GUN LAWS -- UNITED KINGDOM ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Jonathan M. Spencer ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unlike the US, there is no right to keep arms, and certainly no right to bear them. The legislation has been further tightened in recent years which has made things more difficult for us. Our problems are more to do with the way the various police forces *interpret* the law although the various shooting organisations have made much progress towards getting a uniform approach. Many police forces have been acting outside the law in asking for more information than they are permitted but we are having success in this area. Basically, the new law requires the Chief Officer of Police to satisfy himself that the applicant has "good reason" to require the firearms and that the possession of such firearms "will not endanger the public". The law does not state what a "good rea- son" is, but it has been taken to mean clay pigeon shooting and/or game shooting for shotguns, sporting shooting and/or tar- get shooting for rifles, and target shooting for handguns. Weapons are not permitted for self defence or home defence. The "will not endanger the public" has two aspects. Firstly, is the applicant an obvious madman? He has to get someone of "good standing" to countersign his application saying that he has known him for x years and he is of sound mind etc. Then he will be in- terviewed in his home by the police who ask him his background, what he wants the weapons for etc. This lasts only 10-20 minutes during which time the policeman is expected, somehow, to make a realistic judgement on the candidate's suitability to own weapons. A person of "good standing" could be priest (such as signed Michael Ryan's firearms application which was approved - so that shows the value of it), an officer in the forces, a bank manager etc. The second aspect is the security of the guns. Again the law does not specifiy precisely what "secure" means and, initially, many forces chose ludicrous criteria in an effort to avoid issue- ing certificates. (Most police forces want to see *no* private gun ownership.) For example, my local force initially wanted me to brick up a window, screw shut several others, fit mortice bolts to the back door, and fit a 2mm steel sheet inside the door of the room containing the steel cabinet together with 7 lever mortice locks, fit a complete burglar alarm etc etc etc. All this for one .22LR rifle. However, the shooting organisations have (through the courts and the Home Office) got the police to accept that for most weapons a steel cabinet made from 2mm mild steel with 7-lever concealed locks and hinges rawl-bolted to a load-bearing wall will suffice: the rifle bolts and ammunition need to be stored separately in a similar cabinet. The security on the house also needs to be "reasonable". All semi-automatic *rifles* other than .22 rimfire are now for- bidden and had to be handed over to the police for destruction, although self-loading pistols are permitted. Don't forget that the police already had details of all, what were by definition, legally held firearms. Initially, the government said they would pay the full market value for the rifles being destroyed. When they realised what some of them were worth they decided to pay "up to 150 pounds" or about USD 240 which was derisory (don't forget guns prices are more than double the US prices). The law makes a clear distinction between shotguns and firearms. Basically, geting a shotgun certificate is pretty much a formali- ty whereas getting a firearms certifcate is another matter. The holder of a s/g certificate can hold as many shotguns as he wishes (the barrel must be >= 24 inches and there are limits on ammunition types). He can use the gun more or less wherever he has permission. The rifleman, on the other hand, has to specify what cartridge he wants, what it is to be used for, where it is to be used, how much ammunition he wishes to a) hold, b) purchase at any one time, where the weapon is to be kept etc etc. All in all, it's quite tough. So, for example, my certificate states that I can possess one .243 Winchester rifle, up to 600 rounds, and may pur- chase up to 500 rounds at a time. I may use the rifle for fox shooting and deer stalking on XXX Farm "and any other land for which the Chief Officer of Police for the area has authorised." This is considered an "open certificate" by UK standards and I'm lucky to have it. It also states that I must use hollow- or soft-point ammunition when deer stalking (as if I'd use anything else). Similarly, for target shooters it will specify that it can only be used for target shooting on "approved ranges". (Approved by the Home Office.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Paul Goffin ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This refers to England, Scotland and Wales, not Northern Ireland where control is much tougher - and less effective!) Private posession of guns in Britain is regulated by the 1988 Firearms Act, this supersedes the 1968 Firearms Act. Basically, you cannot own a machine gun, semi-automatic rifle, or gas discharge weapon (like MACE sprays) _at_ _all_. (These are "Section 5", or "prohibited weapons".) Pistols, rifles (single shot or bolt action) and amunition for them (specific numbers of rounds can be held) can be owned, provided: 1) You are a "fit person" to poesess. (ie not insane or have a criminal record.) 2) Have a "good reason" to poesess. (Target shooting, ie membership of an approved club, and vermin control are good reasons. Self Defence is NOT a good reason.) 3) Have a "secure place" to store the firearms while not in use. In practice this means a good, locked, steel cabinet. (There is a "British Standard" for gun cabinets.) It is normal to bolt this cabinet to a wall in some hidden part of the house. 4) Have a place to use the firearms, associated with the "good reason". ie your club has a range. (These are refered to as "Section 1" firearms.) The restrictions on shotguns ("Section 2") are similar, but in general, the police have to be a bit easier on shotgun appli- cants. (I think semi-auto shotguns with a magazine capacity of more than 3 rounds are banned. Either that or they are in the "Section 1" class and subject to "Section 1" controls.) A shotgun must have a barrel length of at least 24". If you sell a Section 1 firearm to anyone, you must inform the police. You must also record the sale on their "Firearm Certifi- cate". The Certificate now carries a photo (it didn't before 1988). You must also record the sale of ammunition on the same certifi- cate. It is an offence to have a firearm in a public place "without good cause or excuse" (ie, going from the house to the car on the way to the range is OK. Walking down the high street is not.) It is also an offence to have a loaded firearm in a public place ("loaded" includes having a loaded magazine in a semi-auto, even if the chamber is not loaded.) Trespass with a firearm is also an offence (That's an old law to stop poaching!) If you were to shoot someone (say an intruder) in your own house, you would not only have to justify the use of deadly force (just like in the US), but also why you went and got the gun from the secure store, loaded and used it, instead of: a) Calling the Police. b) Letting the Intruder Get Away. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: Jason Price ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A couple of points spring to mind: Firstly, to clarify the law on semi-automatic shotguns over 3 shot capacity (the author said he wasn't sure of the position on the UK law). A semi-automatic shotgun can be held on a shotgun licence provid- ing it has a magazine permanently modified and stamped as such by the Birmingham or London proof house, so that it can hold no more than 2 cartridges (i.e. total of 2 + 1 chambered). To retain a shotgun with a larger capacity, it can be held legal- ly, but is subject to the control of a section 1 firearms certi- ficate - in that you must state the use of that gun and give a good reason why you need more than 3 shots (e.g. shooting in the field - vermin control etc.). Clay pigeon shooting is NOT an ac- ceptable reason (as you only need to use 2 shots here). The law is not specific though and it is interpreted by the pol- ice according to home office guidelines. This causes big probs. Because the guidelines say you only use 2 shots for clay shooting (correct), you are not licenced to use a 5 shot shotgun on a clay ground, only for target shooting. I don't think most rural forces want to see "the complete banning of private ownership" at all, as they know farmers use shotguns and rifles an awful lot in their work. Also, different person's experience with obtaining a licence doesn't apply globally. Even though the actual use of a gun can cause a problem, there might be no problem whatsoever in obtain- ing a firearms licence from the police (e.g. in Kent). Since the 1988 firearms amendment act (which brings shotgun security to a similar level as firearms section 1 security), the police in my area are just as vigilant, helpful and obliging on both counts.