Club attendances and reporting period

Questions about New South Wales gun and ammunition laws. NSW Firearms Act 1996.

Club attendances and reporting period

Post by PigeonEater » 10 Jul 2022, 12:36 pm

Hi everyone, this is my first post in this forum, happy to be here.

I am with SSAA NSW where the attendance period is 1 April - 31st March. I got my licence in April so just at the start of the period. But that got me thinking - what if the licence arrived a few weeks earlier?

Imagine that a new shooter gets a firearm licence on the 15th of March, and the attendance period ends on the 31st - now are you really expected to complete 1-year worth of attendance in 16 days? With all the weather-related closures we had in Sydney, that wold have been impossible I reckon.

I checked the NSW Firearms act of 1996 and the Firearms Regulation of 2017 and I couldn't find anything (I didn't read the whole thing but I searched for words like "attendance" and "reporting period" and came out empty handed).

So is this a grey area or does the law say anything about it?
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Gamerancher » 11 Jul 2022, 8:36 am

If you only just got your licence, you have a 28 day "cooling off' period for your first firearm, ( plus the long wait for the administration), so there's that.
If there is any discrepancy with club attendances, (if that is your only genuine reason), you will get a "please explain" letter. The requirement for you is to do the compulsory attendances in a 12 month period. If you haven't held your licence for 12 months, there's your answer to any enquiry made on your attendances.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by No1Mk3 » 11 Jul 2022, 2:58 pm

G'day PigeonEater,
Your attendances are Pro Rata, so if you joined 2/3rds through the period, you may be expected to attend once, halfway twice, etc. Clost to the end I doubt you would even receive an "explain" letter, Cheers.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by mickb » 11 Jul 2022, 3:24 pm

Is this for handguns is it fellas?
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by No1Mk3 » 11 Jul 2022, 4:54 pm

mickb wrote:Is this for handguns is it fellas?


In NSW they have to do attendances for long arms also. 4 for long arms, 6 for 1 Class of handgun, Cheers.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by PigeonEater » 11 Jul 2022, 5:27 pm

Thank you everyone, this makes a lot of sense, so I guess one just needs to have the attendance within 1 year from the license, and the 1st April is just the date that the SSAA will send out the reports, so as long as one is able to finish them by the reporting date, it should be fine.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by dnedative » 11 Jul 2022, 7:51 pm

Good question; Always assumed the first year was never really taken into consideration as there is no provision legislation wise to account for partial years but I wouldn't be surprised if the registry take a pro rata approach after a certain time.

Would like to know the answer
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Lsfan » 11 Jul 2022, 8:07 pm

No1Mk3 wrote:
mickb wrote:Is this for handguns is it fellas?


In NSW they have to do attendances for long arms also. 4 for long arms, 6 for 1 Class of handgun, Cheers.

I'm curious about the handgun attendances. I think I read they need to be an event or comp rather than a simple attendance, which is permissible for a long arm.
Does anyone actually meet the requirements in nsw simply by getting an attendance slip?
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by mickb » 11 Jul 2022, 8:15 pm

attendances for long arms......good heavens ,yet more detterant by excess administration. This is like having to pass a learners test in a car 4x a year for the privilege of driving. Not knocking NSW shooters btw, I know its not your fault.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Gamerancher » 13 Jul 2022, 9:32 am

It only applies to folks who use club membership as their only "genuine reason" for their licence.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Lsfan » 13 Jul 2022, 7:52 pm

Gamerancher wrote:It only applies to folks who use club membership as their only "genuine reason" for their licence.

That's me. I don't have land or know anyone that would allow me to hunt.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Gamerancher » 14 Jul 2022, 9:01 am

Lsfan,
Okay, in NSW, Cat H attendances must include a minimum 4 competition attendances if you own 1 class of handgun. That increases by an additional 2 competition attendances per category. So if you have a rimfire and a centrefire, you are up for a minimum of 6 comps. There is no, "just show up and sign the book" for cat H.
I'm sure "Dr Google" from another state will look it up and post it for you... :sarcasm:
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by bladeracer » 14 Jul 2022, 11:12 am

Gamerancher wrote:Lsfan,
Okay, in NSW, Cat H attendances must include a minimum 4 competition attendances if you own 1 class of handgun. That increases by an additional 2 competition attendances per category. So if you have a rimfire and a centrefire, you are up for a minimum of 6 comps. There is no, "just show up and sign the book" for cat H.
I'm sure "Dr Google" from another state will look it up and post it for you... :sarcasm:


He's not talking about CatH though.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Gamerancher » 14 Jul 2022, 11:45 am

Lsfan wrote
"I'm curious about the handgun attendances. I think I read they need to be an event or comp rather than a simple attendance, which is permissible for a long arm.
Does anyone actually meet the requirements in nsw simply by getting an attendance slip?


