Timelord 0 Posted October 1, 2008 Report Share Posted October 1, 2008 Safety and the Law in the U.K. Safety is the most important factor involved in any shooting sport and airgun shooting is no exception. An airgun is not a toy and rules apply to the ownership and use of them. Time spent learning to shoot safely and responsibly will allow you to use your airgun enjoyably for years to come. The first lesson to learn is to BE SAFE - NOT SORRY. A moments stupidity or carelessness could cause injury either to yourself or another person. To avoid this follow the rules below: Always treat an airgun as if it is loaded. Always store your airgun securely in a safe place. Make sure it is unloaded and not cocked. It is often best to store ammunition separately. Never load an airgun until it is safe to fire it. Never point an airgun at anyone, even when unloaded ! Never carry a loaded airgun in public. Remember an airgun is loaded when it has a pellet in the breach, it does not have to be cocked to be loaded.This includes multi shot magazines. Never touch somebody else's airgun without their permission. Always check that an airgun is unloaded when you first pick it up. Never let young children use an airgun unsupervised. There may seem a lot of rules, however they are easy to keep to and will save you trouble in the long run. Learning them and teaching them to others will ensure that you enjoy many years of safe shooting. The Law: There are some legal requirements to owning and using an airgun in the UK. They are there to ensure safety and most of them are fairly obvious. For details of the legislation in countries other than the UK please contact your local shooting association or police force. Airguns do not require a licence unless they are over the UK legal limit of 12ft.lbs muzzle energy for rifles and 6 ft.lbs muzzle energy for pistols. Providing you are within the age requirements for ownership listed below almost anybody can own one. Owning and using an airgun: Young people under 14. If you are under 14 years old you cannot buy, hire, be given or own an airgun or airgun ammunition. You can however use an airgun if: you are supervised by someone over 21; and you do not shoot beyond the boundaries of where you are using it; or you are a member of an approved club and you are using it for target practice at that club; or you are using an airgun at a shooting gallery for airguns or miniature rifles. Young people between 14 and 17. If you are between 14 and 17 years old, you can be given or lent an airgun or ammunition but you cannot buy or hire them yourself. It will become an offence to give an airgun to someone who is under the age of 17. However you can : carry an air rifle (but not an air pistol) in a public place as long as it is covered with a securely fastened gun cover that prevents it from being fired; member of that club; and use an airgun at a gallery for airguns and miniature rifles. It is illegal to: Carry a loaded or unloaded airgun or imitation firearm in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. Trespass in a building or on private land with an airgun whether it is loaded or whether or not you have ammunition. Possess or use an airgun if you have been sentenced to three months or more in custody. If the sentence was up to three years you are banned from using or owning any airgun or firearm for a period of five years from the date of release. If the sentence was over three years you are banned for life. Kill or injure any bird or animal protected by law unless you are authorised to do so under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. Air Cartridge weapons (rifles and pistols) Owners of airguns that use self contained air cartridges (Brocock / Uberti / Saxby and Palmer / Crown) have to apply for a FireArms Certificate (£50) before 30 April 2004. Failure to do so could result in a mandatory five-year prison sentence under the Criminal Justice Act 2003. Any owner that doesn't want to apply for an FAC can hand their weapons in at any police station for destruction (there will be no compensation). Gun Law Gun law is complex. Be sure to check the law before you take any action. The following are guidelines and advice only and do not specifically state the law. These paragraphs refer mostly to guns used in unauthorised situations, and do not generally apply to guns used, for example for sporting purposes, by persons authorised by the landowner. Guns are often encountered by countryside professionals, and are frequently used legally and effectively without problem. Occasionally a landowner will encounter someone using or carrying a weapon which is not authorised. In a public place, such as a country park, this can call for sensitive, quick, action. A good knowledge of the law can help the countryside professional in such cases. The following is derived partly from guidelines produced for staff at an urban country park where unauthorised shooting was a problem. The law may be thought to be a little complicated but it is designed to make sure that guns can be properly used by people without danger to anyone else, or the environment. Obeying the law will not prevent anyone from enjoying responsible gun ownership, and safe use of the countryside. Countryside professionals are strongly advised to familiarise themselves with these laws if they are likely to be encountering those abusing them - gun users are often very familiar with the law. Air Weapons (Adapted from a leaflet entitled AIRGUN LAW published by the Shooting Sports Trust Ltd.) Airguns in Public Places It is against the law for anyone to have an airgun in a public place unless they have some proper reason for doing so - for example, it has just been confiscated from an offender. A public place is anywhere where the public are allowed