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SARATOGA COUNTY
ADVANCED FIREARM COURSE FOR AN UNRESTRICTED PISTOL LICENSE
INFORMATION SHEET
An advanced training course has been developed in Saratoga County
which will be a prerequisite in obtaining an unrestricted conceal carry
pistol license. Registration for this course, minimum proficiency
requirements and other important information is provided below:
I.
COURSE REGISTRATION INFORMATION
 Pre-registration and payment for the course is required. Course
fee of $200 must be submitted at the time of course registration
to one of the listed certified instructors authorized by Saratoga
County to offer this course. The applicant will forfeit the fee if he
or she fails to appear for the course.
 All applicants must have a valid Hunting/Target pistol license for
at least one (1) year prior to applying for the unrestricted license.
 The applicant must present their valid pistol license, and a
photocopy of the license to the instructor when he/she arrives to
attend the course.
 The applicant must arrive at the course with their unloaded
firearm properly secured in a hard or soft case. The applicant is
responsible for providing 100 rounds of commercially produced
ammunition suitable for use in the firearm proficiency test. Eye
and ear protection is mandatory while on the range, and there
will be no exceptions.
 If a course participant is unsuccessful in showing firearm
proficiency during the required qualification course of fire, he/she
may reapply after 90 days. There will be a $50.00 administrative
re-application fee charged to reapply. .
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II.
GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS
 The course will last a minimum of eight (8) hours and consist of 1)
classroom instruction in the law; 2) best practices of safe
handling, firing, storage and maintenance of firearms, and 3) live
fire range qualification. Students must attend the entire class to
qualify.
 Enrollment for each class is limited to 15 students. Participants
must pass the written exam with a score of 85% or higher upon
answering 32 multiple choice and true/false questions.
Participants must also pass courses of fire on the range with a
score of 70% or higher.
 Applicants must show they can safely operate, handle, and store
their firearm at all times during their course participation. Any
participant who fails to follow the best practices of firearm safety
will be dismissed summarily from the course without any refund
of their $200 application fee.
 It is recommended that each applicant engage in substantial
practice in the safe handling and firing of his/her firearm before
registering for this course. Class instruction alone on safe and
proficient ways to use a firearm may be insufficient for the
applicant to properly prepare to pass the live fire component of
the course.
 If a course participant is unsuccessful in passing either the written
examination or shooting a qualifying score on the shooting
portion of the course, he/she WILL BE REQUIRED TO RETAKE THE
FAILED PORTION OF THE COURSE NO SOONER THAN 90 DAYS
FROM ORIGINAL COURSE DATE. To retake those portions of the
course he or she failed. Participants will be required to pay a $50
administrative fee to retake either portion of the course.
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 If the participant fails to retake the shooting portion of the course
AFTER 90 DAYS, BUT NO LATER THAN 180 DAYS FROM ORIGINAL
COURSE DATE, he/she will be required to reapply for the entire
course, at full cost to the applicant.
 The course instructor will award certificates of completion to each
participant who completes the course successfully. A copy of the
certificate must be presented with the participant’s Firearms
Amendment application for an unrestricted conceal carry pistol
license.
 Certificates remain valid up to 6 months from the completion date
of the course.
 NOTE THAT SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THIS COURSE DOES
NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE LICENSING OFFICER WILL ISSUE THE
APPLICANT AN UNRESTRICTED CONCEAL CARRY PISTOL LICENSE .
THE APPLICANT’S FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE COURSE
SUCCESSFULLY MAY QUALIFY AS “GOOD CAUSE” FOR THE
DENIAL OF AN UNRESTRICTED LICENSE. PENAL LAW SECTION
400.00[1][g].
III.
