That was one of the exceptions I was referring to, w.r.t. the handgun ban, that they couldn't get rid of.That's right out of the Firearms Act.(2) An individual is eligible to hold a licence authorizing the individual to possess prohibited firearms or restricted firearms only if the individual
( a) successfully completes a restricted firearms safety course that is approved by the federal Minister, as given by an instructor who is designated by a chief firearms officer, and passes any tests, as administered by an instructor who is designated by a chief firearms officer, that form part of that course; or
( b) passes a restricted firearms safety test, as administered by an instructor who is designated by a chief firearms officer, that is approved by the federal Minister.
The rest of the exceptions are, of course, listed in the 1997 amendments: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1997/97005--a.htm
Not that I particularly care about the whole issue - for one thing, most of those shootings seem to have subsided since two years ago, and for another, I don't have any need for guns myself.