Firearms license

[ryanscally]

This has to be one of your top priortorities. It's reasonable cheap to actually get set up with one, anyway for people who are looking to invest in one I will offer all the help I can. And questions ask below.

[JohnRio]

This has to be one of your top priortorities. It's reasonable cheap to actually get set up with one, anyway for people who are looking to invest in one I will offer all the help I can. And questions ask below.

As I understand it the Shotgun Certificate is easier*, cheaper and less hassle to get, and to use** than a FAC.

Given that a decent 12 or 20 bore shotgun is the "Swiss Army Knife" of guns, as you can take anything from quail to huge red deer*** with the right ammo, surely that'd be the best place to start for a UK prepper who wanted to deal with the police + red tape + installing a costly gun safe?

Of course, if you wish to stockpile lots and lots of ammo it is easier and cheaper to stockpile 22lr than 12 or 20 bore cartridges!

(*police must have good reason not to give the SGC to you, rather than a FAC where you must provide good reason to have it.
**no need to get permission for a "variation" every time you buy a new shotgun, whereas you do need that for a new rifle.
*** not legal in UK, .243 rifle is minimum for deer, except muntjac and chinese water where .223 is allowed. Of course, post SHTF legality won't necessarily be an issue. People in other countries regularly take deer with large buckshot, or better still - slugs)



One other point. For those who may be nervous re. integrity of the coppers, especially post SHTF, as I understand it if you have a SGC or a FAC the police no longer need to obtain a warrant in order to enter your home whenever they feel like it. Worth bearing in mind.

[preppingsu]

This has to be one of your top priortorities. It's reasonable cheap to actually get set up with one, anyway for people who are looking to invest in one I will offer all the help I can. And questions ask below.

Can you tell us a little more about the process involved please?

[TeeDee]

This has to be one of your top priortorities. It's reasonable cheap to actually get set up with one, anyway for people who are looking to invest in one I will offer all the help I can. And questions ask below.

Can you tell us a little more about the process involved please?

[silverfox]

quote="preppingsu"]

This has to be one of your top priortorities. It's reasonable cheap to actually get set up with one, anyway for people who are looking to invest in one I will offer all the help I can. And questions ask below.

Can you tell us a little more about the process involved please?

Depending on what you want ie, shotgun or rifle the steps are still fairly simple. Showing good reason for ownership to the plolice will be the most important. As the video link implies joining a local club for target or clay shooting is a good start or getting written permision from a land owner (farmer etc) to shoot vermin. Sometimes it may be necessary for the police to check the suitability of the land depending on the size(acres) and the caliber applied for. Shotgun for flying vermin, probably .22 rifle for rabbits etc . But you will have to spend money on a secure cabinet which must be bolted to internal brick walls and out of site. This is the first thing the police will want to see when they visit you and to check your not some crazy nutter The application should be held at most large police stations and can easily be obtained by asking at the front desk for one or both. Dont be shy you will not be asked lots of questions and the forms are simple to fill out plus you can apply for shotgun and rifle licence to run together at the same time and less cost....

Google "Firearms law" and look for sporting shooter which has all the info you need

[maxilaura]

I grew up in South Africa and when I was a teenager, it was important to learn how to handle a gun and my mother took me to the shooting range for lessons on my 13th birthday - a bit extremely I thought at the time, being a girl, but am glad I did it. Apparently I was a pretty good shot - I can't remember it really as it was so long ago, and would probably shoot myself in the foot now should I have to handle a gun these days.

I don't personally like guns, but it is better to know how to handle one should the need arise.

As the Bisley Shooting Range is close by, am thinking of looking into some sessions there to recap - not sure if I will actually get a firearm to keep at home here though.

Maxilaura

[JohnRio]

quote="preppingsu"]

This has to be one of your top priortorities. It's reasonable cheap to actually get set up with one, anyway for people who are looking to invest in one I will offer all the help I can. And questions ask below.

Can you tell us a little more about the process involved please?

Depending on what you want ie, shotgun or rifle the steps are still fairly simple. Showing good reason for ownership to the plolice will be the most important. As the video link implies joining a local club for target or clay shooting is a good start or getting written permision from a land owner (farmer etc) to shoot vermin. Sometimes it may be necessary for the police to check the suitability of the land depending on the size(acres) and the caliber applied for. Shotgun for flying vermin, probably .22 rifle for rabbits etc . But you will have to spend money on a secure cabinet which must be bolted to internal brick walls and out of site. This is the first thing the police will want to see when they visit you and to check your not some crazy nutter The application should be held at most large police stations and can easily be obtained by asking at the front desk for one or both. Dont be shy you will not be asked lots of questions and the forms are simple to fill out plus you can apply for shotgun and rifle licence to run together at the same time and less cost....