to go, regardless of who owns the land, and even though they may have to pay. Roads, streets, footpaths, canal towpaths, public parks, play areas are all examples of public places. If the general public have some sort of right or permission to be in a particular place, that is a public place and you are not allowed to have a loaded airgun in that place. Airguns and Young People These restrictions apply to young people. Two age groups are involved, those between 14 and 17 years and those under 14 years. Persons Aged 14 to 17 years In this age group you may not buy or hire an airgun but you can borrow one from a person over 17 years (for use when on private land). If you are under 17 years, your airgun and ammunition must be bought for you by someone over 17 and this should generally be your parents or guardians. In this age group you can use an airgun on private property where you have a right to be, without supervision. With two exceptions you may not have an airgun in a public place. The exceptions are: Using an airgun at a rifle range or in connection with a rifle club or shooting gallery. It will become illegal for anyone to carry a loaded or unloaded airgun or imitation firearm in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. Persons under 14 years If you are under 14 years the restrictions on using an airgun are very strict indeed. All those restrictions which apply to adults and people in the under 17 age group apply to you and there are more. You may not buy or hire an airgun or ammunition and may not even accept an airgun as a gift. If anyone gives or sells an airgun or ammunition to a person under 17 years he commits an offence. Parents who wish to buy an airgun for a person under 17 years must keep control of it at all times and must not allow the child to be in complete control, though he can be allowed to use it under supervision. If you are under 17 years you can have an airgun and ammunition temporarily in your possession only in two special situations : In connection with your membership of an approved rifle club or cadet corps or when at a shooting gallery. You can have the airgun temporarily, and you can use it when you are on private premises where you have a right to be provided you are under the supervision of a person who is over 21 years old. If a pellet goes outside these premises on to someone else's property, both the child and the adult may be taken to court. You can also carry an airgun or air rifle (but not an air pistol) in a public place if it is in a securely fastened gun cover and you are supervised by someone over 21 years. For all practical purposes a person under the age of 17 years must be supervised by someone over the age of 21 years at all times when he has an airgun in his possession, even within his own home. Highways It is an offence to fire any weapon within 50 feet of the centre of any roadway, if by doing so you cause a nuisance. This offence could be committed by someone on private property close to a road who used a gun in a way which upset people on the road. Protection of Birds Most birds are completely protected by law. It is sometimes thought that those birds which are often called vermin can be killed at any time by anyone. That is not so. Birds which are regarded as pests (magpies, woodpigeon, crows etc.) may only be killed by what the law calls an 'authorised person', that is the person who owns the land or who has permission to shoot pests. A trespasser or a person who shoots at such a bird in a public place will commit offences against the Firearms Act for having a gun and also against the law on the protection of birds by killing, or even trying to kill, a wild bird when he is not an authorised person. Firearms Any gun is a serious matter. It is normally an offence to have any firearm in a public place, unless safely covered. Even if it is safely stowed any firearm, including an airgun, could reasonably be reported to the police by a ranger. Anyone firing any weapon on or over a piece of land without the permission of the landowner is probably guilty of an offence, and should certainly be reported to the police. Any unauthorised non-airgun should definitely be dealt with by the police. Weapons such as crossbows, bow and arrow, or even large catapults can be just as dangerous. If a person is behaving dangerously with any weapon, or seems likely to, call the police and tell them there is an armed person in a public place - they will be quick to help you deal with the situation. In any case of doubt about any weapon: Do not approach the gun user PROTECTION All wild birds, their nests and their eggs are protected by law. The level of this protection depends on whether the bird is rare or endangered (these are shown on Schedule 1 of the WCA) but even very common birds such as robins and blackbirds are protected. Some birds can be shot for sport but only at certain times of the year. Other birds may be killed because they are pests (for example, magpies or crows) but this can only be done under certain conditions by authorised persons - see definition above. Part II Birds which may be killed or taken by authorised persons: This section has been replaced by General Licences with the same effect: Crow (Carrion) Rook, Magpie, Jackdaw , Jay Dove (Collared) Pigeon (Feral) Wood Pigeon Gull (Great Black-Backed) Gull (Herring) Gull (Lesser Black-Backed ) Link to post
Jef66 0 Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 Hey Timelord Could you please explain what happens with owning a rifle over the 12ftlb law: I will work my way through the rest of the post as well with time. Thanks for the info. Easy to answer. You need a Firearms Certificate ====>> FIREARMS CERTIFICATE HELP THREAD <<=== Link to post
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