fac application

[trapperman 474]

well i put my application in a while back and had my visit last week, all went well he said i had good experience and knowlege of firearms, cabinate was fine, the only issue was the fact that i am applying for an open cert from the start as its for work use with my pest control, but he said he would put it through with approvel to his boss.

i am applying for .22 and .17hmr.

well i got a call yesterday from him saying that his boss will not give me an open cert but i can get my cert and get the guns but have a closed cert well this is no good as it would mean that any job i get i would have to have a land check and get it passed before i can shoot it this would look very amature`ish to a customer not to mention the extra hassle, so i told him not to bother as i would have two guns that i can`t use he then said that they may well grant me a fac air on open from the start and i could then put in an variation in a year or so for the rim fires i want as i would then in the eyes of the law have had enough experience so this is what i did i will just have to wait and see.

it just takes the piss abit as i know of two friends that applyed for fac on a certain piece of land they had no previous experience with firearms and they got granted an open cert from the start without even asking for it, but this was a different area than me.

if i get an open fac air i then have to spend hundreds of pounds on an air rifle that still wont perform to the standard i need, i`m sure they are good as far as airguns go but you cant really compare them to the rifles i applyed for.

 

just feeling abit miffed right now as when i called the licencing dept before i applyed the guy said yes we do this sort of cert all the time for pest controlers it just makes you wonder if they just wanted my £50.

[mal mason 7]

well i put my application in a while back and had my visit last week, all went well he said i had good experience and knowlege of firearms, cabinate was fine, the only issue was the fact that i am applying for an open cert from the start as its for work use with my pest control, but he said he would put it through with approvel to his boss.

i am applying for .22 and .17hmr.

well i got a call yesterday from him saying that his boss will not give me an open cert but i can get my cert and get the guns but have a closed cert well this is no good as it would mean that any job i get i would have to have a land check and get it passed before i can shoot it this would look very amature`ish to a customer not to mention the extra hassle, so i told him not to bother as i would have two guns that i can`t use he then said that they may well grant me a fac air on open from the start and i could then put in an variation in a year or so for the rim fires i want as i would then in the eyes of the law have had enough experience so this is what i did i will just have to wait and see.

it just takes the piss abit as i know of two friends that applyed for fac on a certain piece of land they had no previous experience with firearms and they got granted an open cert from the start without even asking for it, but this was a different area than me.

if i get an open fac air i then have to spend hundreds of pounds on an air rifle that still wont perform to the standard i need, i`m sure they are good as far as airguns go but you cant really compare them to the rifles i applyed for.

 

just feeling abit miffed right now as when i called the licencing dept before i applyed the guy said yes we do this sort of cert all the time for pest controlers it just makes you wonder if they just wanted my £50.

 

I put in for mine 13 wks ago had me visit 10 wks ago and heard nothing, i have never heard of any 1 getting an open licence from the start mate unless like you said different area and that, and as far as air fac go im sure you can have loads of fun wid that i put in for my fac air gun and rimfire but like you said its alot of money but once you have it there is alot of places you can use it where you cant shoot your rimfire and you could always save up for your better gun while having fun wid you air rifle, dont forget you can still take ground game at good distance with your air only have to wait for mr fox and alike but the fun of stalking rabbit is a great sport, dont despair mate time will pass and you soon have the guns you want and just be patiant with the police it wont take long for them to vet the land and im sure the costomer will understand that it wont be long before you are controlling the pests, good luck pal and happy hunting

[dixyhmr 62]

The licensing system and the way they operate varies drastically from force to force.

 

I know lads whove had open certs for deer from first grant. It seems others need mentoring before they gain a centerfire.

 

Ive found ive had farmers offer me shooting only for them to say it doesent matter after being informed by the FEO that the land isnt surveyed. When you mention to some landowners that an oficer will have to come and pay a quick visit to see whats what, they seem to back off and then say not to bother. Ive mentioned this to my FEO and he agrees entirely.

 

After all, why go through the chew when they can get someone with an open cert to come and shoot straight away without plod checking their farm out !. This person may be from a different area, and only recieved his license a couple of days ago and not have the faintest idea how to controll fox, vermin,etc effectively, and may not be as safety conscious as yourself !

 

A bit exaggerated but you get my drift !

[Deker 3,478]

People can, and still do get Open Certificates from day one, this is becoming more and more rare though, particularly with larger calibres.

 

There is little consistancy from region to region and I have known of people requiring a mentor even for a .22lr recently!

 

Frustrating

[trapperman 474]

People can, and still do get Open Certificates from day one, this is becoming more and more rare though, particularly with larger calibres.

 

There is little consistancy from region to region and I have known of people requiring a mentor even for a .22lr recently!

 

Frustrating

he did mention the mentoring to me but because i have been out most weeks with my best mate and his .22 & .222 for the last few years he said that a supporting letter would be fine which my mate did for me that night and i took it in the next day, but this still turned out to not be good enough

[jamie g 17]

People can, and still do get Open Certificates from day one, this is becoming more and more rare though, particularly with larger calibres.

 

There is little consistancy from region to region and I have known of people requiring a mentor even for a .22lr recently!

