The NRA Range Safety Officer course is designed to prepare experienced shooters to the basic duties of a Range Safety Officer (RSO). RSOs ensure that the users of a range follow range regulations in order to reduce property damage and personal injury. RSOs often have responsibilities to take action when circumstances require it. The RSO is the range’s official on the firing line to ensure safety and to help shooters.
Many ranges seek out volunteer Range Safety Officers and the NRA developed this course to help ranges train those RSOs.
Becoming a Range Safety Officer is akin to becoming a NRA Certified Instructor, with much harder testing and the maintaining of a certification card with the NRA. A new RSO will need to pay $25 for processing of their card, and $5 annually to maintain the certification. RSOs are neither certified instructors or coaches.
Although the course can be completed as quickly as nine hours, it often will take longer depending on the class size and the facilities at the range. For example, a large number of indoor and outdoor ranges of different types cannot be toured quickly.
Students will receive a student packet featuring a RSO handbook. This handbook is not available separately.
Course Goal
“To develop NRA Certified Range Safety Officerse who possess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes essential to organizing, conducting, and supervising safe shooting activities and range operations.”
Lessons
- Introduction to the NRA Basic Range Safety Officer Course
- The Role of the NRA Range Safety Officer and Range Standard Operating Procedures
- Range Inspection and Range Rules
- Range Safety Briefing
- Emergency Procedures
- Firearm Stoppages and Malfunctions
- Test and Review
Prerequisites
NRA Range Safety Officers should be experienced shooters, involved in many aspects of target shooting, training, and range supervision. The NRA encourages active shooters to learn more and become responsible for the safety of fellow shooters through this program. There will be practical exercises with all types of firearms in this course, even if a shooter’s discipline does not require experience with those types.
Course Completion
Students will receive feedback on the practical exercises conducted during the course. There is a short written test on the lesson material at the end of the course. A 90% score is required to obtain certification.
