Gun Permit for a Pistol for Shooting Sports Grounds / Finland
Updated 30.03.2025
Here are my personal experiences and instructions with examples for applying for a pistol gun permit on shooting sports grounds, presented as concisely as possible. I have compiled the following text as briefly and clearly as possible, outlining the permit conditions, sample examples for filling out the application, and other noteworthy points. NOTE! I personally applied for two "ERVA" pistol permits at once (after the first permit, subsequent permits are roughly half the price of the first one when multiple applications are submitted simultaneously, and an "ERVA" permit does not incur additional costs. I thought I would avoid later regrets if I wanted to attach magazines with more than 20 cartridges to the pistols). Hence, in the given examples, I applied for "ERVA" gun permits for two pistols. Do not directly copy my responses if you are only applying for a permit for one pistol with a magazine capacity of a maximum of 20 cartridges.
So, here it goes
Permit Conditions:
-You have joined an association authorized under section 4 of the Association Act (e.g., reservist associations, shooting clubs).
- You have started a shooting hobby for which the need to use the pistol being applied for can be justified, and its operating mechanism is suitable for that hobby (e.g., TT3 / self-loading semi-automatic firearm is well-suited for SRA and IPSC activities).
- You have, for example, successfully passed the SRA shooting test, and you have been issued a registered shooter number in the SRA shooter registry, or, for example, you have completed the IPSC basic course and final test successfully.
- You have practiced shooting sports with the specific firearm type for at least 2 years (e.g., the first shooting session counted as a hobby with a pistol on 01.03.2020 → the earliest possible permit submission date is 02.03.2022).
As soon as the above-mentioned points are met, you are entitled to apply for a gun permit for a pistol.
On the police's website, under the section "Gun Permit Forms," you will find a form titled: "Ase 07 fi Justification Form for Applying for a Firearm Permit under the Firearms Act for Shooting Sports or Hobby Grounds" with just a few clicks, as long as you can focus a bit.
First section: Previous shooting sports hobby
Here, I personally listed when I joined the Reservist Association along with the membership number, the SRA-shooter association and shooter number, when I successfully completed the SRA shooting test, which firearm courses I have participated in and when, the date of my first shooting session with the firearm type now being applied for, and which organized shooting activities I have participated in during my hobby (I did not include dates for these because the writing space is limited, and this information can be found in the shooting sports instructor's certificate attached to the application). I also listed other TT3 firearm types I have used for SRA, for example, rifle shooting and shotgun shooting in different clubs and shooting ranges.
Second section: Shooting sports hobby with the intended firearm
In this section, I only wrote: "SRA - Applied Reservist Shooting. To fully engage in and practice the sport, owning pistols is absolutely essential. SRA scoring is based on the relationship between hits and the time taken for performance. For the best shooting results, even minor factors like the time spent changing magazines have a significant impact. If magazine changes are not required during the performance, it greatly improves the shooting score. ERVA magazines provide a notable advantage in sports performance."
Third section: Shooting range / other area used
Here, it is sufficient to know where you can practice and what your rights to practice are based on. My own response was: "SRA-pistol training mainly takes place at xxx shooting range, xxx shooting range, xxx shooting range, and xxx shooting range, which are currently available for members of xxx Reservists Ry, as well as at xxx shooting range, of which I am also a member of the shooting club. I also participate in SRA competitions organized by the Reservist Sports Federation Ry, at shooting ranges designated by the competition organizer as suitable for events."
Fourth section: Additional grounds for handguns and particularly dangerous firearms
This section asks for, as the instructions state, what, when, where, and how long you have practiced. I personally wrote: "I will be practicing SRA with these handguns. Owning pistols is absolutely essential for fully engaging in and practicing the sport. Magazines with over 20 cartridges in the firearms help improve results by shortening the time spent on extra magazine changes during the shooting performance. I am applying for two gun permits because the intention is to practice with one firearm using traditional iron sights and the other with a red dot sight. Practicing with only one firearm is impossible for both methods, as removing sights would require re-aligning the firearm every time, which is not feasible during supervised practices."
Fifth section: Additional grounds for firearms of other types
This section is left blank. You are not currently applying for a firearm of other types.
Then, just add the date and signature.
Attachments for the gun permit application
Passport / identification card (it is recommended to make a photocopy in advance when submitting the permit application as it speeds up the process. ALSO BRING THE ORIGINAL, online PDF).
Proof of completed military service or civilian service, e.g., military pass (it is recommended to make a photocopy in advance when submitting the permit application as it speeds up the process. ALSO BRING THE ORIGINAL, online PDF).
Proof of membership in an association (e.g., if you are involved in SRA and have joined a reservist association, by logging into the Reservists Association website you can print the required information, which shows the membership associations and their joining dates. Also, paid insurances like the Activity Insurance are visible on the same page. You can print the SRA shooter number by logging into the Reservist Sports Federation Ry website, online PDF).
A certificate of active shooting sports participation written by a shooting instructor. I personally included the following documents in the application to avoid potential additional clarification requests (these are not required by law, but if extra requests arise, they usually delay the granting of the permit by several weeks):
Shooting diary and photocopies of all pages. I had accumulated 60 shooting sessions per year with the relevant TT3 firearm type when I applied for the permit, online PDF.
Screenshot / photocopy of my gun cabinet details showing that the specific gun cabinet is approved for the storage of ERVA firearms, online PDF.
P.S. Before submitting the permit application and paying for it, it is worth checking the attachment published by the Police Board, Appendix 1 Disqualifications (https://poliisi.fi/ampuma-aselupakaytantojen-yhtenaistaminen-liite-1-estevaikutukset) regarding conditions that disqualify someone from a gun permit if you are the type of person "to whom things always happen / who is always in the wrong place at the wrong time" or otherwise have "messed up" more or less in your life.
You can submit the gun permit application directly to the police station by booking an appointment there, or by filling out the gun permit application online (double-check that everything necessary is included in the application, as additional clarification requests will delay the approval of the application immediately by at least a couple of weeks). I cannot answer whether either method is faster or not, as I have used both methods, and it has taken about 4-6 weeks on all occasions (+ about 2 weeks for booking an interview appointment and the interview itself if the interview is necessary).
Also, note that if this is your first gun permit for a pistol, you will have to attend a separately scheduled police gun permit interview (you will attend the interview even if you have already been interviewed once for the first firearm, e.g., for a rifle or a shotgun). The gun purchase permit is valid for 12 months from the granting of the purchase permit, and the firearm must be presented to the police within 30 days of purchase.
I hope these instructions are of any use to anyone. We are not responsible for the practices of different police stations, as the published information is based on personal experiences.