Google "Firearms law" and look for sporting shooter which has all the info you need

Shotgun is fine for rabbits. Heck, an off-ticket (no certificate needed) air rifle will do for rabbits

General info. and more on the difference between a Shotgun Certificate (SGC) and a Firearms Certificate (FAC):

http://www.marplerifleandpistolclub.org ... gunlaw.htm

http://www.marplerifleandpistolclub.org ... ccert1.htm

"A shotgun is, broadly speaking for certification purposes, a smooth-barrelled gun which discharges a number of pellets, rather than a single projectile, when it is fired. Shotguns held on a SGC must not be capable of holding more than three cartridges in total. They may be single barrel, double barrel, pump action or semi-automatic, but the three cartridge limit still applies and the barrel(s) must be longer than 24 inches. Pumps and semi-autos must be longer than 40 inches overall.

An application for an SGC can be obtained from any police station. For an application to be successful applicants must demonstrate to the police that they have satisfactory security in place and that the possession of a shotgun would not constitute a danger to public safety or to the peace. Applicants must nominate a counter-signatory to approve their application and must declare all criminal convictions, no matter how old or trivial. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply in respect of firearms legislation. Once granted, an SGC is valid for five years and authorises the possession of any number of shotguns and most types of shotgun ammunition"

vs.

"An application for an FAC can be obtained from any police station. For an application to be successful applicants must demonstrate to the police that they have satisfactory security in place. They must also demonstrate that they have "good reason to possess" firearms and must produce such "good reason" for each individual firearm applied for. Unlike the SGC an FAC only gives authority for specific individual rifles or pistols, and the applicant must justify possession of each one separately. "

So, for SGC - In a nutshell, if you're not crazy or criminal, have good security (gunsafe bolted to wall in upstairs room) in place, tell them you want to go clay pigeon shooting at the local club (worth being a member), and you should hopefully be able to complete the process successfully.
vs.
For FAC - Much tighter on the "why do you want this?" question. Answers probably acceptable might be:
- "For a 22lr: To shoot target at X gun club at which I am a member and have been since 2010."
- "For a .243 or .270: To cull deer on the country estate I own."

And unlike the shotguns that fall under an SGC everytime you want to buy a new firearm you must apply to the police with a specific good reason to get an authorized variation on your FAC.

So, once you have a SGC things are much more straightforward. Also, there are vastly more SGC holders and shooters in the UK than FAC holders and shooters, so you will find ammo available in far more places, and it'll be cheaper* as long as you stick to the popular 12 or 20 bore (*apart from .22lr and maybe .223 ammo). There are probably far more clay pigeon clubs than rifle ranges in the UK, as well = more opportunity & maybe cheaper to practice.

That's my understanding of the differences, anyhow.

Probably worth going along to your local gun club first, having a chat, get some advice and maybe join & try your hand with some of the club guns before jumping into the application process.

N.B. "Self-defence" is NOT accepted by UK police as a valid reason for a SGC nor a FAC.

[diamond lil]

"For a .243 or .270: To cull deer on the country estate I own."

There's no way that one would work - the police know all their area landowners and go golfing or to the masons with them - and for that kind of gun, you need to be well known locally with excellent refs (and preferably roots going back 3 generations locally)!

[Attack Warning Red]

Sorry, not one of my top priorities TBH...

[TomW]

Lil I think he was using it as an example not a suggested lie

Another valid reason for that calibre would be because you pay to stalk on estates. A deer management qualification would back this up.

The other thing to remember with FAC is quantity if ammunition possessed is limited as is quantity bought at any one time. Ie you may be granted a .22lr with maximum 200rds, purchasing 100rds at a time. Each purchase of ammunition is noted on your certificate. When you come to renewal and it shows you've bought 200rds and they find you still have 199 they will probably say you don't need your rifle

Also a suppressor is a seperate item on an FAC. So if you think you'll want one for lamping add it to start with. Ammunition must also be stored in seperate secure location so take that in to account too. Some fun cabinets have seperate sections inside or you can get seperate safes that comply