The following is an excerpt from the USMC Scout Sniper Association bylaws, "Article III Membership": Section 3-1.1 Regular Membership. Regular membership shall be open to those who served, or are still serving, in the United States Marine Corps or Marine Corps Reserve, AND - who honorably served for at least one (1) year in any United States Marine Corps Sniper or Scout Sniper unit, element, or billet OR - who successfully completed the formal course of instruction for Recon Sniper or MARSOF Advanced Sniper (MASC) OR - who have been assigned the USMC Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) designation of 8541 or 0317. Those Marines who served honorably in a USMC Scout Sniper unit, element or billet while in combat, but who served for less than one (1) year due to wounds received in combat, are deemed eligible for Regular membership. Those Marines who served honorably in a USMC Scout Sniper unit, element or billet while in combat, but whose total time in that unit was for less than one (1) year, are eligible for Regular Membership upon the recommendation of at least one (1) Regular Member of the USMCSSA who served with them on that deployment. Section 3-1.2 Associate Membership. Associate membership shall be open to those Marines who served in roles that support the Scout Sniper community; Members of other branches of the US Armed Forces who graduated from formal USMC Scout Sniper MOS-producing schools; Members of allied foreign militaries who graduated from formal USMC Scout Sniper MOS-producing schools; and Gold Star first-degree family members of our fallen. Qualifying supporting roles include, but are not limited to, Commanding Officers of units employing Scout Snipers, Precision Weapons Repairmen (MOS 2112), or Individual Marines who worked on specific projects of importance to the Scout Sniper community such as sniper weapons or program development. First-degree Gold Star family members are defined as parents (biological, step-parents and in-laws), children, spouse, and siblings of the qualifying Scout Sniper. Associate Members do NOT have voting privileges and are not eligible to serve as Association officers or on the Board of Directors. They are, however, encouraged to support the Association through volunteerism.

FOR GRADUATES OF A USMC SCOUT SNIPER SCHOOL, RECON SNIPER COURSE or MASC: Provide a copy of the graduation certificate and/or a copy of DD-214 that lists course completion in the "Military Education" section. OR FOR NON-GRADUATES WHO HAVE HONORABLY SERVED AT LEAST ONE (1) YEAR IN A SCOUT SNIPER ELEMENT: Provide a combination of DD-214 and a reference from a school-trained scout sniper who is a current member of SSA and one or more of the following: Copy of Orders; Unit Roster (listing Name, Rank, Billet) on Unit Letterhead signed by the SSP Commander and/or Company Commander; Fitness Report. On a case-by-case basis, the following documentation will be considered: BIR entries, Letters of Reference from comrades with whom you served, and Other Official USMC and military documents. THIS DOCUMENTATION IS NOT NEGOTIABLE!