Expertise for sport shooters, weapons expertise, WSK, ... What exactly is it? What do you need for it and what are the advantages? These questions are addressed in the following article.

In addition to one year of membership in a club and regular shooting practice, every sports shooter needs to pass a weapons expertise test in order to apply for a weapons ownership card or to acquire his or her first weapon. The legislator prescribes the conditions for this in §7 of the Weapons Act as well as in §1 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance exactly: it must be demonstrated sufficient knowledge in the handling of firearms. Both in theory and in practice.

Theoretical skills

Theoretical skills in handling firearms? That's right. One must know the legal situation. In detail, this means that you must know, among other things: what permits and requirements are there for the possession of firearms? Who is allowed to carry them? Keyword: firearms license? What types of firearms are there and how do they work?

Among other things, the self-defense paragraph in the penal code is also addressed. The theoretical subject area is very extensive! The named topics represent only a partial area.

Practical skills

This means nothing else than: Shooting! In the weapons proficiency test, of course, sufficient skills in shooting must be demonstrated. This does not mean that you have to achieve a certain number of rings, but the safe handling of firearms and the handling on the shooting range must be flawless.

Instruction for firearms proficiency must be a minimum of 16 full hours. This is required by law. As a rule, the lessons take place over a weekend or several evenings. Some providers also conduct online courses. The cost of a course including examination ranges from 150€-250€, depending on the provider. After the lessons, the practical exam takes place on the shooting range (of course, this is not possible online ;-)) as well as the theoretical exam. This consists mostly of multiple-choice questions and all these come from the current question catalog of the Federal Office of Administration.

Weapons expertise for weapons license

Now the subject of the weapons license: the devil is in the details here. Anyone who wants to carry weapons as part of their professional activity needs an extended weapons certificate. The one for sport shooters is not valid here - prerequisite: weapon carriers must complete at least 24 full hours of instruction.

Hunters prove their expertise by means of their hunting license, and gunsmiths obtain their expertise by passing their journeyman's examination. After successfully passing the examination, the participant receives a certificate showing the acquired expertise. With this, the first need can then be applied for. Of course, only when the first year in the shooting club is over, regular (strictly speaking 18 times in the year of membership or once a month) was shot and the safe storage is guaranteed. Before a weapon possession card can be applied for at the responsible authority (Ordnungs- or Landratsamt), a safe must also be available.

Do you have any questions about weapons expertise, would you like to know more about the topics mentioned or do you still need weapons expertise for your first sports equipment? Feel free to contact the team of Sachkunde Franken. Here you can take a 2-day course in the Nuremberg area or attend a refresher course.