firarms offence

[dohnut 0]

If you get a caution then you may get away with it. How long you had your license, they are renewed every three years so they may not pick up on it until renewal, on the other hand if convicted of a firearm offence then i wouldn't like to say. Silly thing is the license ain't worth a poke seeing as they gave about 10,000 of them to bloody immigrants without running the checks

the point is i shouldnt be getting caution for something i bought from a shop

i wanted a licenece dont think will get one now

Edited January 4, 2008 by dohnut

[Malt 379]

Good luck Dohnut mate.

[Guest craftycarper]

Good luck tonight mate, report the shop though before someone else cops it

[T78 4]

will you be getting the gun back ok?if so,they're cautioning you then giving you it back to possibly go through it all again? watch the s

[bill88 6]

When you say you went hunting with it on the way home, exactly where did you go with it, i take it you have written permission from a landowner, and it was on that land that you was shooting with it?

i had permission with me from landowner

i had finished shooting on was on way home i was about 2 miles away from home about 5am i got pulled over by police

they said to me they was a few burglaries in the area so they checked my car over, in boot was my rifle in case in boot unloaded pellets was even in glove box they missed,so they said to me we are taking rifle for testing

 

I don't see any grounds for them to be confiscating your rifle mate.You had written permission,the gun was in a case,and you had not committed any offence,sounds like a fit up to me.

[speedlamper 0]

i agree with bill, if he had it secured in a case, unloaded and had permission to shoot then up til this point he hadnt broken any laws so they had no reason to take it off him.

something doesnt sound right

[T78 4]

what i meant was if they had found it to be 12+ ft/lbs and then cautioned him for being "in possesion of a firearm"etc,then surely he wouldnt be getting the "illegaly held firearm" back?! see what i mean?

[bill88 6]

When you say you went hunting with it on the way home, exactly where did you go with it, i take it you have written permission from a landowner, and it was on that land that you was shooting with it?

i had permission with me from landowner

i had finished shooting on was on way home i was about 2 miles away from home about 5am i got pulled over by police

they said to me they was a few burglaries in the area so they checked my car over, in boot was my rifle in case in boot unloaded pellets was even in glove box they missed,so they said to me we are taking rifle for testing

 

I don't see any grounds for them to be confiscating your rifle mate.You had written permission,the gun was in a case,and you had not committed any offence,sounds like a fit up to me.

 

If you any gun in your possesion and you admit to firing it, then its found to be over the limit you are guilty of possesion of a firearm without a cert......

 

its matterless whether its in a case or you were on permission....

 

Lets hope common sense prevails and the police realise that nothing is to be gained by a prosecution......

 

My apologies if i'm mistaken,but i thought they had to have reasonable grounds i.e they believe the gun was "over the limit" you were trespassing,or had committed an offence? etc etc.What was the story here?

[dohnut 0]

When they tested my gun they used 3 different weights of pellets of different makes. It was also worth noting that the pellets they took from me 'accupel'....never went over 12lb but the heavy pellets they used did (barracuda's i think)

they cant do that, if your brand of pellet your using doesnt exceed the power then your ok,

get that off the police what pellet they use and tell them what you use, get a good solictitor on the case

it states here make sure you know your gun's power with your pellets

http://www.youngmans.com/acatalog/law.html

as long as you took the nesserary percautions to know and are with in power with your pellets then they havent got a case

tonight at 9pm 4th jan i will be asking police to

 

retest my rifle with my own pellets(powerpell)

date check on police crono

take my own pellets in

 

see what they say tonight with i go to police station for interview

they told me im getting a caution for it

but cant see why i should when i bought rifle brand new in good faith

 

i will add more info tonight what happens

 

well im back from police station and i got charged with possesion of a firearm without a cert.....

rifle will be destryored

i got a caution for it

rifle was 14.81 pounds off pressure with a 21 grain pellets

now i got to get a good soliistor to do something about the gunshop in hull(duncans) for selling me the rifle

now i got a crimimal record for something i brought i good faith

 

i guess im not hunting no more have to start a new hobby

Edited January 5, 2008 by dohnut

[bullmastiff 615]

So what will happen about the shotgun cert? I guess it's out the window now? Could an understanding Firearms officer still sign you off?

