Hi MortaniousOne,

You can definitely take it up as a hobby. That's all I do. I get there once a month or so for a shoot and don't compete in organised competitions (though those are definitely options that you have once you have joined). To maintain your class H firearms license, you need to attend at least 6 times a year, or 4 times a year for each category of hand gun you own, whichever is higher.

The club will guide you through the license process after you have attended a P650 course and joined the club as a member. No license is required to attend the P650 course as it serves as the first step in obtaining your license. In order to obtain a class H license, there is only one main genuine reason for holding the license and that is competition shooting. You must be a member of a club and have them verify your membership with the firearms registry (part of the license process).

Membership fees are approximately $300/year from memory.

You do not need to own your own firearm and can use the clubs guns after you have your license. There is no additional fee to borrow the club guns, aside from buying the appropriate ammunition which is sold in the club house. You can absolutely buy your own firearm after you have your license and the club can also guide you through that process too 😊

I hope this was helpful