Knowledge for sports shooters, firearms knowledge, WSK, ... What exactly is that? What do you need for it and what advantages arise from it? We will address these questions in the following article.

Every sports shooter needs, in addition to one year of club membership and regular shooting practice, a firearms knowledge examination in order to apply for their firearms ownership card or to acquire their first weapon. The legislator specifies the conditions for this in §7 of the Weapons Act and in §1 of the General Weapons Act Ordinance: sufficient knowledge in handling firearms must be demonstrated. Both in theory and in practice.

Theoretical Skills

Theoretical skills in handling weapons? Correct. You need to know the legal situation. In detail, this means you must know, among other things: what permits and requirements exist 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 Criminal Code is also addressed. The theoretical subject area is very extensive! The mentioned topics only represent a part of it.

Practical Skills

This means nothing other than: shooting! In the firearms knowledge examination, sufficient shooting skills must also 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 at the shooting range must be flawless.

The instruction for firearms knowledge must last at least 16 full hours. This is legally required. Usually, the instruction takes place over a weekend or on several evenings. Some providers also conduct online courses. The cost range for a course including examination varies between €150-250 depending on the provider. After the instruction, the practical examination takes place at the shooting range (which obviously cannot be done online ;-)) as well as the theoretical examination. This mostly consists of multiple-choice questions, and all of these come from the current question catalog of the Federal Administrative Office.

Firearms Knowledge for Firearms License

Now to the topic of firearms license: the devil is in the details here. Anyone who wants to carry weapons as part of their professional activity needs extended firearms knowledge. The one for sports shooters is not valid here - requirement: firearm carriers must complete at least 24 full hours of instruction.

Hunters demonstrate their knowledge through the hunting license, and gunsmiths obtain their knowledge by passing their journeyman examination. After successfully passing the examination, the participant receives a certificate indicating the acquired knowledge. This can then be used to apply for the first need. Of course, only after the first year in the shooting club has passed, regular shooting has taken place (specifically 18 times in the year of membership or once a month), and safe storage is ensured. Before a firearms ownership card can be applied for at the responsible authority (public order office or district office), a safe must also be available.

If you have questions about firearms knowledge, want to know more about the mentioned topics, or still need firearms knowledge for your first sports equipment, feel free to contact the team at Sachkunde Franken. Here you can complete a 2-day course in the greater Nuremberg area or attend a refresher course.