CITIZEN FIREARM SAFETY CLASS

The Bradenton Police Department is offering a FREE basic firearms course to City of Bradenton residents.

This course is tailored for those with limited or no prior firearm experience. It incorporates a blend of classroom instruction, live-range exercises, firearm handling, manipulation exercises, and recent changes to concealed carry statutes. Participants will receive guidance from certified firearms instructors with extensive experience in law enforcement marksmanship throughout the course.

This class is made possible through a grant from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Local Firearm Safety Training Program.

Requirements:

  • Participants must be 21 years of age or older unless they are a service member or a veteran of the Armed Forces who was discharged under honorable conditions.

  • Participants must be U.S. citizens and reside in the City of Bradenton.

  • You must bring a state-issued photo ID or driver’s license to the class.

  • You must wear pants or slacks and closed-toe shoes. A baseball-style hat is optional.

    • No red shirts, shorts, or tank tops will be allowed.

  • Eye and hearing protection will be provided, or you may bring your own if preferred.

  • Handguns, ammunition, and targets will be provided.

Please do not bring a firearm.

Available Course Dates:

  • December 21, 2024 (Class is full)

  • January 11, 2025

  • February 15, 2025

  • February 22, 2025

A background check is required. If you applied for the class previously, but the class was full, you must complete another form.

Download the form, and email it to training@bradentonpd.com.

Possible Reasons for Ineligibility:

  • Renouncement of U.S. citizenship.

  • A dishonorable discharge from the armed forces.

  • Being a fugitive from justice.

  • A felony conviction (unless civil and firearm rights have been restored by the convicting authority).

  • A conviction for violation of controlled substance laws or multiple arrests for such offenses.

  • A record of drug or alcohol abuse.

  • A conviction for a misdemeanor crime of violence in the last three years.

  • Having been issued a domestic violence injunction or an injunction against repeat violence that is currently in force.

  • Being committed to a mental institution or adjudged incompetent or mentally defective.

  • Having adjudication withheld or sentence suspended on a felony or misdemeanor crime of violence unless three years have elapsed since probation or other conditions set by the court have been fulfilled.

  • Two or more DUI convictions within the previous three years.

  • The physical inability to handle a firearm safely.