Club / Range Certification


Club Approvals and Range Certification

It is important that you read all the information below.

Club Approval

Firstly, Mike McIlraith, the Director Partnerships of Te Tari Pūreke (Firearms Safety Authority) has provided more guidance on the Police Club Approval process.

Section 38C of the Arms Act 1983 now requires any club that supplies firearms or ammunition to be registered under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908.  This section applies to a small-bore club when youth groups or other shooters are being supplied ammunition and firearms.  With many small-bore clubs being located in provincial and rural New Zealand he is advised that a number of small bore clubs do not have 10 or more members and are therefore not able to meet the Incorporated Society Act requirements.

 

Note that any new or re-registered Incorporated Societies, doing so prior to October 2023, must do so under the original Act(1908) rules which requires 15 members.

 

He states that on receipt of an application form (for Club Approval) from a club without 10 or more members the Te Tari Pūreke Clubs and Ranges team will work with the club to understand their individual circumstances.  Where the only gap in the application for club approval is less than 10 members, the Clubs and Ranges team will discuss with the club what a reasonable period would be to grow their membership.  Once a timeframe has been agreed the decision on the application will be deferred, thereby enabling the club to continue operating. 

The key here is getting existing clubs that fall into the category above to apply.  Once applications are received, they can keep operating and the Clubs and Ranges team will work with them on next steps.

Also, TSNZ is in the process of clarifying the situation of Clubs amalgamating with a new name (not one of the existing Clubs name). Hopefully, the resultant club or organisation is NOT classed as a new entity so the shooting activity can continue post 24th June.

The Police response is to get the applications in and the Clubs and Ranges team will work on the way forward.

 

Remember that all Clubs MUST apply for Club Approval regardless of their size and incorporated state, unless their Association is going to be the "Approved Club".

 

Range Certification

Thanks to the work done by Ross Mason and Val Wadsworth, an updated version of the guide for the required Range Standing Orders has been released for the use of a Shooting Range Operator and the Range Inspectors.

 

Two documents are attached, the file "TSNZ ABC MRC Range Standing Orders Guide 230316.pdf" is a guide with added explanations re the target positioning. The second document is "ABC MRC Range Standing Orders V3.docx"  is the template document that is required to be completed by the Shooting Range Operator with the help of the Range Inspector, as part of the Certification application.

PLEASE use these documents rather than any older versions you may have.

 

Click here to view a PDF of the Example of the Range standing Orders Guide

 


Clubs and Ranges Regulations 

 

Click here for Club Approval Advice to Associations and Clubs

 

Click here for the link for key information from the Firearms Safety Authority
 

Click here for the Shooting Club Guide

Click here for a list of the Shooting Range Inspectors
 

Note the definition of a shooting Club. This includes Clubs, Associations and TSNZ

“A shooting club is a voluntary association of people who act according to a set of written rules, and take part (or intend to take part) in shooting activities on a regular basis. In this context shooting activities means using a firearm to shoot at targets that aren't living, whether those targets are fixed or moving. Paintball shooting and airsoft shooting are not included in shooting activities.”


Police Range Inspections - What Clubs have to do

Ross Mason  - 19 October 2022 

Range Certification

Clubs should now be very aware that ALL TSNZ ranges need to be reinspected and a completed application for Range Certification be sent to Police by 24 June 2023.

Here is a list of the things that all Shooting Range Operators (SRO) need to do:

 

  1.  Read Part 6 of the Arms Legislation (2020) here: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2020/0023/latest/LMS256768.html#LMS2567
     
  2.  Download – and read - the TSNZ Range Manual.  Click here for the TSNZ RANGE MANUAL
     
  3. Read ALL material on this page on the Police Website:
    https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/firearms-and-safety/what-do-i-need-know/new-firearms-laws-and-what-they-mean/info-clubs-ranges
     
  4. Read the information in each of the links given above - Things to note: Who are the Shooting Range Operators?  Who are the Shooting Range Inspectors?  Preparation for Shooting Range Operators Shooting range forms and resources.
     
