Free Citizens Firearm Safety Class

OVERVIEW:

Thank you for your interest in the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) Citizen’s Firearms Academy. We offer this course free of charge to our citizens in support of their desire to become safe, educated and responsible gun owners.  This two-day course is designed to instruct you in firearms safety, to familiarize you with your weapon and to help you become proficient with its use.  Additionally, we hope to educate you about current gun laws and other related topics.

 This class is offered monthly* and is taught by law enforcement officers who are experienced and certified firearms instructors.  The first portion of the course is taught in the classroom and covers the majority of the topics mentioned above.  The second portion of the course is conducted at OCSO’s Shooting Range and is designed to incorporate the classroom instruction into a real life scenario i.e. firing your weapon safely and effectively.

 Once you have successfully completed both portions of the course, you will be awarded a Certificate of Completion.  This certificate can be used to meet the “Gun Safety Course” requirement of the Concealed Weapons Permit application.

 The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office is committed to making sure our course is safe, educational and fun for everyone involved. This requires we observe particular rules, procedures and liability issues, to include conducting full criminal history checks on all applicants.

 ACADEMY GUIDELINES:

·         The CFA is open to current Okaloosa County residents only.

·         Applications must be submitted in accordance with the procedures listed below.

·         Conviction of Felony charges and some misdemeanor charges may automatically disqualify an applicant for participation in the course (i.e. charges including but not limited to weapons, domestic violence or other crimes against a person such as assault, battery, stalking, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, etc.). 

·         Attendance and completion of the course as scheduled is mandatory.

·         Cancellation or failure to attend either portion of the course as scheduled will require submission of a new application for enrollment in any future course.

·         OCSO reserves the right to refuse participation to those persons deemed in violation of any rule or procedure related to participation in this course.

·         For safety reasons, maximum class size is 30.

·         Participants are responsible for providing their own handgun, ammunition and safety equipment which must meet with the approval of the instructor for safety and appropriateness (for details about equipment, see COURSE INFORMATION section below). 

ENROLLMENT PROCESS:

·         Using the link provided here, print out and complete the out CFA Application in full, then return it to the Sheriff’s Office Administration Building: 

MAIL: Citizen’s Firearms Academy                     FAX:   Citizen’s Firearms Academy

c/o Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office                Attn:  Front Desk (hold for Roberta Pifer)

Attn: Front Desk (hold for D/S Shepard)           850-609-3048

50 2^nd Street

Shalimar, FL 32579

•   Applications will be date stamped and placed in the first available open class in the order in which they are received.

·         Applications for the current class will be accepted until the maximum class size of 30 is met, at which time the course will be ‘CLOSED’ and all remaining applications placed in the next available class, also in the order which they were received.

·         These 30 participants will be contacted by OCSO personnel to confirm the course date for which they have been slotted to attend.

·         A background/criminal history check of every confirmed participant will be conducted (Criminal history checks are time sensitive and must be requested as close as possible to the start date of the course. These reports will be destroyed immediately following the conclusion of the course).  

·         Participants having any potential conflicts resulting from their criminal history check will be contacted by the OCSO Range Master, and the Range Master will be solely responsible for determining final approval for participation.

·         Due to the time sensitivity requirement of criminal history checks, participants unable to attend the course for which their attendance has been confirmed will be required to submit a new application to participate in a future course.

·         Any exception to this process requires the approval of the OCSO Range Master. 

COURSE SCHEDULE / GENERAL INFORMATION

• Attendance at both class dates is mandatory.
• Thurs class time is 6:00 - 9:00 PM and is held in the Training Room at the OCSO Administration Building. The physical address is 50 2nd Ave, Shalimar.  Participants can park along the north side (left) of the building and enter through the door marked "Training Room" also located on the north side of the building.
• On Thursday night participants will need to bring the firearm they intend to shoot at the Range on Saturday.  ALL FIREARMS MUST BE COMPLETELY UNLOADED --- ABSOLUTELY FREE OF AMMUNITION – PRIOR TO ARRIVAL AT CLASS.  The instructors will inspect all weapons during class to ensure appropriateness for use in this course.
• Also on Thursday night, instructors will inform participants of other gear needed, dress code, directions to the range and all other pertinent information related to the course.
• RANGE DAY is the Saturday (approx. 8:00A -3:00P) immediately following the Thursday night class.
• Basic safety gear REQUIRED for shooting at the range:  Ear and eye protection, close-toed shoes and a holster appropriate for your firearm.
• Because of the huge response to this free course, OCSO cannot maintain a waiting or “call-back” list.

NOTE: *  The Citizen’s Firearms Academy is taught by OCSO instructors and other Deputies who volunteer their time and is conducted via OCSO training facilities. We project to hold one CFA per month, however this is subject to change when necessary in order to meet priority law enforcement needs. We try very hard to avoid this situation, however we ask for your cooperation and understanding in these instances. To minimize the potential scheduling conflicts, CFA course dates are set by the OCSO Range Master further out than one month in advance i.e. we do not maintain a scheduled dates for anticipated future classes.

Please direct all questions, comments or requests for information to the CFA Point of Contact:

Roberta Pifer

rpifer@sheriff-okaloosa.org