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What firearms training standards does the FBI follow for agents?
Executive summary
The FBI’s firearms standards are set and managed by its Training Division’s Firearms Training Unit (FTU) at Quantico; new agents receive more than 100 hours of weapons practice and FTU runs continuous field qualification and refresher programs to ensure proficiency [1] [2] [3]. The Bureau has revised its handgun qualification over time (notably 2013 and a 2019 update) and emphasizes fundamentals, close‑quarters skills, and use of realistic practice, but specific scoring/round counts used in internal qualifications are described variably in outside accounts [4] [5] [6].
1. What the FBI publicly says it requires: centralized training and ongoing qualification
The FBI maintains a formal firearms qualification program managed by FTU at Quantico that provides initial training for New Agent Trainees and conducts regular qualification sessions and field training to make sure all armed personnel “meet or exceed the firearms safety and proficiency level standards” in Bureau policy [1]. FTU also runs the Field Firearms Program — a continuous training program — and is building systems (FIRST) to record range scores and monitor compliance with quarterly and yearly training requirements [1].
2. How much training new agents get: time and curriculum focus
The FBI Academy integrates firearms into the larger New Agent program; new agents spend more than 800 total training hours and, specifically, “more than 100 hours” practicing with FBI‑issued weapons, covering marksmanship, safety, and practical shooting techniques [2]. FTU says it teaches fundamentals (how guns and ammunition work, marksmanship basics) and trains agents on specific weapon types until they are “extremely proficient” [3].
3. Emphasis and technique: fundamentals plus close‑quarters tactics
FTU materials and Law Enforcement Bulletin articles stress mastery of fundamentals — grip, stance, sight picture, sight alignment, trigger control — while also adapting to operational realities such as close‑range encounters; the Bureau shifted training elements (for example, hip vs. two‑hand positions) after empirical review of shooting incidents [7] [8]. Reports indicate the FBI placed a greater emphasis on close‑quarters combat training after internal reviews of agent shooting incidents [6] [8].
4. Qualification formats and updates: evolving course of fire
Publicly available commentary and vendor/instructor write‑ups document that the FBI’s pistol qualification course has been revised over time — a notable change in 2013 and another published update around 2019 — and these iterations altered distances, stages, and scenarios to reflect contemporary needs [4] [6]. Outside write‑ups describe courses of fire (e.g., firing 60 rounds across multiple stages at varied ranges) but these are practitioner summaries, not an official FTU rulebook [5] [9].
5. Scoring and proficiency thresholds: what public sources report (and limits of those reports)
Third‑party training vendors and instructors state passing bars such as “80% hit rate (40 hits)” on some versions of an FBI‑style qualification and note 50 or 60‑round courses from concealment, but these are instructional offerings or replicates of the FBI qual rather than official Bureau policy documents [10] [5]. The FBI’s FOIA/Privacy materials and FTU descriptions outline monitoring and recording of range scores but do not, in the provided sources, publish a single uniform numeric pass/fail threshold for all agents [1].
6. Simulation, ammunition testing, and equipment standards
The Bureau uses simulation and updated target systems to raise realism in judgmental shooting and has influenced industry standards (e.g., ammunition testing protocols) through operational experience and testing, according to secondary reporting on FBI ammo testing protocols and FTU equipment adoption [8] [11]. The FTU has introduced complex laser equipment and remodeled ranges at Quantico to support realistic training [8].
7. Independent and partner training, instructor certification, and comparators
FTU certifies and recertifies FBI firearms instructors and provides training to state, local, tribal, and federal partners; the FBI Academy’s Hogan’s Alley and shoot‑house facilities support tactical firearms training comparable to other federal law enforcement training centers [12] [7]. Comparative programs like FLETC set their own instructor proficiency thresholds (for example, an 85% standard in one FLETC document) which can inform but do not dictate FBI standards [13].
8. Caveats and gaps in public reporting
The sources supplied establish the institutional framework, training hours for new agents, and the Bureau’s emphasis on continual qualification, but they do not publish a single definitive, public rulebook listing every numeric pass/fail cutoff, exact stage‑by‑stage scoring rubric, or the full current course‑of‑fire text used by FTU in 2025; outside descriptions and vendor reproductions vary and should not be treated as official FBI policy without FTU confirmation [1] [4] [5].
If you want, I can: (A) compile and compare describe‑and‑replicate versions of the current FBI handgun qualification course from public trainers, or (B) draft a FOIA request template to ask FTU for the current written qualification standards and scoring rubric.