If you are interested in joining the club, you are allowed one visit to see the range and to talk to the range officials. To see when the range is in operation, go to the calendar page.
To Join:
Since the club is SSAA affiliated, membership of SSAA is compulsory. If you are not already a member of SSAA, go to this link and complete the form. Where it says “Preferred Branch/Club”, choose “HUON COMBINED SHOOTING CL”.
If you need to renew your SSAA membership, go to this link.
Being an SSAA member, you are now eligible to join the club. The Huon club membership form is here. Download and complete it. Submit by hand to the RO at the range or post to the address on the top of the form.
As well, you will need to download the Approval to Exchange Information form. Complete your section and include it with your membership application.
REFERENCES: You have the option of:
A: 2 current members sponsoring you
B: 1 current member and 1 reference from somebody who has known you for at least 3 years
C: 2 references from people who have known you for at least 3 years
Check you have included:
- Membership form
- Written reference(s) depending on number of sponsors
- Approval to exchange information
Your application will be reviewed at the next committee meeting – if accepted you will receive an invoice for fees for the club year or a pro rata dependent on the date of joining. There is a one off $20 application fee attached to the invoice.
For current membership information and/or fees, contact Pierre 0448 882 416 or MembershipHuonCombined@gmail.com
For full year (July to June) fees are:
Adult $85
Family (1 adult at same address as another adult member) $50
Pensioner $60
Junior $30
When your membership fees are paid, you will receive a receipt. This receipt can be used as Proof of Membership.
If you already have a Tasmanian Firearms Licence:
If your licence has “sport or target shooting” as a Genuine Reason to possess a firearm, you may attend the range – you will need to show both your licence and your SSAA card when signing in.
If your licence does not have “sport or target shooting” as a Genuine Reason, you will need to have that added before you attend the range. Go to Service Tasmania – remember to take your receipt as proof of membership. If Service Tasmania does not initially accept the receipt as proof, request them to immediately ring Firearms to confirm that the receipt is enough.
If you already have a licence with target shooting on it, and wish to add handguns (Category H) go to Service Tasmania. Remember to take your club receipt (see above paragraph). You will still have to wait 6 months after getting H added before you can purchase a handgun. Police will inspect your storage to check it is adequate for handguns. During this period, it is possible that you will need to do the Firearms Safety Course for Category H firearms. Firearms will send you a letter with the details for this.
If you do not have a Tasmanian Firearms Licence:
The next step is to apply for a licence exemption. This will enable you to participate in club activities for a period of 6 months while you go through the process of obtaining your licence. You are not allowed to attend the range after your one visit until you receive your licence exemption letter from Firearms.
The form is available for downloading and printing on the Firearms Services website here. Note that your signing and dating of this form must be witnessed by a Club Office Bearer (contact Membership Officer Pierre 0448882416).
If you are a junior (under 18 years of age) you are not eligible for a full firearms licence. You can apply for a Minor’s Permit, available here, from the age of 12 years.
Obtaining your licence:
The Firearms Services website has a comprehensive section here on how to go about this.
Note that you will receive a letter from Firearms stating that you are approved/ not approved for a licence. Before the licence is issued, you must enrol into and complete the Firearms Safety Training Course with TAFE Tasmania, within 6 months of receiving your letter.
Acquiring a firearm:
See the website here.
Some points to note:
- You must have suitable storage for the firearm(s) you wish to acquire. See here. Police will inspect your storage. What they will be looking for is here.
- For your first Category A or B firearm there is a “cooling off” period of 28 days before a permit to acquire is issued.
- For your first Category H firearm (handgun) you must have had a Category H licence and been a member of a pistol shooting club for a minimum of 6 months before a permit to acquire is issued.
- After the 6 months for Category H you may apply for no more than 2 of one .22 calibre pistol, one .177 calibre air pistol, one centre-fire pistol or one black powder muzzle loader. After 12 months, more permits may be applied for.
- The permit application form for a Category H firearm is different to the others. The Category H permit form requires endorsement by a Club Office Bearer.
- For Category H firearms there is a minimum participation rate requirement. This is generally 6 match attendances for a first handgun, and 4 more for each extra handgun, annually. The attendance forms are available at the club and each attendance is to be signed off by the range officer. See the club calendar for listed events. The attendance form must be returned to Firearms by the end of January each year.