knewmans wrote:Having completed this recently the process was:
The introductory day which was an introduction to various disciplines, safety and legislation, ...
Training days for each of the disciplines you want to do e.g. iron sighted rifle, Gallery rifle and scoped rifle.
Attend three probationary shoots with the NRASC at Bisley where you are supervised.
These elements together are the training to get from probationary to full NRA membership, thus they constitute the NRA Probationary Course for practical purposes (but note comments below about disciplines).
Having done that your full NRA membership is confirmed and you receive an SCC showing the disciplines you are deemed to be safe shooting.
The SCC does not show disciplines, it shows groupings of firearm type as agreed with MoD. A Discipline is "a competitive target shooting activity explicitly limited by parameters set out by a governing body" (Section 16 NRA Handbook).
Dromias two comments show the absolute necessity in this kind of discussion of getting the terminology correct. There is actually no such thing as an MoD Range Certificate. There are:
Range Safety Certificates: statements that a range is safe to operate within certain limits. Issued for MoD ranges by MoD based on advice from their internal experts, or for civilian ranges by the range operator on advice from one of the National Governing Bodies, though many civilian ranges continue to operate on the basis of certificates issued in the past by MoD. Transparent to the ordinary club shooter in the sense that the club management or RCO should look after issues arising from the limitations in the Range Safety Certificate, and communicate them in a user-friendly fashion to the shooter.
MoD Licenses: these are the basis of the contractual arrangement between MoD and a club to hire MoD facilities (ie a range). Should also be transparent to the ordinary shooter.
Range Conducting Officer certificates: the evidence of qualification by one of the NGBs as an RCO, which carries the privelige of supervising civilians on an MoD range. Should also be transparent to the ordinary shooter, except to realise you need one to do the job, so don't volunteer unless you have one!
SCCs (I can never remember exactly what this stands for): the evidence that a civilian shooter is competent in using certain classes of firearm, issued by their Club Chairman under the agreement between NGBs and MoD to permit members of civilian clubs to use MoD ranges. Also required at Bisley because of the way in which the NRA / MoD agreement was structured. Part of MoDs audit trail, and serves no other purpose. The shooter's responsibility to maintain, and the club's responsibility to ensure that the shooter does not go on the range without one.
and a number of other bits of paper.
Regarding the latest MoD Policy letter (RSPL 13/02).
Governing bodies issue RCO qualifications (running a range). Club Chairmen issue SCCs (shooting on a range). The NRA is both an NGB and a Club in its own right, and because of the size of the membership has an agreement that SCCs may be signed by the Secretary General (a secondary appointment of the Chief Executive and thus work by a paid professional) rather than the Chairman (an unpaid volunteer who has enough to worry about without having to sign loads of cards every time he turns up).
The MLAGB RCO course can be documented as an additional qualification on an NRA RCO card. I don't know if MLAGB also issue cards in their own right (eg off a course run at Wedgenock?). NSRA run their own course and issue their own qualifications. Not sure what the shot gun users do in terms of process.
Yes, it's complicated and a bit messy. If you are at all unsure, do ask - do not risk getting it wrong through ignorance.
Iain
Range Safety Compliance Officer
NRA