LEOSA Qualification Cards

What are Leosa cards or Leosa qualification cards?

In 2004, Congress passed HR 218, titled the Law Enforcement Officer's Safety Act (LEOSA). One of the provisions of LEOSA is that retired and separated law enforcement officers carry not only an agency retired or separated credential, but also, per Title 18 U.S.C. § 926C (d)(2)(B), "a certification issued by the State in which the individual resides or by a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State that indicates that the individual has, not less than 1 year before the date the individual is carrying the concealed firearm, been tested or otherwise found by the State or a certified firearms instructor that is qualified to conduct a firearms qualification test for active duty officers within that State to have met--

(I) the active duty standards for qualification in firearms training, as established by the State, to carry a firearm of the SAME TYPE as the concealed firearm; or
(II) if the State has not established such standards, standards set by any law enforcement agency within that State to carry a firearm of the SAME TYPE as the concealed firearm.

A retired or separated law enforcement officer with 10 or more active duty years must carry a copy of his signed qualification form or a signed LEOSA qualification card at all times if carrying a firearm under LEOSA. Our LEOSA cards will fit under your credentials and is more convenient than folding up your 8 1/2 x 11 qualification paper and trying to fit it in your credential case.

Our LEOSA qualification cards allow a certified law enforcement instructor to select the type(s) of firearm qualified with under (I) and (II) above. LEOSA itself does not define types, but if you look up the definition of type in the same code, it says, handgun, rifle and shotgun (note: it does not specify semi-auto or revolver separately). A place for instructor contact information is included allowing the holder to be vetted in the field, if needed.

This certification must be renewed yearly. Stock up on Leosa cards today. These double sided cards are easily laminated (lamination not included.)

Here is a link that explains why you should be using LEOSA cards: https://www.policemag.com/342465/understanding-the-leosa-qualification-process. This article gives the best explanation of why simple will keep you out of trouble. The only thing that we would change is that the name and phone number of the instructor is way more important than the name of an agency, department, or business because if something happens, the investigator is going to want to speak to the instructor directly and time is of the essence if an officer is trying to vet the holder's status.

It is also important to note that an entity should follow LEOSA exactly. An entity can bring liability on itself if requirements are added. A Leosa card is only a card stating that a qualification has been done by a certified law enforcement instructor. It should not attest that the holder is a retired officer (that is what credentials are for). It shouldn't even have caliber or serial numbers on it (that is no where to be found in LEOSA ). It should simply include name, date, type of weapon (is in LEOSA) and name of certified LE instructor. An entity should NEVER have a background check policy, or the entity could be held liable for the conduct of the LEOSA card holder. Keep it simple. Do not add any requirements. This is especially important if an instructor does not know the holder. These LEOSA qualification cards conform to Federal LEOSA requirements. Your state may have additional requirements that are not in LEOSA.

To inquire about customized LEOSA cards (business or agency logo), go to our contact us page. Leosacards.com is family owned and owned by law enforcement.

To purchase LEOSA qualification cards, click the buy button.