UK gun permits

reply to post by Soldier81


it would be near impossible for example to police society on the street regardless of who is law abiding or of the criminal persuasion. accidents happen and it would be tragic for a law abiding citizen to unintentionally harm another innocent through neglect or by sods law.

i understand your concern regarding the violent numpties. strenghtening the laws on all who harm others must be implemented and under constant review.
intel is important here as is control of ones reactions during episodes of duress.

learning an art like defence and sticking by a rigid discipline will give you the opportunity for a better outcome. i have been in bother in n.africa, middle east, europe and the uk. i didn't look for it, it came my way. i'm still here albeit with a few more scars by hey, they are only flesh wounds, it could have been worse.

if you master your own emotions and reactions, you have already won. keep safe and seriously consider my statement.
regards fakedirt.

reply to post by michael1983l


correction, its not minimum force uk law allows, it is Justafied force ... this means if someone attacks you with chopsticks you can restrain them but not hurt them OR to the other extreme if someone is trying to kill you with a lethal weapon you can defend to the death as that is the attackers intention and it is justified.

Originally posted by boaby_phet
reply to post by michael1983l

 

correction, its not minimum force uk law allows, it is Justafied force ... this means if someone attacks you with chopsticks you can restrain them but not hurt them OR to the other extreme if someone is trying to kill you with a lethal weapon you can defend to the death as that is the attackers intention and it is justified.

What if you try to kill somebody with chopsticks? I think this should be allowed tbf.

Basics of UK shotgun and firearm licensing are as follows.

2 types of license are available to most people - shotgun and section 1 firearm.

A shotgun license allows for the ownership of a gun that is smoothbore, has a barrel of no less than (I think) 26" and has a magazine capacity of no more that 3 rounds. It is actually regarded as a right to own a shotgun in the UK, and it is up to the police to demonstrate reasonable justification for not issuing a certificate. However you will still need to demonstrate that it will be kept and transported securely and that it will be used appropriately.

A secton 1 firearms license covers rifles with certain restrictions. Magazine capacity is not taken into account. The rifle must be single shot (i.e. the action must be mechanically worked between shots, such as bolt or lever action). The only exception toi this are semi automatic rifles in .22LR. Air rifles with a rating in excess of 12ft/lbs and shotguns with short barrels and/or magazine over 3rds may be owned on a section 1 ticket. In order to obtain a section 1 license the onus is on the applicant to demonstrate reasonable requirement of the firearm. Reasons may include target shooting as part of a registered club or hunting. If target shooting is cited then proof of membership of a registered gun club must be supplied. If hunting is cited then the calibre and type of firearm must be appropriate for the type of game to be hunted as there are set restrictions in place for certain game. Proof of permission to shoot and hunt must be shown from (usually at least 3) land owners. Self defence or defence of property is NOT viewed as reason to own a firearm and any memtion of such would almost certainly scupper your chances of gaining a license. As with a shotgun you must have set security in place and have these inspected by the firearms team of your local constabulary. In N. Ireland pistols may still be owned on a section 1 license as the restrictions put in place after the Dunblane shootings were not enforced there due to the security situation and the number of pistols owned by civillians and security forces personnel as personal protection weapons.

Most other firearms fall under a section 5 license and can only be purchased by a registered section 5 dealer. These include semi-automatic and automatic rifles, pistols, disguised firearms, SMGs, belt-fed weapons etc. Basically there is no way that joe civillian is going to legally gain one of these firearms.

These are the basics and there are a few more rules in place. Legally owning a firearm in the UK can be a bit of a pain in the arse, but it is not impossible. I personally own 2 shotguns (both 12ga O/U for clays and duck) and 2 bolt-action rifles, one in .243 (for mutjack) and .300WM for F-class target.

(As an aside I used to own a lovely little Walther P5C that I was issued as a PPW and went on to buy when it was being decommissioned when I was in Ulster, but I had this removed from my license when I moved from the Province. I passed it onto my father, but he was unable to keep up the licensing requirements and we had to sell it. Made a tidy sum from it as it was one of only 2500 made with military markings and there was a strange belief that only the SAS had these issued, so it went pretty fast at auction. They were never issued to SF - they were bought as personal protection weapons for the Royal Irish Regiment home service personnel, of which I was one. I didn't inform the rather anxious US buyer of this thoughwho probably still thinks he owns a super sneaky SAS pistol as used in Ireland ...).

I hope this helps.

reply to post by Vaxar


www.gows-secureshop.co.uk...

call in here, ask for Jack, he will put you in the right direction, i doubt you'll get a hand gun after the Thomas Hamilton affair, you will only get access to one if you are in a business that requires the use, Vet,Animal exterminator etc.

