Firearms Safety Course

History/Background

In May 1996, the Australasian Police Ministers’ Council (APMC) agreed to a number of resolutions in order to bring about uniform, national firearms laws and training.  It was agreed that all jurisdictions would require first time licence applicants to complete an accredited course in firearms safety training.  The accreditation was to be by an appropriate authority and there was also to be a system of accredited trainers to bring prospective licensees to the required standard. The course was to focus on firearms law, firearms safety and firearms competency. 

In December 1996, the Queensland Police Service had accredited a short course, the Weapons Act Safety Course.  In January 1997, the Weapons Act 1990 (the Act) was amended to make completion of ‘a course approved by the Commissioner of Police’ a requirement for firearms licensing in Queensland.  The Commissioner approved the Weapons Act Safety Course as the course approved under the Act for weapons licensing in Queensland.

Subsequently, further national discussions led to the development of Minimum National Standards for Firearms Safety Training in Australian States and Territories. These standards were endorsed by the APMC in December 2000 and provided the basis for the development of this course: 30195QLD Course in Firearms Safety (approved for firearms licensing in Queensland).  The development of 30195QLD Course in Firearms Safety (approved for firearms licensing in Queensland) in 2001, conformed to all requirements for developing and documenting vocational education and training (VET) courses leading to an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Statement of Attainment.

The course development committee that was convened in 2001 to provide input into the development of 30195QLD Course in Firearms Safety (approved for firearms licensing in Queensland) comprised representatives from Registered Training Organisations (RTO) approved to deliver the former Weapons Act Safety Course.  It has continued to meet each six months to review implementation issues associated with the course. 

In June 2005, the Act and subordinate weapons legislation were amended principally to include crossbows as Category M weapons and to streamline some licensing procedures.  In response to these changes, the committee’s membership was expanded to include representatives of relevant crossbow agencies and associations.  Information from this committee has been considered in this revision of the course 30195QLD Course in Firearms Safety (approved for firearms licensing in Queensland).

Input has also been sought from the Weapons Licensing Branch, Queensland Police Service. Officers of this Branch monitor:

• changes to relevant legislation
• reports arising from incidents involving firearms and other specified weapons
• coroners’ reports where firearms and other specified weapons have been  involved.

At the National level, the working party overviewing firearms safety training for licensing purposes has monitored course development and implementation across all jurisdictions.  In 2004, an outcome of this monitoring was the development of revised Minimum National Standards for Firearms Safety Training in Australian States and Territories that detail the minimum framework for all State and Territory firearms safety training for licence applicants.  These revised standards were endorsed by the Queensland Minister for Police and Corrective Services in March 2005 and have been addressed in this revision of the course (Version 1.1). 

As part of their licence application, all persons seeking Weapons Act licences in Queensland are required to provide evidence of having successfully completed this course at a RTO approved by the Queensland Commissioner of Police. 

What is the Course in Firearms Safety?

The Course in Firearms Safety (approved for firearms licensing in Queensland) is a competency-based course with units of competence related to categories A & B, C, D, H firearms and category M (crossbows).  Units of competence related to categories A & B, C, D and H firearms are drawn from the Outdoor Recreation Industry Training Package (SRO03). The unit XBOWS001A is an enterprise unit developed by the Queensland Police Service that relates specifically to Category M (crossbows). 

These units of competence are considered to be the minimum standards for persons seeking Weapons Act licences in Queensland. Potential licence applicants choose the units of competence related to the specific categories of firearms for which Weapons Act licences will be sought.

Who are the Training Providers?

As part of their licence application, all persons seeking Weapons Act licences in Queensland are required to provide evidence of having successfully completed an approved course in Firearms Safety conducted by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) approved by the Department of Employment, Training and the Arts. 

An RTO is a training organisation registered in accordance with the Australian Qualification Training Framework.  RTO registration is the formal approval and recognition of a training organisation by a State or Territory registering body in accordance with the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (July 2005) and the Standards for State and Territory Registering/Course Accrediting Bodies. In Queensland an RTO is administered by the Department of Employment, Training and the Arts.

