A member of a German shooting club, a Schießsportverein, may buy a firearm only after a year of proven practice. Section 14 of the Weapons Act sets the conditions. For most firearms, the applicant must be at least 21. The shooting federation must certify that the member has practiced the sport in a club with firearms that require a permit for at least twelve months. Within those twelve months, the member must have shot once in every full month, or 18 times in total. As a rule, a sport shooter may buy no more than two firearms within six months. Above three semi-automatic long guns and two multi-shot handguns, the bar rises again. The federation must certify that the shooter needs the extra gun for the sport and has taken part regularly in shooting competitions.