Boom-stick
Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2005
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This came from cybershooters.org and should give all you guys in the US an idea of the path you could be on.
The law in GB relating to firearms is a five-tier system of control:
1) Unregulated guns - those not subject to any restriction, which includes toy guns, replica guns, blank-firing only guns, antique guns (kept as a curio or ornament only) and deactivated guns (although possession in a public place of most of these requires a "reasonable excuse");
2) Firearms not requiring a license - essentially pistols powered by compressed air or carbon dioxide with a muzzle energy of 6 ft/lb or less or rifles powered by compressed air or carbon dioxide with a muzzle energy of 12 ft/lb or less. These types of firearms can only be possessed without supervision (by a person aged 21 or older) by a person aged 17 or older (with certain limited exceptions for sporting use, and for pest control by people aged 14 or older), or acquired by a person aged 17 or older who is not prohibited from owning firearms. There are an estimated 4 million such guns in Great Britain.
3) Firearms requiring a Shotgun Certificate - shotguns require such a certificate. A shotgun is defined as any smoothbore barrelled firearm with a barrel length of at least 24 inches, and which has no magazine or a non-detachable magazine incapable of holding more than two cartridges, and is not a revolver gun and has no barrel with a calibre of more than 2 inches.
Application for a Shotgun Certificate is made to the local Chief Officer of Police. The police must be satisfied that no good reason exists for refusing the grant of a certificate, and that the applicant is not a person prohibited from possessing firearms (generally, a person of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or a person who has been imprisoned for more than three months in the last five years or who has ever been imprisoned for more than three years).
The police will inspect the applicant's storage to make sure that it is secure. Certificates are granted with certain prescribed conditions, the main one being that the guns to which they relate must be kept securely.
A Shotgun Certificate entitles the holder to acquire as many shotguns as he pleases, provided they are kept securely. The police must be notified of all transactions in shotguns. Shotgun cartridges, other than slug ammunition and very large shot (which require an FAC), can be acquired with a Shotgun Certificate, though possession is unregulated.
A Shotgun Certificate is valid for five years and the application fee is £50 (about US$75). Applications must be countersigned by a person of "good standing" and accompanied by four photographs of the applicant.
There are currently about 620,000 Shotgun Certificates on issue in Great Britain.
4) Firearms requiring a Firearm Certificate (FAC) - All remaining types of firearm require an FAC, though many also require the authority of the Secretary of State (see below). There are certain exemptions from the FAC requirement, such as for use of a club gun by a member of a firearms club, or use of a miniature rifle on a miniature rifle range.
Application for a FAC is made to the local Chief Officer of Police. An applicant must show "good reason" for each firearm he wishes to possess. Generally accepted good reasons include: target shooting, pest control, deer stalking and collecting. Self-defence or personal protection is not considered a good reason in Great Britain.
An applicant for an FAC for target shooting must be a member of a firearms club approved by the Home Office, and have completed a 3-month probation. This club is called the "primary club" and is specified on the FAC. Applications for other reasons must generally be supported by evidence of the stated "good reason". Application is made on Form 101. Applicants must nominate two referees to support their application. In the case of a renewal of an FAC held for the purpose of target shooting, one referee must be an official of the primary club.
Before an FAC is granted, the police will inspect the applicant's security to make sure it is secure. Usually, the police require separate lockable safes for the guns and ammunition, securely affixed to the residence of the applicant.
Unlike a Shotgun Certificate, ammunition must also be authorised by the FAC, and maximum permitted quantities for acquisition and possession are stated on the FAC (handloading is legal in GB - ammunition components are unregulated).
A Firearm Certificate is valid for five years and the application fee is £50 (about US$75). Renewals are £40. Applicants must be at least 14 years of age to possess firearms or 17 to acquire firearms other than as a gift.
If the holder wishes to dispose of or acquire firearms to which his certificate relates, the FAC must be varied by the police. A fee is payable when the FAC holder wishes to vary his certificate to acquire more firearms than his FAC currently allows. The variation fee is £26.
There are currently about 135,000 FACs on issue in Great Britain.