 

Frustrating

he did mention the mentoring to me but because i have been out most weeks with my best mate and his .22 & .222 for the last few years he said that a supporting letter would be fine which my mate did for me that night and i took it in the next day, but this still turned out to not be good enough

 

thats life im sorry to say. if you where in scotland then im sure you would have got open from start.

 

dont turn it down get it and get as much ammo through it as you can then in 4 to 5 months get your friend to write you a letter and ask for open then

[Hmr Hunter 2]

In Gwent Dude you would of bit his hand off for anything, I just put in for mine and wanted 17 Hmr and 22 Rimmie and was told I could only have one even though I had explained in great detail how both calibres were totally diffret and both were needed in their own right. Think I'll move to Oxford

[Mr_Logic 5]

In Gwent Dude you would of bit his hand off for anything, I just put in for mine and wanted 17 Hmr and 22 Rimmie and was told I could only have one even though I had explained in great detail how both calibres were totally diffret and both were needed in their own right. Think I'll move to Oxford

That goes against ACPO and Home Office guidelines, strongly worded letter from the BASC and/or lawyers would have sorted that one. You had shown Good Reason for those firearms, if the police have no grounds for refusal then (and I've not checked this so I probably should) AFAIK that is actually illegal. It is not the Police's job to decide which rifle you can and cannot have for a given job; it is up to them to make sure your requests are properly founded, sensible requests with no impact on public safety, end of.

[Colster 1]

Not sure if this helps but my local gun dealer said generally if you send in lots of requests to get different bits of land passed, they will usually grant an open cert very quickly as they don't want to do the surveys either. Annoying because it will cost you a variation but at least you're good to go then.

[waidmann 105]

colster is right on this one,the passing of land is a free service.if you have a couple of jobs per week and call him to pass them he will soon reccomend you get an open ticket.

mostly the land should be passed anyway so he just has to check on a computer,if not he has to visit and pass/fail as suitable.

get the ticket get the guns mate and sort out the retrictions after a couple of months when he has seen that you NEED an open ticket(due to his lack of time ).

 

explain the need and that you will have however many customers per week etc and see what happens. my guess is that he will last a couple of months and get fed up with passing land.

good luck bud let us know how it goes

[Deker 3,478]

Not sure if this helps but my local gun dealer said generally if you send in lots of requests to get different bits of land passed, they will usually grant an open cert very quickly as they don't want to do the surveys either. Annoying because it will cost you a variation but at least you're good to go then.

 

 

It should only cost the time the letter and the stamp to get it opened up..if you ask for additional firearms at the same time it will cost money (£26).

[trapperman 474]

just a quick update

 

i did speak to another guy at b.a.s.c. who just said that they can put any conditions they like on the ticket but that they shouldnt have told me to downgrade to fac air and that i should call them and get the .22 & .17 hmr put back on even if it is a closed cert, i didnt do this as i didnt want to rock the boat.

 

that was last week, well f##k me if i didnt get a phone call today to tell me that now even tho i`ve bent over backwards for them and taken it up the arse they have decided not to grant me a cert at all without some land down on the ticket even tho i need it for pest control on diferent pieces of ground.

 

so now i have to get a friend of mine to write a letter and have a land check (he owns a small quarry) to give me permission to shoot there so i can get my ticket, i told the fao that i would probley never shoot there as the gun will be for my business and he said it doesant matter its just a formality.

 

is it just me or is the whole system so f##king hard that it makes you not want to bother

[njc110381 0]

That's the whole point, they don't want you to have it do they!

 

Get the rimfires on a closed FAC. Tell your customers that it's just a formality that your force insist on and give them a new piece of ground to check as regularly as you possibly can. Try not to get them out to do more than one at a time, make them do each visit seperately and waste their time as best you can. Also phone them to tell them you are at risk of losing the job of they don't hurry up and do the checks, who's going to compensate you for that? They will soon get fed up and open it. If they get funny with you then make it very clear to them that it's not your fault, they are making life hard for all concerned and only they have the power to change it!

Edited October 28, 2009 by njc110381

[223 cz 0]

You will most probably find that most farms/land has already been inspected at some time and will be in their system its only a phone call to check mate good luck

[Hmr Hunter 2]

just a quick update

 

i did speak to another guy at b.a.s.c. who just said that they can put any conditions they like on the ticket but that they shouldnt have told me to downgrade to fac air and that i should call them and get the .22 & .17 hmr put back on even if it is a closed cert, i didnt do this as i didnt want to rock the boat.

 

that was last week, well f##k me if i didnt get a phone call today to tell me that now even tho i`ve bent over backwards for them and taken it up the arse they have decided not to grant me a cert at all without some land down on the ticket even tho i need it for pest control on diferent pieces of ground.

 

so now i have to get a friend of mine to write a letter and have a land check (he owns a small quarry) to give me permission to shoot there so i can get my ticket, i told the fao that i would probley never shoot there as the gun will be for my business and he said it doesant matter its just a formality.

 

is it just me or is the whole system so f##king hard that it makes you not want to bother

 

Know exactly what you mean mate I've actually lost land since I've had my fac..Its all a joke, Farmers don't like the thought of plod all over their land even though you tell them its just a 5 mini=ute one off formality..Its all a joke DAVE