[Guest Lord B]

Dohnut

 

I'm sorry to hear what happened, and the outcome. The only slight positive to come out is that the scentence could have been a lot worse.

 

I'm an RFD and our business used to own a gun shop so I have some experiance of selling air rifles and the related law.

 

You mentioned that the rifle was new and not second hand, is that right? If so it makes things a little easier.

 

You have a receipt for purchase. Unfortunatly it won't show a cerial no or anything in the way a Firearms Transfer does but it'll do as proof of purchase from the shop - of the "new" air rifle.

 

You need your solicitor to get hold of all the chrono test docs, as well as either an independant gunsmith report on the rifle or at the very least dated non digital (ie from film) pictures of the rifle showing the screw heads etc, showing that the riflew has not been taken appart to be "modefied" after purchase.

 

Get them to also contact the manufacturer for a copy of their trade brocure which will include a section in its T&C's explaining that each rifle is tested in the factory to be approx. 11.2 ftlb (approx, each maker differs), this is in effect a built in "buffer" zone to allow for pellet weight etc. The point is this will show that the manufacturer tested the rifle before sale into the trade and that you did not tamper with the action.

 

It may not provide evidence that the retailer is at fault, after all what would they gain in "tweaking" a new gun before its sold? But it will bring into question your conviction/caution.

 

I would highly recomend getting BASC involved, join if you are not a member and speak to either Bill or Matt in the firearms dept.

 

It may take time (and money) and it probably won't prove your innocence but it will provide more than enough doubt in the eyes of a magistates bench or police cheif to overturn what has been done, might....

 

Weather your acceptance of the caution makes that dificult I can't say. I know a caution is seen as an acceptance of "liability" w3ithout going to court and being "cinvicted" and sentanced through the courts.

 

All the best. If you want an independant gunsmith I can put you in the right direction, but so could Matt and Bill at BASC.

[richie 1]

DOHNUT

 

first of all, sorry to hear about the outcome, i can only imagine how it feels & im gutted for you...

 

you say the rifle was 14.81 pounds off pressure with a 21 grain pellets ?

 

thats a heavy pellet. a bisley magnum .22 is 21.40grn & their classed as bricks that are so heavy that their shite in non FAC rated air weapons. im not surprised the old bill charged you. if your gun was firing at that ftlb & you were to put a lighter pellet through it, for example a bisley LRG which weighs 14.00grn the pellet would read nearer 22.00ftlb over a chrono. i think the police have been fair in the testing of your air rifle with probably one of the heaviest .22 grn pellet, the next heavier pellet up from that is the H&N rabbit magnum at 30.00grn.

 

the shop are partly to blame for this for not testing the rifle before it left the shop, but also in the eyes of the law its also up to the owner to regulary check the power..

 

i do hold an FAC & SGC, but occassionally i take the rapid out & i always put 10 shots over a chrony before leaving to do a bit..

 

end of the day with something like this you have to take it on the chin, unless you want to get down the shop & kick off which wont get you anywhere...

 

 

richie

[Guest baldie]

You,ve got off lightly mate, althought it may not seem it. You,ve accepted a caution, but there is to be no criminal court proceedings against you? if so , you should still be ok for a sgc, as you [in theory] have no criminal record.

Out of interest, what rifle and calibre was it?

As far as i can see, the police has done everything by the book, i would not waste time and money by contesting it, the gun was way over the limit, and you couldn,t argue it was dieseling etc in court, not pushing out almost 15 ft/lbs.

The current climate is not one to be breaking the airgun laws in, the authorities are STAMPING on offenders, basically because people have been taking the piss for so long with over the limit guns.

If the gun was s/h the gunshop was legally bound to ensure the weapon was sub 12 ft/lbs, but you have to prove it.