5) Prohibited weapons - prohibited weapons additionally require the authority of the Secretary of State as well as an FAC or registered firearm dealer's certificate (RFD). Prohibited weapons include:
i) "Small firearms" - any firearm with an overall length of less than 60cm or a barrel length of less than 30cm excluding any movable stock and not including muzzle-loading guns or flare guns;
ii) Any firearm or ammunition which expels a noxious substance (e.g. gas or pepper spray) or "other thing" (such as a stun gun or Taser);
iii) Any self-loading or pump-action rifled gun other than one chambered for .22 rimfire cartridges;
iv) Armour-piercing, incendiary and "expanding" ammunition, although collectors are exempt and there are other exemptions to the prohibition on expanding ammunition, such as for pest control use and deer stalking (but not target shooting);
v) Machineguns, rocket or grenade launchers, mortars, exploding ammunition etc.;
vi) Any pump-action or self-loading smoothbore gun with an overall length less than 40 inches or a barrel length of less than 24 inches, excluding any movable stock and any smoothbore revolver gun except those loaded from the muzzle end or chambered for 9mm rimfire cartridges;
vii) Air guns that use self-enclosed air cartridges (this provision contains a limited grandfathering clause for people who owned them prior to the prohibition in 2003, that allows only possession to continue).
There are about 400 authorities for prohibited weapons on issue in GB - most relate to RFDs for the purpose of dealing in them, principally to people who hold one of the exemptions mentioned below (there are only five FACs on issue with prohibited weapons authority).
There are several statutory exemptions to the ban on "small firearms" - including war trophies acquired prior to 1946; slaughtering instruments; firearms for use for humane destruction of animals; firearms for use by race starters; firearms for veterinary use; shot pistols for pest control in .410" or 9mm rimfire; firearms collectors provided the guns were made prior to 1919 and are not in a commonly available calibre; and firearms of historic importance (due to their rarity, use in an historic event, aesthetic qualities etc.) which must be kept at a "designated site", such as Bisley National Shooting Centre, the Barbican Armoury in Durham, or the Wednesbury Marksmen gun club.
The law in GB relating to firearms is a five-tier system of control:
1) Unregulated guns - those not subject to any restriction, which includes toy guns, replica guns, blank-firing only guns, antique guns (kept as a curio or ornament only) and deactivated guns (although possession in a public place of most of these requires a "reasonable excuse");
2) Firearms not requiring a license - essentially pistols powered by compressed air or carbon dioxide with a muzzle energy of 6 ft/lb or less or rifles powered by compressed air or carbon dioxide with a muzzle energy of 12 ft/lb or less. These types of firearms can only be possessed without supervision (by a person aged 21 or older) by a person aged 17 or older (with certain limited exceptions for sporting use, and for pest control by people aged 14 or older), or acquired by a person aged 17 or older who is not prohibited from owning firearms. There are an estimated 4 million such guns in Great Britain.
3) Firearms requiring a Shotgun Certificate - shotguns require such a certificate. A shotgun is defined as any smoothbore barrelled firearm with a barrel length of at least 24 inches, and which has no magazine or a non-detachable magazine incapable of holding more than two cartridges, and is not a revolver gun and has no barrel with a calibre of more than 2 inches.
Application for a Shotgun Certificate is made to the local Chief Officer of Police. The police must be satisfied that no good reason exists for refusing the grant of a certificate, and that the applicant is not a person prohibited from possessing firearms (generally, a person of intemperate habits or unsound mind, or a person who has been imprisoned for more than three months in the last five years or who has ever been imprisoned for more than three years).
The police will inspect the applicant's storage to make sure that it is secure. Certificates are granted with certain prescribed conditions, the main one being that the guns to which they relate must be kept securely.
A Shotgun Certificate entitles the holder to acquire as many shotguns as he pleases, provided they are kept securely. The police must be notified of all transactions in shotguns. Shotgun cartridges, other than slug ammunition and very large shot (which require an FAC), can be acquired with a Shotgun Certificate, though possession is unregulated.