The licence will not offer you the right to bear arms for self protection only, only for hunting purposes

en.wikipedia.org...
www.basc.org.uk...

Firearms
Source: Firearms Act 1968

Definition of a firearm: A lethal barrelled weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged, and includes any 'prohibited weapon', whether lethal barrelled or not, any component part of such a lethal or prohibited weapon and any accessory to such weapons which are designed or adapted to diminish the sound or flash caused by firing the weapon.

Ages

Section 1 firearm/ammunition - Under 14 years

Possession of firearm/ammunition only in the following circumstances:

gun bearer
member of rifle club
shooting gallery calibre n/e .23"
member of a cadet corps when engaged in target or drill practice
No gift or loan of firearm permitted.
14- 17 years

as above
under authority of firearm certificate
A firearm may be gifted or loaned.
Shotgun/ammunition - Under 15 years

Must hold a shotgun certificate. If shotgun is assembled:

person must be supervised by a person 21 or over, or
the gun is covered in a gun cover
No gift of shotgun permitted.
15 years and over

Shotgun certificate required. Shotgun may be gifted or loaned.

Air weapon/ammunition

Under 14 years

public place (not air pistol), covered and supervised
private premises -supervised
member of rifle club
at shooting gallery
No gift permitted.

14 -17 years

As above but no supervision required. May be gifted or loaned.

17 years

May now purchase or hire any firearm or ammunition and possess an air pistol in a public place.

Common offences

Section 19 of the Firearms Act 1968, makes it an offence to have in any public place, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse (the proof whereof shall lie with him/her) any of the following:

A loaded shotgun
A loaded air weapon
Any other firearm loaded, or unloaded if the person also has suitable ammunition in his/her possession
Section 20 of the Act creates an offence for any person, in possession of a firearm, to trespass onto any land or buildings, without reasonable excuse (the proof whereof shall lie with him/her)

It is a crime at common law for any person to recklessly discharge a firearm, whether or not actual injury is caused.



Wee Mad

reply to post by PaddyInf


Good post.

Im from NI and my mates dad has a few shotguns, a .22 rifle and also a .357 magnum! I keep pestering him to take me out to shoot it hehe

Lots of useful info but basically, its the 1968 Firearms Act with various ammendments. The main two sections which apply to you, I have posted below:

Requirement of firearm certificate..

(1) Subject to any exemption under this Act, it is an offence for a person— .

(a) to have in his possession, or to purchase or acquire, a firearm to which this section applies without holding a firearm certificate in force at the time, or otherwise than as authorised by such a certificate; .

(b) to have in his possession, or to purchase or acquire, any ammunition to which this section applies without holding a firearm certificate in force at the time, or otherwise than as authorised by such a certificate, or in quantities in excess of those so authorised.

(2) It is an offence for a person to fail to comply with a condition subject to which a firearm certificate is held by him.

(3) This section applies to every firearm except: —

(a) a shot gun within the meaning of this Act, that is to say a smooth-bore gun (not being an air gun) which—

(i) has a barrel not less than 24 inches in length and does not have any barrel with a bore exceeding 2 inches in diameter; .

(ii) either has no magazine or has a non-detachable magazine incapable of holding more than two cartridges; and

(iii) is not a revolver gun; and

(b) an air weapon (that is to say, an air rifle, air gun or air pistol which does not fall within section 5(1) and which is] not of a type declared by rules made by the Secretary of State under section 53 of this Act to be specially dangerous).

The next section refers to magazine capacity but:-

(4) This section applies to any ammunition for a firearm, except the following articles, namely:— .

(a) cartridges containing five or more shot, none of which exceeds ·36 inch in diameter; .

(b) ammunition for an air gun, air rifle or air pistol; and .

(c) blank cartridges not more than one inch in diameter measured immediately in front of the rim or cannelure of the base of the cartridge.

Now, if the above section of the act runs true to the nature of the Law, you should be able to make your own load for a 12 guage and the one I heartily recommend is what used to be called the Malaysian Load. This load was used by the men in black during the fracas in Malaysia during the insurgency. It consisted of a standard 12 guage shell filled with half a dozen 36 calibre BBs backed up by 00 buck. A killer even at 75 metres!

Incidentally and recent events not withstanding, the Police are no longer permitted to refuse your application without giving you a valid reason.

If you then address their concerns, you should reapply and said certificate or licence should be granted. If it is not, you can write to your local police chief and challenge him or her directly.

One point to note however is if you go down this route and your appeal is unsucessful, there is no way back.

By the way PaddyInf, it is me Fritz with a new account.

reply to post by PaddyInf


Still as sneaky as ever, then Paddy. I don't know, the very idea that the men in black were issued special weapons for use in the Province.

On the other hand, I seem to remember more than a few Spas 12 knocking about!

Regards as ever, Fritz.