An RTO wishing to offer this course must seek written approval from the Chief Superintendent, Human Resource Development Branch, Queensland Police Service, GPO Box 1440, BRISBANE, Q 4001.

The details of approved training providers are available on the National Training Information Service (NTIS) website located at: http://www.ntis.gov.au

Refer to the following section on the procedures to access NTIS to identify an RTO authorised to deliver an approved firearms safety training course.

Approved Course Training Requirements

For the issue of licence for a particular category of weapon the Commissioner has approved, as a minimum requirement the completion of the following units of competence:

Weapon Category	Unit/s of Competence	Unit/s Title
Category A	SROFAS001A SROFAS002A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category A and B firearms safely
Category B	SROFAS001A SROFAS002A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category A and B firearms safely
Category C	SROFAS001A SROFAS003A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category C firearms safely
Category D	SROFAS001A SROFAS004A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category D firearms safely
Category E	SROFAS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety
Category H	SROFAS001A SROFAS005A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category H firearms safely
Category M items other than item in section 7A(g) *- Crossbow	SROFAS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety
Category M item in section 7A(g) *- Crossbow	SROFAS001A XBOWS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Use crossbows lawfully, responsibly and safely
Category R	SROFAS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety

For each unit of competence the course participant MUST be assessed against the approved non-endorsed formal assessment instruments for the unit of competence.

*  Section 7A(g) of the Weapons Categories Regulation 1997

Assessment Requirements

Approval is subject to the condition that the units of competence are assessed against one of the approved non-endorsed formal assessment instruments outlined as follows:

Weapon Category	Unit/s of Competence	Unit/s Title	Assessment Instrument
Category A	SROFAS001A SROFAS002A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category A and B firearms safely	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3 - Specific Test - Categories A & B - Practical Assessment – Categories A & B
Category B	SROFAS001A SROFAS002A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category A and B firearms safely	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3 - Specific Test - Categories A & B - Practical Assessment – Categories A & B
Category C	SROFAS001A SROFAS003A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category C firearms safely	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3 - Specific Test - Categories C - Practical Assessment – Categories C
Category D	SROFAS001A SROFAS004A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category D firearms safely	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3 - Specific Test - Categories D - Practical Assessment – Categories D
Category E	SROFAS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3
Category H	SROFAS001A SROFAS005A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Demonstrate use of Category H firearms safely	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3 - Specific Test - Categories H - Practical Assessment – Categories H
Category M items other than item in section 7A(g) *- Crossbow	SROFAS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3
Category M item in section 7A(g) *- Crossbow	SROFAS001A XBOWS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety Use crossbows lawfully, responsibly and safely	Crossbow Safety Test - Form 4 or 5 - Practical Assessment – Categories M (Crossbows)
Category R	SROFAS001A	Demonstrate knowledge of Firearms Legislation, firearms and community safety	- Common Safety Test – Form 1, 2 or 3

 *  Section 7A(g) of the Weapons Categories Regulation 1997

Statements of Attainment

A Statement of Attainment is a formal certification in the VET sector by an RTO under the AQF that a person has achieved:

• part of a qualification;
• one or more units of competency from a nationally endorsed Training Package;  or
• all the units of competency comprising learning outcomes for an accredited  course that does not meet the requirements for a qualification.

Statements of Attainment are to clearly show the category of weapon/s against which the course participant has been assessed and found competent, using the approved non-endorsed formal assessment instruments, to ensure that the licensing requirements have been satisfied. 

Procedure to Identify Registered Training Organisations (RTO) Authorised to Deliver an Approved Firearms Safety Training Course

1. Access National Training Information Service search page at web address:
 http://www.ntis.gov.au/Default.aspx?find

2. Check box for Accredited courses and enter course code “30655QLD” in ‘search  for’ field.  Click on search.

3. Click on the ‘View RTO with AC in scope’ link under Tools in the right hand top  corner.  A list of RTOs delivering the course will appear.  It is necessary to  access the information for each RTO which will identify what qualifications are  deliver by that RTO, for which jurisdiction and their contact details.