A Shotgun Certificate is valid for five years and the application fee is £50 (about US$75). Applications must be countersigned by a person of "good standing" and accompanied by four photographs of the applicant.
There are currently about 620,000 Shotgun Certificates on issue in Great Britain.
4) Firearms requiring a Firearm Certificate (FAC) - All remaining types of firearm require an FAC, though many also require the authority of the Secretary of State (see below). There are certain exemptions from the FAC requirement, such as for use of a club gun by a member of a firearms club, or use of a miniature rifle on a miniature rifle range.
Application for a FAC is made to the local Chief Officer of Police. An applicant must show "good reason" for each firearm he wishes to possess. Generally accepted good reasons include: target shooting, pest control, deer stalking and collecting. Self-defence or personal protection is not considered a good reason in Great Britain.
An applicant for an FAC for target shooting must be a member of a firearms club approved by the Home Office, and have completed a 3-month probation. This club is called the "primary club" and is specified on the FAC. Applications for other reasons must generally be supported by evidence of the stated "good reason". Application is made on Form 101. Applicants must nominate two referees to support their application. In the case of a renewal of an FAC held for the purpose of target shooting, one referee must be an official of the primary club.
Before an FAC is granted, the police will inspect the applicant's security to make sure it is secure. Usually, the police require separate lockable safes for the guns and ammunition, securely affixed to the residence of the applicant.
Unlike a Shotgun Certificate, ammunition must also be authorised by the FAC, and maximum permitted quantities for acquisition and possession are stated on the FAC (handloading is legal in GB - ammunition components are unregulated).
A Firearm Certificate is valid for five years and the application fee is £50 (about US$75). Renewals are £40. Applicants must be at least 14 years of age to possess firearms or 17 to acquire firearms other than as a gift.
If the holder wishes to dispose of or acquire firearms to which his certificate relates, the FAC must be varied by the police. A fee is payable when the FAC holder wishes to vary his certificate to acquire more firearms than his FAC currently allows. The variation fee is £26.
There are currently about 135,000 FACs on issue in Great Britain.
5) Prohibited weapons - prohibited weapons additionally require the authority of the Secretary of State as well as an FAC or registered firearm dealer's certificate (RFD). Prohibited weapons include:
i) "Small firearms" - any firearm with an overall length of less than 60cm or a barrel length of less than 30cm excluding any movable stock and not including muzzle-loading guns or flare guns;
ii) Any firearm or ammunition which expels a noxious substance (e.g. gas or pepper spray) or "other thing" (such as a stun gun or Taser);
iii) Any self-loading or pump-action rifled gun other than one chambered for .22 rimfire cartridges;
iv) Armour-piercing, incendiary and "expanding" ammunition, although collectors are exempt and there are other exemptions to the prohibition on expanding ammunition, such as for pest control use and deer stalking (but not target shooting);
v) Machineguns, rocket or grenade launchers, mortars, exploding ammunition etc.;
vi) Any pump-action or self-loading smoothbore gun with an overall length less than 40 inches or a barrel length of less than 24 inches, excluding any movable stock and any smoothbore revolver gun except those loaded from the muzzle end or chambered for 9mm rimfire cartridges;
vii) Air guns that use self-enclosed air cartridges (this provision contains a limited grandfathering clause for people who owned them prior to the prohibition in 2003, that allows only possession to continue).
There are about 400 authorities for prohibited weapons on issue in GB - most relate to RFDs for the purpose of dealing in them, principally to people who hold one of the exemptions mentioned below (there are only five FACs on issue with prohibited weapons authority).
There are several statutory exemptions to the ban on "small firearms" - including war trophies acquired prior to 1946; slaughtering instruments; firearms for use for humane destruction of animals; firearms for use by race starters; firearms for veterinary use; shot pistols for pest control in .410" or 9mm rimfire; firearms collectors provided the guns were made prior to 1919 and are not in a commonly available calibre; and firearms of historic importance (due to their rarity, use in an historic event, aesthetic qualities etc.) which must be kept at a "designated site", such as Bisley National Shooting Centre, the Barbican Armoury in Durham, or the Wednesbury Marksmen gun club.