COURSE CURRICULUM
 CLASSROOM QUALIFICATION
o course instructors will teach participants about:
 New York Penal Law provisions including, but not
limited to, the Safe Act, New York’s law of justification
of the use of force (Penal Law Article 35); reporting
requirements for theft or loss of a firearm or
ammunition, where is it lawful to carry and possess a
firearm, and proactive awareness of surroundings,
home, and car while carrying a firearm
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 unrestricted conceal carry requirements, such as
choosing the correct holster, and location of the
holster on your person
 the safe operation and handling of your firearm,
including discussion on cartridge components and
types of cartridges, malfunctioning ammunition,
shooting stances, sight alignment, and drawing from
the holster
 the written examination will follow classroom
instruction. The instructor will collect all answer
sheets and written test questions from each
participant upon completion of the test. Participants
may not retain the test questions.
 NOTE all participants in classroom instruction may not
use or possess cell phones during the course. All cell
phones must be collected by the instructor during
instruction, and will be returned to the participants at
the end of the course.
 COURSE OF FIRE QUALIFICATION: GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
o Participants must arrive on the range at the stated time with
a properly registered firearm that they intend to use for
qualification and 100 rounds of commercially produced
ammunition.
o Applicants may use any semi-automatic pistol or revolver
with a barrel length that is eight (8) inches or less. The
applicant must also bring a holster or other carry device
(fanny back, hand bag) appropriate for carrying his/her
firearm in a concealed manner. All firearms will be inspected
by the instructor to make certain it is working properly.
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o The firearm should be:
 Secured in an appropriate case or gun box
 Unloaded
 Clean
 In safe operating condition
 QUALIFICATION COURSE REQUIREMENTS
o Upon instructions from the range officer, the applicant:
 Will approach the firing line and place his/her carry
device on the table
 Applicants will not load their firearm until directed to
do so by the instructor
 When permitted, the applicant will remove his/her
firearm, and prepare it for live firing, by either loading
the magazines (semi-automatic), or by loading the
speed loaders (revolver)
 Upon inspection and direction by the instructor, the
applicant will stand at the firing line, load the firearm,
and come to a ready position (firearm pointed down
range towards target at 45 degree angle).
o The qualification course will begin upon the command of the
instructor. The applicant will have (2) two opportunities to
successfully complete the course of fire.
o Upon “cease fire” command by instructor, the applicant will:
 Remove the magazine from the firearm, lock the slide
to the rear or open the cylinder and remove any
remaining ammunition
 Do a safety inspection of the firearm to check that it is
unloaded and then close the slide or cylinder
 Secure a safe and empty firearm in the carry case
 Step away from the line with all equipment
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NOTE: if both attempts are unsuccessful, the applicant will be
required to re-take the shooting qualification portion of the course
after a 90 day waiting period.
NOTE: any applicant who fails to property handle, operate or store
his/her firearm will be summarily dismissed from the class with no
refund of the application fee.
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FINAL QUALIFICATION COURSE OF FIRE REQUIREMENTS
Course of Fire:
Warm up: 10-20 rounds / untimed (student discretion)
Qualification:
Untimed:
5 yards (20 rounds) – 70% / 14 rounds strike success on AP-1
dimension target
10 yards (20 rounds) – 70% / 14 rounds strike success on AP-1
dimension target
Timed:
(Students w/2 mags)
5 yards (10 rounds total w/reload - 5 rounds fired / reload / 5 rounds
fired (20 second time limit)
– 70% / 7 rounds strike success on AP-1 dimension target
(Students w/1 mag)
5 yards (5 rounds – no reload) – 5 rounds fired (10 second time limit)
– 70% / 7 rounds strike success on AP-1 dimension target
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Non-Qualification / Skill Demonstration:
Draw from concealment:
-NON-LIVE FIRE
-Strong-side holster (IWB/OWB)
- Personal firearm / holster (dry-fire) OR
Range supplied non-gun / holster (inert)
- Draw and fire 5 rounds (untimed) on AP-1 dimension target
 COMPLETION OF THE COURSE
o The written examinations will be scored before the course of
fire qualification, and participants who do not pass will not
be allowed to continue to the course of fire qualification
o A certificate of completion will be issued by the instructor
upon successful completion of the course. A sample
completion certificate is annexed to this information sheet.
It must be provided as part of the applicant’s Firearm
Amendment application seeking an unrestricted conceal
carry pistol license.
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