Seems that you are incorrect... :unknown:
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by bladeracer » 14 Jul 2022, 1:33 pm

Gamerancher wrote:Lsfan wrote
"I'm curious about the handgun attendances. I think I read they need to be an event or comp rather than a simple attendance, which is permissible for a long arm.
Does anyone actually meet the requirements in nsw simply by getting an attendance slip?


Seems that you are incorrect... :unknown:


Yes, my mistake, I thought we were still addressing the OP, thanks for catching it :-)
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Lsfan » 14 Jul 2022, 7:03 pm

bladeracer wrote:
Gamerancher wrote:Lsfan wrote
"I'm curious about the handgun attendances. I think I read they need to be an event or comp rather than a simple attendance, which is permissible for a long arm.
Does anyone actually meet the requirements in nsw simply by getting an attendance slip?


Seems that you are incorrect... :unknown:


Yes, my mistake, I thought we were still addressing the OP, thanks for catching it :-)

Thanks guys. I'm aware of the attendance requirements for long arm as that is how I hold my licence for cat A and B. I'm also aware of the requirements for cat H, but was more curious about what constitutes a competition. I asked one of the range officials if one needs to compete and he wasn't clear on this. It was a bit of a "yes and no" answer.
With my long arms, I only compete against myself. I have seen people using pistols at the range and they don't all appear to be in competition. I may be wrong.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Gamerancher » 15 Jul 2022, 8:33 am

You don't have to compete every time you shoot pistols, but, you do have to satisfy the minimum requirements. It depends on the club, some may have a rolling comp that can be shot at your leisure, others require more formal types of "shoulder to shoulder" competition attendances.
Bottom line is, you must submit an official score for it to count towards your minimum number of attendances.
Longarm attendances can be covered by simply ticking the appropriate box on the sign-in sheet. ( SSAA anyway, don't know about the other organisations...)

Range officers are there to run the range safely and according to the standing range orders, they may not be "all knowing" when it comes to the laws.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by dnedative » 15 Jul 2022, 7:40 pm

A competition shoot for Cat H needs to be scored and recorded; Generally this will entail someone verifying it (RO).
You dont have to compete against anyone on the day shoulder to shoulder for it to be a competition shoot.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Lsfan » 15 Jul 2022, 8:19 pm

dnedative wrote:A competition shoot for Cat H needs to be scored and recorded; Generally this will entail someone verifying it (RO).
You dont have to compete against anyone on the day shoulder to shoulder for it to be a competition shoot.

Thanks, that's what I thought may be the case. As an example, I go to the sisc at cecil park and I can print out a score sheet after using my rifle. Sounds like I could do the same with a pistol and have someone record it to be considered for one of the cat H "competition" shoots. Is that correct? Although I think the pistol range uses paper target. Anyway I can ask when I'm there next.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by bullzeye » 15 Jul 2022, 8:21 pm

Lsfan wrote:
No1Mk3 wrote:
mickb wrote:Is this for handguns is it fellas?


In NSW they have to do attendances for long arms also. 4 for long arms, 6 for 1 Class of handgun, Cheers.

I'm curious about the handgun attendances. I think I read they need to be an event or comp rather than a simple attendance, which is permissible for a long arm.
Does anyone actually meet the requirements in nsw simply by getting an attendance slip?


In NSW your pistol club will advise members when there is a competition shoot. Most clubs have them every week, fortnight or month.

You don’t compete against anyone. You just shoot 50 bullets at a target and get a score out of 500. This isn’t just an attendance, it’s an actual shoot in the range.

Pistol clubs should have a ‘scorer’ who looks at your target and adds up your score. Some clubs don’t do this and you do it yourself, or another club official does.

Your scores aren’t sent to the NSW police or anything like that. At the end of the year your pistol club will advise the NSW police which members complied with the minimum license requirements and who didn’t. Pistol clubs won’t take any short cuts or lodge false reports for members who haven’t done the required number of competitions. Why would a pistol club take the risk and jeopardise their standing with NSW police? They wouldn’t.

Most pistol clubs require their members to attend once per month, which is more than the NSW police requirement.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Lsfan » 15 Jul 2022, 9:10 pm

bullzeye wrote:
Lsfan wrote:
No1Mk3 wrote:
mickb wrote:Is this for handguns is it fellas?


In NSW they have to do attendances for long arms also. 4 for long arms, 6 for 1 Class of handgun, Cheers.

I'm curious about the handgun attendances. I think I read they need to be an event or comp rather than a simple attendance, which is permissible for a long arm.
Does anyone actually meet the requirements in nsw simply by getting an attendance slip?


In NSW your pistol club will advise members when there is a competition shoot. Most clubs have them every week, fortnight or month.

You don’t compete against anyone. You just shoot 50 bullets at a target and get a score out of 500. This isn’t just an attendance, it’s an actual shoot in the range.

Pistol clubs should have a ‘scorer’ who looks at your target and adds up your score. Some clubs don’t do this and you do it yourself, or another club official does.

