HQL Completely Online Training Exemption

Blaster229 said:

A state correctional officer is not an LEO.
Note this guy's other leosa post. Asking about a federal "correctional officer" with the bureau of prisons being an leo.
Just sayin.

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You are correct in that we are NOT considered LEO. I was asking about Feds before because I maybe taking a job with them. My question is if the law states about renting, receiving, buying etc. that one must possess a HQL, then doesn't that put a Correctional Officer in a catch 22? I have "received" a handgun from the Sally port and then transported inmates to the local hospital as well as a hospital in Baltimore. Should there maybe have been something in the law adding Correctional Officers an exemption?
I know many of you and especially some LEOs look down on us as the red headed step child of the "law enforcement" community (even thought you are quick to point out that we are NOT law enforcement), but you maybe surprised at how well some of us do our jobs and the knowledge we have of our weapons and the implementation of them (I'm speaking about those of us from Western Maryland anyway). Not trying to speak bad of anyone or agency, but many LEO treat us like we are retards, yet I had a conversation with a trooper while I was on hospital duty and he didn't even know what model his Glock 22 40 caliber was. All he knew is that it was a Glock 40. big deal? maybe not, but I want to know exactly what I have and everything about it. Anyway thanks for the replies everyone

I don't think that anyone here is looking down on you. Just pointing out that you apparently break the law every time you are given a pistol.

Got it. I find the fact that you don't have the exemption fairly ludicrous then. As long as you guys(all correctional officers and not just most) get the proper firearms training then you should be exempt(meaning I don't agree with the current law). If your 3rd party contractor counterparts are receiving the same credentials then I can see this as a reason why they are not accepting your training as an exception.

For example, Federal Protective Services uses 3rd party contractors at my buildings to serve as a protection agency for the building. They are allowed to carry inside my building and 10ft outside the face of the building. After that they are breaking the law. They are not trained by FPS and therefore can't be considered FPS LEO's.

That's the only reason why I was asking. Thought it might shed some light on this.

bldgengineer said:

Got it. I find the fact that you don't have the exemption fairly ludicrous then. As long as you guys(all correctional officers and not just most) get the proper firearms training then you should be exempt(meaning I don't agree with the current law). If your 3rd party contractor counterparts are receiving the same credentials then I can see this as a reason why they are not accepting your training as an exception.

For example, Federal Protective Services uses 3rd party contractors at my buildings to serve as a protection agency for the building. They are allowed to carry inside my building and 10ft outside the face of the building. After that they are breaking the law. They are not trained by FPS and therefore can't be considered FPS LEO's.

That's the only reason why I was asking. Thought it might shed some light on this.

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There are no 3rd party contractors...just Correctional Officers who are employed by the Maryland D.P.S.C.S. Our firearms training comes from Correctional Officers who go to Firearms Instructor School and is certified by the state of Maryland to teach us. Our training and course of fire is outlined in COMAR. Below is some of what COMAR requires and what we do.

12.10.04.08
.08 Annual Firearms Classroom Instruction, Training, and Qualification Requirements.

A. General Requirements — All Firearms.

(1) During each calendar year, a firearms qualified employee shall successfully complete the following:

(a) Classroom instruction for each firearm type that the firearms qualified employee is authorized to use or carry;

(b) Firearms training for each firearm that the firearms qualified employee is authorized to use or carry; and

(c) Firearms qualification for each firearm that the firearms qualified employee is authorized to use or carry.

(2) Annual Firearms Classroom Instruction.

(a) A firearms qualified employee shall complete a minimum of two hours of firearms classroom instruction as part of the requirements established under this regulation.

(b) Firearms 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 firearms qualified employee’s annual firearms classroom instruction as part of a firearms qualified employee’s annual in-service training required under COMAR 12.10.01.

B. Annual Firearms Training and Qualification Requirements — Handgun.

(1) Required Firearms Training — Handgun.

(a) A firearms qualified employee shall annually discharge a minimum of 30 rounds of ammunition approved by the firearms qualified employee’s employing agency, or the ballistic equivalent, for training with the handgun designated by the firearms qualified employee’s employer for the employee to use or carry.

(b) Training drills to improve the firearms qualified employee’s skills may be incorporated into a course of fire.

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

(2) Course of Fire for Qualification — Handgun.

(a) For each handgun a firearms qualified employee is authorized to use or carry, with one finger on the trigger the firearms qualified employee shall discharge a minimum of 30 rounds of ammunition using ammunition authorized by the firearms qualified employee’s employer, or the ballistic equivalent, on each of the following:

(i) One day-fire course of fire; and

(ii) One reduced light course of fire.

(b) Firearms qualified employee annual course of fire for qualification consists of requirements 3—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 renewal is required for a firearms qualified employee by COMAR 12.10.01.

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

(1) Firearms training for each long gun a firearms qualified employee is authorized to use or carry consists of demonstrations to familiarize a firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee to successfully complete one course of fire for qualification, each calendar year, for the specific type of long gun the firearms qualified employee 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, the employer of a firearms qualified employee shall submit to the Commission the firearms qualified employee’s required firearms qualification score for each firearm the firearms qualified employee is authorized to use or carry.

