Details
The ‘Name’ box should show your full legal name. This should be the name on your birth certificate, marriage certificate, change of name certificate, or passport. Complete address and date of birth. Insert the details of the photographic identification supplied and the photo ID number. In the case of a minor, photo identification of the parent or legal guardian completing the consent in section D must be supplied.
Section B – Personal History
The questions in section B of the form relate to your personal history. It is an offence to provide information that is false and misleading, and you must answer all the questions honestly and correctly.
Section C – Declaration
The declaration form must be signed and dated by the applicant. By signing the declaration, you are confirming that: You understand it is an offence to supply false or misleading information and you certify that all the information contained in the declaration is true and correct; You agree to the NSW Police Force making inquiries to establish that the information you have supplied about the application is true and correct.
Section D – Minor
Written consent is required for a person aged between 12 – 18 years (a minor). This section must be completed and signed by the parent or legal guardian of the minor. The photographic identification of the parent or legal guardian must be supplied to the club official, range official, or instructor and this is written in section A.
Section E – Certification
Section E is completed by the club official, range official, or instructor. The box will be marked showing whether the applicant is authorised to shoot and whether the section is completed and signed by the official or instructor. Remember once a P650 form has been completed, if you are in doubt about the applicant’s ability to participate, it’s your call as to whether the person is permitted to shoot or not.
As always, if you need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at peter@nsw.ssaa.org.au
See you on the range.
Pete Szaak JP
Firearms Regulatory and Compliance Manager
