Thread: MSC and firearms licensing

Originally Posted by Ryan

In South Africa one first needs to undergo a training course through a government accredited training institution.

The training course provides instruction on the safe and efficient handling of the weapon in question and is followed IIRC by two test. These are a written test on knowledge of the Firearms Control Act of 2000 (e.g. legal responsibilities of firearm ownership, when you can / cannot shoot in self defence etc) and a practical test that encompasses weapon handling skills, basic marksmanship etc. The cost of this course will vary depending on the number of certificates being applied for or the type of firearm and the institution that's providing the training. Once the applicant's received their training certificate, they can apply for their competency certificate. If approved by the District Firearms Officer, they can then apply for their licence.

Costs:

* Training course ZAR 1500-2000 (~NZD 150-200).
* Competency certificate ZAR 70 (~NZD 7)
* Firearm licence ZAR 140 (~NZD 14)

TOTAL COST: ~NZD 171 - 221

Interesting, I was actually expecting it to be much higher?

Nice, that is a sensible way to conduct the practical test. Could see it working here.


Would dramatically increase the cost to entry for new shooters. New Zealand process might end up something like;

> Training Course NZD ~$200
> Competency NZD ~$10
> Firearms Licence NZD $126.50 [ includes the physical safe inspection by the police, reason for the high cost I think ]

Total: ~$336.50 NZD

To much?

Originally Posted by Dangerous Dan

Interesting, I was actually expecting it to be much higher?

It's only because the exchange rate has turned to complete shit over the past couple of years. ZAR 1500+ is still a lot of money for some people over there.