help with try9ing to get open fac please

[Deker 3,478]

  dixyhmr said:

Im in the same boat myself. just been given the opportunity to shoot vermin for a game keeper over many acres, as well as the opportunity to shoot with some very experienced open certificate holders on many different permissions.

 

I rang my FLO last week and he was bang on, helpfull etc, and sent an email off to headquarters saying he knew me and that I was in his opinion safe enough to own an open cert.

 

He rang me the next day saying that they wouldnt grant me one on the basis of what he said and that I would have to write a letter giving more detailed information so thats what I will be doing shortly. Ive got several people who are willing to vouch for me and provide details of land etc so im keeping my fingers crossed.

 

It just feels as if im being held back drastically as I could be out shooting MUCH more if I had an open cert.

 

good luck mate, It seems to me that every force has different opinions on the subject and even though they are meant by law to follow the same government guidelines they dont.......

 

All

 

Chickens and eggs or eggs and chickens!!! I am lead to believe from others that Scotland will quite often issue an Open FAC on first application, round my way it is not unheard of to have a Mentor for your first .22LR now!!!

 

One again a major difference of interpretation and administration of the Firearms Laws around the country!!

[silver_fox 0]

One year after having my FAC granted I asked for it to be made open as I was doing a lot of winter work tree planting on vast estates with rabbit problems. The reply was NO, they don't make certificates open until the first renewal (5 years)! So I asked him to check all the estates I was working on and he said that if the owner or gamekeeper knew that the land was already cleared for my calibre then there was no need for a police check and I could go ahead and shoot, as long as I had the landowners permission.

 

Last winter one of my clients asked me to sort out a fox which had taken some of his chickens, the land hadn't previously been checked so he signed a permission form.I sent this to my local FEO and called him to ask what the next step was; he said that if I didn't hear from him then it would be OK to shoot there. Six months later my client rang me and said that the police had been round and the land was cleared. I just wonder how long I should wait next time before I don't hear anything

[martin 332]

6 months,that is unforgiveable,even Avon & Somerset would do a land check within a few days.

[Fidgety 8]

Silver Fox "he said that if I didn't hear from him then it would be OK to shoot there" Sorry, but I would not accept that unless you had it in writing from them. Always make sure you got a paper trail!!

[Fieldsports 155]

Had fac granted before but 4 years ago I handed it in as I simply was not using it due to change in employment.

I re-applied and got it back a few month ago.

Yep that came back as a closed cert.

It said

“The … (My .22 and ammo) … to which this certificate relates

shall be used only for … (vermin control) … and for zeroing on land deemed suitable by the chief officer of

police for the area where the land is situated and over which the holder has lawful authority to shoot.â€

Or something like that

 

So the very next day I rang up and explained this to Northumbria.

I was swiftly told very direct that there was NO SUCH THING as an open cert.

So I altered the terminology a little saying that I would like an unrestricted cert so that I a experienced shooter can

carry out requests by landowners for pest / vermin control and be able to make the decision that it is a safe place to use the firearm

and ammunition.

After a very long conversation I surrendered the cert with a letter explaining the circumstances.

I was then contacted by firearms and we went over what my experience was. Where I had shot in the past, who I had worked for

when I had previous certificates, Who I carried out work for when my pest control business was in operation, Who I go shooting with etc etc etc.

I can honestly say that the FLO was very helpful and to be honest sensible to make sure that I had the knowledge and was safe enough to be unleashed

into the countryside with a gun and ammo and to shoot where I think is alright.

They said that they would consider altering the conditions to suite my circumstances.

A phone call the very next day confirmed this, and a new certificate was in my possession within 5 days with the restriction removed.

 

Notice how I never use the wording Open or Closed to Northumbria as they do not seem to like the terminology.

 

Cheers