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

(1) If a firearms qualified employee fails to successfully complete Commission annual firearms classroom instruction, training, and qualification requirements for an authorized firearm within a calendar year, the firearms qualified employee’s employer:

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

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

(2) Failure to Qualify with a Firearm.

(a) A firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee does not successfully meet qualification requirements within the period established under §E(2)(a) of this regulation, the firearms qualified employee’s employer shall immediately:

(i) Report to the Commission the firearms qualified employee's failure to qualify;

(ii) Require the firearms qualified employee to surrender the firearm to the employer, if it was issued by the employer; and

(iii) Withdraw the firearms qualified employee’s authority to use or carry the firearm for which the employee has not successfully met the qualification requirements.

(3) A firearms qualified employee 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 firearms qualified employee’s annual firearms training and qualification for the firearm required under this regulation.

I'm pretty sure that none of the classes being taught in order to get the HQL are this extensive. Is this not the same training/qualifications that the State Police must meet? We also do weapons retention, malfunction drills, and a maintenance and cleaning class of all of our weapons (Mini 14, M&P 40, and Remington 870).

Unfortunately, I do not know and cannot answer that question. Right now, according to MD unfortunately, it's not (how I interrupt it anyway). no matter how much I don't agree with it.

Well I finally bowed down and offered my neck for the freedom robbers of Maryland...I went through with applying for the HQL. I spoke to a very nice lady at the licensing division on two different occasions. She was most helpful and very polite...took her time to get answers to the questions I had. She sounds like she could be a member on here...she thinks that the rules and regulations for the HQL "is dumb" in her own words. I made sure to be very polite (as I usually am anyway) and thanked her several times for her help and time. I honestly wasn't expecting kind treatment.

Thanks Nate! Finally got around to doing it. I completed the application as you did, attaching the pdf of the temporary Hunter's Safety completion certificate and a pdf of your form letter as training proof in the "Training Exempt" HQL application. Didn't receive any calls from the HQL division.


Application\License Completed Feb/25/15
MVA Photo Completed Mar/16/15
LiveScan Completed Mar/16/15
Training Completed Mar/18/2015
NICS Completed Mar/18/2015
METERS Completed Mar/16/15
CJIS Completed Mar/16/15
MAFSS Completed Mar/16/15
JIS Completed Mar/16/15
DJS Completed Mar/18/2015
DHMH Completed Feb/25/15

Certification Date: 3/18/2015
=23 days, 18 business days

ryu said:

Thanks Nate! Finally got around to doing it. I completed the application as you did, attaching the pdf of the temporary Hunter's Safety completion certificate and a pdf of your form letter as training proof in the "Training Exempt" HQL application. Didn't receive any calls from the HQL division.


Application\License Completed Feb/25/15
MVA Photo Completed Mar/16/15
LiveScan Completed Mar/16/15
Training Completed Mar/18/2015
NICS Completed Mar/18/2015
METERS Completed Mar/16/15
CJIS Completed Mar/16/15
MAFSS Completed Mar/16/15
JIS Completed Mar/16/15
DJS Completed Mar/18/2015
DHMH Completed Feb/25/15

Certification Date: 3/18/2015
=23 days, 18 business days

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I do what I can! Glad to see more people use this. Even had a guy tell me that he called a friend of his at MSP Licensing Division and asked what was the easiest way to get an HQL. He put him on hold and came back, telling him to do the TX online course.

I did this and it is awesome!! I used https://texashuntered.com/ which was 15 bucks. I made a video on Youtube going through the process if anyone is interested. This saved me 100 bucks on taking a course. (I already took training elsewhere.)
Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5fUNVKDiGg

Confused about the Texas test

If I take the Texas test online (https://texashuntered.com/) and pass, there is no need for a field day in Maryland?

smithrhjr said:

If I take the Texas test online (https://texashuntered.com/) and pass, there is no need for a field day in Maryland?

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Correct

I as well did the Texas course online as well. I had not trouble with MSP in accepting it and got my HQL. I paid $19.95 for the course.

Sorry to dig up this thread, but I just completed and paid for this course (the texashuntered.com one) and had a question. When applying for the HQL, can you use the "temporary" student card that they email to you immediately after completing, or do you have to wait to get the physical card in the mail before you can upload it to your HQL application?

is the number on the certificate a permanent one? if not you may have to wait.

just a guess.

It says "Hunter Education Temporary Student ID#" so I guess not. Oh well. I guess two more weeks won't kill me...

3% chance of that.

Just heard from gunformation on youtube that MSP said the temporary certificate was fine and he was approved on that, sweet! Just FYI for anyone else reading and wondering.

cool beans.

congrats

I haven't bought a gun since 2008, when I completed the online Firearms Safety Course (I still have that certificate). I just tried to buy a handgun at Bass Pro in Baltimore and boy did I get a rude awakening.

My SIL owns a shop in WV and I'd like to buy from him and transfer via a Hagerstown shop.

I did sign up for the HQL at the MSP site.

So to be clear, I can take the Texas class linked above and that satisfies the training course?

yes it does