Kent County Firearms Department

[Sean J 0]

Having not long moved here from South Gloucestershire way where Avon and Somerset were my local branch (which also provided great service) I was due a visit from the local FAO to check cabinet security etc. Well when he came round last Thursday I thought I'd run a few variations to my licence by him which we discussed and he was happy to approve, Now I'd been told by local people and the FAO that it can take anywhere from six to ten weeks so one thing I was expecting was a phone call five working days later to say it was ready for me to either pick up direct from the station or to post off!! So off out for a bit of shopping this weekend!!

I can't rate the service highly enough, FAO was a great chap, very friendly etc and the rest of the department were equally as good and i can safely say I'm looking forward to any future dealings with them.

[toxo 160]

Good to praise where praise is due. FDs sometimes get a bad press and rightly so. Well done and welcome to Kent.

[Sean J 0]

Cheers for the welcome, its a cracking part of the country with some ace countryside with some good ground and good shooting, I love it!! They deserve the praise, I've heard a lot of people slating the firearms departments up and down the country but personally myself I can't fault them. Both Kent and Avon and Somerset have done good by me and I can't rate them enough.

[mad4it 695]

wecome to kent mate. I cant fault the kent firearms departsment i have always found them helpful.

[luckyplum 50]

i just have to add that this week i spoke to the suffolk firearms dept. hoping they would grant me an open ticket for my fac air rifle after three years of being granted my original certificate. on thursday i handed in my old certificate and a letter and on saturday morning i received my open ticket, well chuffed ! cheers plum !

[David Aiken 253]

I contacted an `out of my own FLO`s postcode area` FLO on a Monday afternoon in Kent, he met me at a new permission where I hadn't even met the owner (found by a friend) on the Thursday. He entered my details on the database that day, so I could shoot straight away! Now that's quick service!

[toxo 160]

I found out recently that if the land is cleared for the caliber that you shoot and you have permission, your details have nothing to do with it. Just go and shoot. It sounds in your case like the land hadn't been looked at yet hence the FLO being there so a different scenario. A few weeks ago I got a new perm and the FO told me over the phone it was cleared for .22LR. He also told me to send in a copy of the permission. When I called the FD in Maidstone the woman I spoke to told me I couldn't shoot it til I got a letter back. She even tried to tell me I couldn't shoot 12ftlbs until I got the letter. BASC said "Rubbish" (he used a much stronger word). If you've got permission and it's cleared, fill ya boots. Not even any need to send in the permission. And I'm still waiting for that letter.

 

Paul

[David Aiken 253]

I found out recently that if the land is cleared for the caliber that you shoot and you have permission, your details have nothing to do with it. Just go and shoot. It sounds in your case like the land hadn't been looked at yet hence the FLO being there so a different scenario. A few weeks ago I got a new perm and the FO told me over the phone it was cleared for .22LR. He also told me to send in a copy of the permission. When I called the FD in Maidstone the woman I spoke to told me I couldn't shoot it til I got a letter back. She even tried to tell me I couldn't shoot 12ftlbs until I got the letter. BASC said "Rubbish" (he used a much stronger word). If you've got permission and it's cleared, fill ya boots. Not even any need to send in the permission. And I'm still waiting for that letter.

 

Paul

 

Both yourself and the BASC are correct. This is a Kent Firearms Department policy, its a well know policy of theirs, so if you wont to wind them up go ahead! I for one wait until I have received a letter from that `nice, but misinformed` lady you spoke of This is why we need a one for all policy to stop anyone being refused or having a FAC taken away.

[toxo 160]

 

I found out recently that if the land is cleared for the caliber that you shoot and you have permission, your details have nothing to do with it. Just go and shoot. It sounds in your case like the land hadn't been looked at yet hence the FLO being there so a different scenario. A few weeks ago I got a new perm and the FO told me over the phone it was cleared for .22LR. He also told me to send in a copy of the permission. When I called the FD in Maidstone the woman I spoke to told me I couldn't shoot it til I got a letter back. She even tried to tell me I couldn't shoot 12ftlbs until I got the letter. BASC said "Rubbish" (he used a much stronger word). If you've got permission and it's cleared, fill ya boots. Not even any need to send in the permission. And I'm still waiting for that letter.

 

Paul

 

Both yourself and the BASC are correct. This is a Kent Firearms Department policy, its a well know policy of theirs, so if you wont to wind them up go ahead! I for one wait until I have received a letter from that `nice, but misinformed` lady you spoke of This is why we need a one for all policy to stop anyone being refused or having a FAC taken away.

 

I know you're reaching for an open ticket David and it seems that each of your posts are made as though the Kent FD is going to read them but in this case it's not policy we're talking about. It's laid down law. By the way. That letter is still not here after around six weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if it never gets here.

 

atb Paul

[Sean J 0]

I never had to send in a permission letter or wait for a letter from the FD when I moved up here to the estate, I just phoned the FLO for this postcode when I got here, told him I'd just moved up here, that Avon and Somerset will be sending my details over and that I'd be doing all the shooting on this land and his response was to just crack on, then he eventually came round to check my cabinet etc.

Quite frankly if that really is there policy its ludicrous, what if you'd been given permission to shoot say a few problem foxes that were causing £££'s of livestock damage and you had to wait weeks for a letter how much more £££'s of damage would they of caused in that time!!

[toxo 160]

BASC are constantly telling us not to pander to these area "quirks". Firearms law is difficult enough as it is without encouraging any more differences. As long as you're within the law and anyone tries to take away your FAC for no good reason BASC will sort it. That's what you pay them for.

[David Aiken 253]

 

 

I found out recently that if the land is cleared for the caliber that you shoot and you have permission, your details have nothing to do with it. Just go and shoot. It sounds in your case like the land hadn't been looked at yet hence the FLO being there so a different scenario. A few weeks ago I got a new perm and the FO told me over the phone it was cleared for .22LR. He also told me to send in a copy of the permission. When I called the FD in Maidstone the woman I spoke to told me I couldn't shoot it til I got a letter back. She even tried to tell me I couldn't shoot 12ftlbs until I got the letter. BASC said "Rubbish" (he used a much stronger word). If you've got permission and it's cleared, fill ya boots. Not even any need to send in the permission. And I'm still waiting for that letter.

 

Paul

 

Both yourself and the BASC are correct. This is a Kent Firearms Department policy, its a well know policy of theirs, so if you wont to wind them up go ahead! I for one wait until I have received a letter from that `nice, but misinformed` lady you spoke of This is why we need a one for all policy to stop anyone being refused or having a FAC taken away.

 

I know you're reaching for an open ticket David and it seems that each of your posts are made as though the Kent FD is going to read them but in this case it's not policy we're talking about. It's laid down law. By the way. That letter is still not here after around six weeks and I wouldn't be surprised if it never gets here.

 

atb Paul

 

Do you honestly think Kent FD, the police in general, Westminster, the US intelligence department ect ect are NOT READING THIS AND ALL FORUM SITE TO DO WITH FIREARMS?

[toxo 160]

Short answer, yes I do. They have better things to do with their time.

 

I had an aquaintence once who also was paranoid about this. When sending block quoted emails he redacted every single occurrence of "dodgy" words like gun, rifle, shooting etc etc. Even when it was me that wrote them in the first place they would come back blacked out.

 

I guess it depends on the kind of world you live in.

 

As far as forums go, I know when searching for something, how much crap and useless one liners I have to wade through to find anything meaningful. If the "suits" are listening for key words how many thousands are they gonna find on shooting forums every single day.

 

Apart from anything else the bad guys don't talk about their activities on forums.

 

But hey! Whatever floats your boat.