shooting-rangeWhat does it mean to “Qualify with a weapon”? I’ve heard it from a number of military personnel. Does it also have a meaning outside of the armed forces?
In the military it means that you are required to demonstrate a minimum level of competence with the standard weapons you will use. For the whole of the military that includes the M4 or M16, and then depending on your job it can include pistols like the M9, shotguns like the M1014, or in my case machine guns like the M240.
Every qualification is different and takes place at varying ranges. In the Marines the rifle qualification takes place at 200, 300, and 500 yards but pistol takes place at 7, 15, and 25 yards.
Qualifications can include not only a demonstration of accuracy but also of weapons manipulation — reloads, malfunction handling if one occurs, different positions and different amounts of support.
In law enforcement it is used in a similar way, as well as in security organizations and para-military organizations such as military contractors.
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