Join The Military Pistol Club
Note: You must be an active member of the Military Rifle Club for at least 6 months before you may apply to join the Military Pistol Club. To retain membership of the Military Pistol Club, you must continue to be a member of both the SSAA and the Military Rifle Club.
Licenced Handgun Shooters can join without the 6 month wait if their application is approved and only once they have spoken to the Pistol Secretary.
In order to become a Member of the Military Pistol Club please follow the following steps, in order.
Obtaining a handgun licence in Victoria is much more involved compared to a longarm licence. We suggest you attend a Military Pistol Club shoot and talk to the Pistol Secretary who will outline the club requirements and arrange for you to shoot under supervision to gain experience and confidence in handling a handgun. The club can provide a handgun for you to shoot and ammunition (at a fee) also.
If you are already a member of the SSAA and Military Rifle Club then proceed to step 3.
1. Become a member of the SSAA. Application forms are available here Join the SSAA.
2. Join the Military Rifle Club If you are new member you must wait 6 months and be an active member.
3. Have your fingerprints taken and obtain a National Police Certificate . These two items must be obtained before you go any further.
4. Attend a Handgun Safety Course and obtain a Handgun Safety Certificate. The Club runs these courses regularly so you will need to contact the Pistol secretary to book your place.
5. Apply for membership of the Military Pistol Club. Membership can be done at the Handgun safety course. Membership will not be accepted until you have completed the Handgun Safety Course.
Note, the Military Pistol Club is a sub-club of the Military Rifle Club therefore membership in both is required.
6. Apply for and obtain a Provisional General Category Handgun Licence from the Licensing Regulation Division (LRD) of Victoria Police. Please visit the LRD website and review the instructions on the back of the licence application form. The Pistol Secretary is more than willing to help and guide you through this process if anything is unclear. The LRD also details information on applying for a firearm licence. Licence applications have a mandatory 28 day waiting period from the LRD. While waiting for your licence you will be able to shoot under instruction by filling in a Notice of Receiving Instruction and arranging to use the club or a friends Handgun. A junior can only shoot 3 times under Instruction and an Adult 10 times.
7. Attend the 1st and 2d Sunday of each month at Eagle Park or Monday nights at Springvale and enjoy military pistol shooting. The Pistol Secretary will keep a close eye on you to ensure all safety requirements are strictly adhered to. While you hold a provisional licence (minimum of 6 months), you are not able to purchase a handgun of your own, however you can use a club handgun (or a friends). You can purchase ammunition from a firearms dealer with your provisional licence.
8. After you have completed ALL of the following, you can apply for your general category handgun licence.
– Obtained your provisional general category handgun licence and held it for at least 6 months;
– Been a member of an approved handgun target shooting club for at least 6 months (the Military Pistol Club for example !);
– Completed 10 approved handgun target shooting matches.
Once you have obtained your general category handgun licence, you are able to purchase the first handgun of your own. There are some restrictions as to what handgun you are allowed to purchase during the first 6 months of your general category handgun licence Pistol Secretary can guide you through the decision making process. Do Not purchase anything until you have approval from the clubs nominated officer.
6. And don’t forget, attend the 1st and / or 2nd Sunday of each month at Eagle Park and enjoy military pistol shooting.