Amendment #17 to H4278

Shooting Qualification and Training Requirement for LTC Applicants

Mr. Toomey of Cambridge moves to amend the bill in section 33 by inserting after clause (x) the following clause:-

“(xi) has not completed a firearms training course of at least twenty hours or combination of approved courses approved by the secretary of public safety or his designee, which includes range qualification time under subclause (A) of this sentence, that covers the following: (a) firearm safety; (b) the basic principles of marksmanship; (c) care, cleaning, loading, and unloading a concealable firearm; (d) all applicable state and federal laws relating to the ownership, storage, carry, and transportation of a firearm; (e) and, instruction on the appropriate and lawful interaction with law enforcement while transporting or carrying a concealed firearm.

(A) An applicant for a new license shall provide proof of certification by a certified firearms safety instructor to the licensing authority that the applicant passed a live fire exercise with a concealable firearm consisting of: (a) a minimum of 30 rounds; and (b) 10 rounds from a distance of 5 yards, 10 rounds from a distance of 7 yards, and 10 rounds from a distance of 10 yards at a B-27 silhouette target approved by the colonel of state police.

(B) A certificate of completion for an applicant’s firearm training course shall not be issued to a student who: (a) does not follow the orders of the certified firearms safety instructor; (b) in the judgment of the certified firearms safety instructor, handles a firearm in a manner that poses a danger to the student or to others; or (c) during the range firing portion of testing fails to hit the target with seventy percent of the rounds fired.

(C) A certified firearms safety instructor shall maintain a record of each student's performance for at least 5 years, and shall make all records available upon demand to the colonel of the state police.

(D) Any person qualified to carry a firearm as an active law enforcement officer or certified as a basic firearms safety (BFS) instructor by the department of state police, shall be exempt from the requirements of this clause.

(E) Ten hours of training may be counted as completed toward the twenty hour training requirement under this clause if the applicant is an active, retired, or honorably discharged member of the United States Armed Forces.”