  5. SRO to follow the procedure in “Preparation for Shooting Range Operators”
     
  6. Download the following forms from the Police website link. 
    CR1 - Shooting Range Application for Certification
    CR2 – Shooting Range Standing Orders Template
    CR3 – Shooting Range Inspection Report
    CR5 – Indoor – Shooting Range Inspection Checklist. 
     
  7. Find an accessible Range Inspector. They are there to offer assistance to the SRO. Any Police Range Inspector can be accessed. See the list on the Police page above or contact TSNZ directly for TSNZ affiliated RIs.
     
  8. After reading the TSNZ Range Manual, follow CR3 and fill in as much information as possible. It will be clear there are some clauses that are not applicable. Write “NA”. Confirm that the dimensions of wall and ceiling protections are adequate, bullet catchers and backstop actually work and are able to be inspected for integrity, access to the range is adequate etc. Take plenty of photographs, this will make it easier for Police to assess the Inspection Report.
     
  9. Fill in the RSO template CR2. Keep to the format in the template, again, if any clause is not appropriate tag with “NA”. Note special aspects of your range that help to ensure safe operation. Note that TSNZ Shooting Rules have safety operations and procedures already written so utilise that fact as a way to eliminate repetition. Police are keen to ensure new untrained shooters follow the Arms Act. That is, write a short explanation emphasising the sequence of how your club introduces to Indoor shooting is accomplished.
     
  10. Provide the draft CR3 and photos to the RI and arrange a time for them to inspect the range. The RI will utilise CR5 to check the range to their satisfaction.
     
  11. The RI then assists the SRO to fill in CR3 and CR1. Once agreement is reached between the RI and SRO, the SRO is to send all forms and photographs to Police. Police will then go over the application and will let the SRO know if there are any issues that may need addressing.


Club Approvals

All Shooting Clubs have be approved by 24 Jun 2023. Sadly, there are no regulations out and this will have to be worked out early next year. TSNZ Shooting Clubs should all have a constitution. If Clubs are going to buy and sell ammunition for the benefit of the members, then they will need to become Incorporated Societies. At this time, Clubs should get their constitutions sorted but wait until early 2023 for further information.

Comment
Once it looks like the application will be accepted, the next step will be certification. Police will process and keep the application at this point. But…… The Regulations have not been finalised as of 19 October. It is expected they will be out by the end of this year. These will also include Fees for the Certification of the Range. Once published, there may be modifications to the application. Since 90% of the process has occurred it is expected these will be easily accommodated.

From the Police Website:
“Once the required content, process and fee for application are set out in regulations, and when the regulations come into force, Police will contact the Shooting Range Operator to discuss how to make a formal application. If the application is approved the Shooting Range Operator will receive a certificate for each certified range.”



It is important to note that at the time the application is forwarded to Police, all forms must accompany the application. Merely applying is not sufficient.
Failure to supply a completed application by 24 June 2023 will mean the range is not certified and shooting must cease until certification is approved.
Collectively we have some work to do. Together we can achieve it.

 


 

 

Range Certification Update - Steve O'Donnell - 12 October 2022
 

The new Arms Legislation requires all shooting range operators to have submitted their certification application by 23rd June 2023, or they will not be able to continue shooting on the range until the range is fully certified.

The application MUST include the Shooting Range Inspectors (SRI) report and the Range Standing Orders.

We currently have approximately ten qualified TSNZ-focussed SRI’s to cover all our ranges before June 2023.

It is URGENT that all Associations and Clubs get their ranges inspected and the application process started.

 

Click here for the TSNZ RANGE MANUAL

 

 


Ross Mason is a long-time TSNZ Member from Upper Hutt, and is also a member of the Police Range Certification Engagement Group.

Ross has been assisting to write the Police Range Manual and to recruit Shooting Range Inspectors,
and will be regularly updating TSNZ on the progress of the new Clubs and Ranges Certification process.

 

Click here for Ross Mason's UPDATE on Clubs and Ranges Certification - 22 Sept 2022