Md. Code Regs. 12.04.02.08

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 8, April 19, 2024

Section 12.04.02.08 - Annual Firearms Classroom Instruction, Training, and Qualification Requirements

A. General Requirements - All Firearms.

(1) During each calendar year, a police officer shall successfully complete the following:

(a) Classroom instruction for each firearm type the police officer is authorized to use or carry;

(b) Training for each firearm the police officer is authorized to use or carry; and

(c) Qualification for each firearm the police officer is authorized to use or carry.

(2) Annual Classroom Instruction.

(a) A police officer shall complete a minimum of 2 hours of classroom instruction as part of the requirements established under this regulation.

(b) Classroom instruction shall include the classroom instruction topics marked with an "X" under Annual Firearms Training in the table under Regulation .10B of this chapter.

(c) The Commission may accept up to 2 hours of a police officer's annual firearms classroom instruction as part of a police officer's annual in-service training required under COMAR 12.04.01.

B. Annual Handgun Requirements - Training and Qualification.

(1) Required Firearms Training-Primary Handgun.

(a) A police officer shall annually discharge a minimum of 30 rounds of ammunition approved by the police officer's law enforcement agency, or the ballistic equivalent, for training with the police officer's primary handgun.

(b) Training drills to improve the police officer's skills may be incorporated into a course of fire.

(c) Training may not include practicing the actual course of fire used for qualification.

(2) Course of Fire for Qualification-Primary and Secondary Handgun.

(a) For each handgun a police officer is authorized to use or carry, with one finger on the trigger the police officer shall discharge a minimum of 30 rounds of ammunition using ammunition authorized by the police officer's agency, or the ballistic equivalent, on each of the following:

(i) One day-fire course of fire;

(ii) One reduced light course of fire; and

(iii) If the handgun is equipped with a red dot sight, a one-day course of fire and a one-day reduced light course shall be fired with both the iron sights as well as the red dot sight.

(b) Police officer annual course of fire for qualification consists of requirements 3 through 10 in the Course of Fire Requirements for Handgun table under Regulation .05 of this chapter.

(c) A minimum score of 70 percent is required on both a day-fire and a reduced light course of fire for qualification for each handgun for which annual certification to be a police officer is required by COMAR 12.04.01.12B.

C. Annual Long Gun Requirements - Firearms Training and Qualification.

(1) Firearms training for each long gun a police officer is authorized to use or carry consists of demonstrations to familiarize a police officer with the nomenclature, operation, safety, care, and cleaning of the specific long gun type.

(2) Course of Fire for Annual Long Gun Qualification.

(a) During each calendar year, a police officer authorized to use or carry a specific type of long gun shall successfully complete the course of fire requirements for qualification for the specific long gun, as described in this subsection.

(b) Type 1 Long Gun Qualification. Annual firearms qualification requires a police officer to successfully complete four courses of fire for qualification, one during each quarter of a calendar year, for the specific type of long gun the police officer is authorized to use or carry according to the requirements established in the Course of Fire Requirements for Long Gun Qualification table under Regulation .07 of this chapter.

(c) Type 2 and Type 3 Long Gun Qualification. Annual firearms qualification requires a police officer to successfully complete two courses of fire for qualification, one during each half of the calendar year, for the specific type of long gun the police officer is authorized to use or carry according to the requirements established in the Course of Fire Requirements for Long Gun Qualification table under Regulation .07 of this chapter.

(d) Type 4 Long Gun Qualification. Annual firearms qualification requires a police officer to successfully complete one course of fire for qualification, each calendar year, for the specific type of long gun the police officer is authorized to use or carry according to the requirements established in the table under Regulation .07A of this chapter.

D. Reporting Firearm Qualification Scores to the Commission. By January 31 of the calendar year immediately following firearms qualification, an agency head shall submit to the Commission a police officer's required firearms qualification score for each firearm the police officer is authorized to use or carry.

E. Failure to Meet Commission Annual Firearms Classroom Instruction, Training, and Qualification Requirements.

(1) If a police officer fails to successfully complete Commission annual firearms classroom instruction, training, and qualification requirements for an authorized firearm within a calendar year, the agency head:

(a) Shall remove the firearm, or authorization to use or carry the firearm if personally owned, from the police officer by January 1 of the next calendar year; and

(b) May not return or authorize the police officer to use or carry the firearm until the police officer successfully completes the appropriate firearms classroom instruction, training, and qualification required under this chapter.

(2) Failure to Qualify with a Firearm.

(a) A police officer who fails an annual firearms qualification required under Regulation .08 of this chapter shall successfully complete qualification within:

(i) 30 consecutive calendar days of the initial attempt; and

(ii) The same calendar year as the initial attempt.

(b) If a police officer does not successfully meet qualification requirements within the period established under §E(2)(a) of this regulation, the police officer's agency head shall immediately:

(i) Report to the Commission the police officer's failure to qualify;

(ii) Require the police officer to surrender the firearm to the agency, if it was issued by the agency; and

(iii) Withdraw the police officer's authority to use or carry the firearm, if personally owned.

(3) A police officer may not use or carry a firearm that has been surrendered or for which authority to carry or use has been withdrawn, except during supervised training to meet the police officer's annual firearms training and qualification for the firearm required under this regulation.

Md. Code Regs. 12.04.02.08

Regulations .08 amended effective March 14, 1983 (10:5 Md. R. 465)
Regulation .08, Firearms Training and Instructor Certification Regulations, adopted effective January 1, 1992 (18:20 Md. R. 2199)
Regulations .08 adopted effective January 1, 2009 (35:24 Md. R. 2078); amended effective 49:7 Md. R.468, eff. 4/4/2022