Need to get membership in order to get RPAl
 

Hey there all,
Going for my Rpal this week,
But need to join a range in order to actually submit my form.
Now the red deer fish and game one I used to be a member of is all full and not accepting anyone right now, mountain view is not, and the new one in red deer isn't built yet and is 600 a year...
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I would greatly appreciate any info or help, want to make sure I do this the right way!

You can get your RPAL without a range membership IF you do not currently own any restricted firearms....once you go to purchase your first one THEN you will need a range membership and need to keep it up to date or you will get nasty letters....

....unless they changed the requirements for the RPAL first timers secretly....which would not surprise me.

LC

Get a membership to someplace cheap out in the country, lots of small towns have F&G club ranges...

You're correct, LC. My father-in-law just got his RPAL renewed around the same time as I did the course and sent my app in. Only difference is, he already owned a handgun. He had to jump through some real hoops to get it all in order again. Proof of membership, transport permit, the whole bit. I didn't have to show a single document :) so in response to the OP: if you don't already own a handgun, just pop the application in the mail and off you go!

Just be sure if you do this that you are actually attending the club. Don't expect to get your membership cheap, buy a restricted firearm, and then never come back to the club. Unfortunately this is what was happening at a lot of small town gun clubs. Now most will pull your membership if you don't attend a certain amount of club activities.

I had to jump through the same hoops. The best part was at time of application and on the application it never said anything g about providing the membership proof....so that caused a major delay in getting my renewal done. Had I known at the time I could have just sent it in originally.

LC

It's almost like the RCMP wants to just make us wait or something... :) All these extra little processes and requests for more information really add up.

I swear I must have the most unlucky birthday for this stuff....my bday is in late October, and that is when my RPAL and LTATT come up for renewal. If there are any delays then I face the possibility of being in the field for rifle opener without a valid license....happened the past 2 times I have had to renew! Once I got it just in time the other time I got it 5 days into season.

LC

Man, that's awful! I can't even imagine what would happen if you were to let it expire... :scared: you could miss the whole season!

I would just need someone to hold my hand...no way I would miss the season!

LC

Just make sure you have a responsible adult within arms' reach at all times :sHa_sarcasticlol:

I would take ya hunting Lefty. Your not such a bad guy. I might even take you to some good spots this time!:) Just kidding!

I knew you were holding out on me....:)

LC

All the comments in here seem true. I did ask a question of why the information on shooting club association wasn’t included on the renewal, no answer was given. So with the information in this thread and previous ones its best to include proof of membership if renewing. For new applications it’s not an issue until you make a purchase.

Awesome, thank you all for the help.
This will make the next few days alot easier than trying to find a club that's not local. By the time my rpal gets here I am sure I will be able to find one and cross that road then,
Thanks again!

Does anyone have any experience with Silvercore Gun Club,
I have searched and only found them mentioned by one member,
but from what they have told me, it could help me out until spots open up closer to my home.

There is no rules regarding having to belong to a range in order to get an RPAL, but if you do not belong to one, it can delay your application, and at worst, it may be turned down until you join one. If you try to purchase a restricted firearm without belonging to a range, it will be delayed almost guaranteed. For some reason they do not always accept an application if you claim you are a collector.

I would find a range to join, even if you never use it, just so it will help with your application. Once you have the license in hand, then you can look around for a range that suits your needs.

I've got one thing to add -- my father in law just renewed his RPAL. Instead of becoming a member at a range (upwards of $100 per year, and he'll never use it) he simply bought a card from Phoenix Range that says "firearms guild" on it. It's $20 per annum for this card, and it stands in the place of a membership to a range. I'm not sure exactly on what the card does, but all I know is that the CFO will accept that card as a substitute for a membership @ a range.

Sounds like a good solution.

I had a membership with a range out by Chipman when I got my first pistol. I never went there, but it was free for life, and the guys at Milarm where issuing them. At that time I always shot at the range down townl, or at Phoenix. I do not think the Chipman range has been in operation for years now. But it worked to get my first couple pistols.

This is the form letter you will get..if you own restricteds and want to renew an RPAL and do not send in a proof of membership at time of renewal....and no where do they flat out tell you to provide it, so it just causes you more delays...

Here is the letter I received in respects to having a range membership before they would issue me my RPAL....

NOTICE WHERE IT SAYS..."Failure to respond to this notice may result in the rejection of your license application"

http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/...0203-00217.jpg

Have a read.....basically they are saying I NEED to have a range membership....this is what I got from the letter, correct me if I am wrong.

LC

Range membership
 

I'm not sure if they still do, but when I got mine I purchased an "associate" membership at The Shooting Edge in Calgary for 30 bucks.

In my dealings with the administration they wanted me to declare shooter or collector; they want one or the other. I did not get the letter you received I was still talking with the office, but your letter is what was communicated to me. I had a range membership but I had to be a collector or shooter not just own the item. I wish I had received a letter.

So you are going to be a collector or a shooter, once they get you classified you can deal with transport permits.

This is why whenever this type of question comes up I truly do not know what is correct, when it transition from the FAC to PAL in my situation I indicated I was a shooter not a collector, it was in the application.

Now when this question comes up and a person has no classified item and has applied for a PAL with conditions I assume range association is not a concern they don’t own any thing yet. I am making another assumption now at the time the individual applies for the PAL with conditions they probably ask purpose collector or shooter.

So the only correct answer would appear to declare your intent to the CFO and ask for direction.


I am about to renew my PAL I have not received the renewal but the last time I renewed it did not ask for my association with a range and yes it was delayed because I did not include this. After my call, I did not receives notification they said I did not include range membership. I asked why , they asked are you a collector or a shooter, they didn’t know whether they should include a transport permit. It’s a game and if you are better then the administrators you will have success.

I think it's 50 now but yeah. The Shooting Edge and Calgary Shooting Centre both offer "Associate Memberships".

It doesn't get you any club benefits; it exists solely for the purpose of satisfying the CFO requirements. I'd go with that.

For those of you wondering on how long it takes, I received my RPAL in the mail yesterday. It took about 4 months from the time I sent in the application. I do not belong to a range as of yet either.