Your scores aren’t sent to the NSW police or anything like that. At the end of the year your pistol club will advise the NSW police which members complied with the minimum license requirements and who didn’t. Pistol clubs won’t take any short cuts or lodge false reports for members who haven’t done the required number of competitions. Why would a pistol club take the risk and jeopardise their standing with NSW police? They wouldn’t.

Most pistol clubs require their members to attend once per month, which is more than the NSW police requirement.

I probably worded my original message incorrectly. I would have every intention of going to a range and using a pistol for target shooting. I was just wondering what is required to.demonstrate to the club that the minimum requirements have been met. This would help me determine if I apply for a cat H licence or not.
I enjoy target shooting, but just couldn't commit to a consistent regime of competitive shooting. If it's only 4 attendance at a time of my choosing so long as I get a score and have it recorded then that's easy enough. I would normally get to the range 6 to 8 times a year with a rifle.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Gamerancher » 16 Jul 2022, 10:55 am

"I would have every intention of going to a range and using a pistol for target shooting."
Yeah, well, that's the only reason you can have a Cat H in NSW.
It all comes down to the club that you join. Some clubs allow the "informal" rolling competitions as described above. Rock in, shoot a score, submit it and go home. Other clubs require you to shoot in a formal, side by side type of competition. Some clubs will allow you to compete at another club and will count it towards your attendances, others won't. The two clubs I'm involved with allow this but another club I enquired about, didn't. Do your research before joining.
It's their club, their rules. Like has been stated above, they are not going to jeopardise their club to let someone slide past attendance rules.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Lsfan » 16 Jul 2022, 11:30 am

Gamerancher wrote: "I would have every intention of going to a range and using a pistol for target shooting."
Yeah, well, that's the only reason you can have a Cat H in NSW.
It all comes down to the club that you join. Some clubs allow the "informal" rolling competitions as described above. Rock in, shoot a score, submit it and go home. Other clubs require you to shoot in a formal, side by side type of competition. Some clubs will allow you to compete at another club and will count it towards your attendances, others won't. The two clubs I'm involved with allow this but another club I enquired about, didn't. Do your research before joining.
It's their club, their rules. Like has been stated above, they are not going to jeopardise their club to let someone slide past attendance rules.

Yes that's all fine. I'm a member of the ssaa and send them my attendance slips for the rifles. I wo der what they require for pistol shooting. Any idea?
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by bullzeye » 18 Jul 2022, 7:56 am

Lsfan - some clubs are relaxed with the rules, others not so much.

WIthout naming names, there are a few clubs in Western Sydney which are more flexible on the rules.

I posted this on another thread:

The club I’m a member of wants members to attend at least once per month. I have to do 4 competitions for rim fire, 4 competitions for centrefire - 8 competition shoots in total.

So my yearly attendance looks something like this:

January - club closed
February - rim fire match
March - rim fire match
April - centre fire match
May - centre fire match
June - rim fire match
July - rim fire march
August - centre fire match
September - centre fire march
October - attend club, sign attendance book, no shoot, go home.
November - attend club, sign attendance book, no shoot, go home.
December - club closed.

10 attendances in total. Say 1 hour per attendance = 10 hours per year. I'm sure we can all spare 10 hours per year.

Some of the other members go 3 times per month x 10 months = 30 attendances/ year.

Worth mentioning the costs involved:

Pistol club membership = $200/ year
Ammo = $150/ year
Range fees = $200/ year

Total = say $600 per year, rounding up.

In my opinion it's not that hard to maintain a Cat H license.
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Re: Club attendances and reporting period

Post by Lsfan » 18 Jul 2022, 8:08 pm

bullzeye wrote:Lsfan - some clubs are relaxed with the rules, others not so much.

WIthout naming names, there are a few clubs in Western Sydney which are more flexible on the rules.

I posted this on another thread:

The club I’m a member of wants members to attend at least once per month. I have to do 4 competitions for rim fire, 4 competitions for centrefire - 8 competition shoots in total.

So my yearly attendance looks something like this:

January - club closed
February - rim fire match
March - rim fire match
April - centre fire match
May - centre fire match
June - rim fire match
July - rim fire march
August - centre fire match
September - centre fire march
October - attend club, sign attendance book, no shoot, go home.
November - attend club, sign attendance book, no shoot, go home.
December - club closed.

10 attendances in total. Say 1 hour per attendance = 10 hours per year. I'm sure we can all spare 10 hours per year.

Some of the other members go 3 times per month x 10 months = 30 attendances/ year.

Worth mentioning the costs involved:

Pistol club membership = $200/ year
Ammo = $150/ year
Range fees = $200/ year

Total = say $600 per year, rounding up.

In my opinion it's not that hard to maintain a Cat H license.

Thanks bullzeye. Agreed it's not hard to maintain cat H. I just want to make sure I can fulfill the requirements before signing up.
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