Guns in the uk

[zuhrich]

So...
Ive searched for gun laws in the uk and found alot of...banning of guns backfired ect ect but not alot about what is acctualy allowed.
im 18 and would really like to get into shooting on ranges, does anybody know the restrictions on guns in the UK? and possible dealers?
Scoped rifles really intrest me, but is the use of automatic rifles possible?
thanks.
Andy

[zuhrich]

NO one can help me? :(
ok

[LtVacan]

I live in the US, but I found this link. It provides some info, but not a lot of details.

http://www.parker-hale.com/law.htm

[zuhrich]

Thats a start, very useful though

thank you :) Lt

[Geezah]

Tagged for monday, I have a couple of links to the House of Parliament and how guns laws have changed in the UK over the years. I'll link them then or if you feel like it you could do a search on my posts?

[PaddyASCUK]

http://www.cybershooters.org/law.htm

[zuhrich]

Ill be looking forward to it Geezah, Ive been reading your posts also :)

thanks for all the help guys.
does anybody have a gun club membership? or own a firearm?

[Yimmy]

I have done a fair bit of reading on the subject myself, but before I type a load of gibberish, have you found out what gun clubs are near you? Unless you live in reach of Bisley, I doubt you will find a range over 50m's, and for gallery guns only.

You basically have the choice of air-rifle shooting competitions, at 10m's at tiny targets, or rimfire rifle shooting (often out to 100m's), gallery gun shooting (.44 cal lever guns etc), out to 50m's or so, or long distance rifle shooting at Bisley. There are also a few other shooting sports such as BP revolver shooting and long barrel revolver.

Basically, the only scoped real rifles you will find, will be of little use anywhere but Bisley, or if your club is able to get open days at army ranges.

[wiking]

A .22 BRNO bolt, or a Ruger 10/22 semi auto are brilliant and fun guns to shoot, and can be used to hunt very small game (dependant on local law i presume) and pest controll.

Personally i'm working on my hunting licence now here in Norway (required for owning a weapon, since it is the easyest way of getting one. To get one as a competition shooter is difficult and lengthy)

I'm looking at getting a Lee Enfield No. 4, very probably a Ruger 10/22 and possibly a Remington 870 shotgun.


But please keep us informed on how you do, it's both interesting to see how British firearms law actually work and it is a concern for most other European shooters that we might get similar laws.

And welcome to the club mate, shooting is fun.

[Greek soldier]

A .22 BRNO bolt, or a Ruger 10/22 semi auto are brilliant and fun guns to shoot, and can be used to hunt very small game (dependant on local law i presume) and pest controll.

Personally i'm working on my hunting licence now here in Norway (required for owning a weapon, since it is the easyest way of getting one. To get one as a competition shooter is difficult and lengthy)

I'm looking at getting a Lee Enfield No. 4, very probably a Ruger 10/22 and possibly a Remington 870 shotgun.

Same here... Thousands of Greeks in the countryside own at least 1 hunting carbine p-)

[DeltaWhisky58]

OK - I am a British resident, and I have been a shooter for about 40 years.

Basically as the law currently stands, all handguns (even rimfire), auto (except rimfire) & pump rifles are totally prohibited except with special Home Office permits which are almost impossible to obtain. Handguns ARE permitted in Northern Ireland under special circumstances, but are nor prohibited unlike the rest of England

C/f Rifles:

1. Legitimate hunting - you must be able to prove that you have a need for the weapon, e.g. to hunt deer/vermin, and that you have suitable land on which to use it - all this has to to be to the satisfaction of the police. You must be able to satisfy the need for the calibre of rifle in relation to the species hunted, i.e. you will not get a permit for a .416 Rigby to hunt deer. Laws differ between England/Scotland/Ireland in respect of legal calibres for deer shooting. Bolt, lever, falling block, double rifles permitted.
2. Target shooting - you must be able to prove membership of an approved club. Actions as above.

R/f Rifles:

3. Vermin/ground game shooting - conditions as above. Any action type with approval
4. Target shooting - basically as 2. above.

Black Powder:

5. Rifles/Handguns - both are permitted in the UK, but for target purposes only - no hunting with rifles/handguns.

All of the above require a Firearm Certificate granted by the police. Every weapon is accounted for separately, and you must be able to justify a need for every weapon - refusals are common. Ammunition is also fully licensed, and a license is required to buy all loaded ammunition, and also expanding rifle bullets - every round must be accounted for, and purchase limits are imposed.

Shotguns:

6. Hunting - O/u & S/s doubles, single shot, and pumps/autos plugged to two-round mags - larger mags permitted, but weapon is then classed as a firearm and licensed as 1-5 above. A Shotgun Certificate must be produced to buy ammunition, but quantities are not limited. BP shotguns may be used for bird hunting.
7. clay target shooting - as 6 above.

Shotguns require a Shotgun Certificate which is less restrictive.

Air weapons under 750 fps/12 ft. lbs are not currently licensed, those above come under the rifle rules @ 1 & 2.

N.B. Although there is central government guidance as to how firearms legislation is applied, it is controlled by regional police authorities, and the way this is effected varies greatly from area to area.

I own rifles in .22LR, .222Rem, .243Win and .308 Win, and 12g shotguns. In many police areas it is difficult to obtain authoirty to own rifle calibres above .30-06 or similar, unless a legitimate need can be established, i.e. hunting overseas. In such cases it is not unusual to be allowed to purchase the rifle, but not hold ammunition in the UK - madness ... ... ... yes, most hunters think so, but remember we have a socialist government!


I have done a fair bit of reading on the subject myself, but before I type a load of gibberish, have you found out what gun clubs are near you? Unless you live in reach of Bisley, I doubt you will find a range over 50m's, and for gallery guns only.


Rubbish - there are long rifle ranges accessible to licensed shooters all over the UK - here in Scotland we have access to ranges up to 1200m, and there are similar available all over the UK. Where do you think the military shoots - many clubs have access to military ranges even where civilian owned/run ones are not available. There are in fact a huge number of clubs in the UK under the auspices of organisations such as the NRA (fullbore), NSRA (smallbore), CPSA (clays - shotgun) etc., etc.



Basically, the only scoped real rifles you will find, will be of little use anywhere but Bisley, or if your club is able to get open days at army ranges.

How 'n the heck to you think that a couple of hundred thousand deer are culled annually - there are tens of thousands of legitimate scoped rifles here in the UK, and these can be used on ranges all over the country.

[Yimmy]

Rubbish - there are long rifle ranges accessible to licensed shooters all over the UK - here in Scotland we have access to ranges up to 1200m, and there are similar available all over the UK. Where do you think the military shoots - many clubs have access to military ranges even where civilian owned/run ones are not available. There are in fact a huge number of clubs in the UK under the auspices of organisations such as the NRA (fullbore), NSRA (smallbore), CPSA (clays - shotgun) etc., etc.




I think you misunderstood me, although I did phrase it poorly. From what I have found out in England, Bisley is the only place where you can go and shoot on your own at long distances. The gunclubs I have looked into in the South East mostly go to range days at army ranges, but they (the dates) seem to be few and far between, and have to be organised centrally by the club. The furthest club owned range anywhere near me, is 50m's (for centre fire).

May I ask what other long distance ranges are open to individuals in England?

Concerning the deer, you dont get many deer hunts in London! Hunting isn't really my thing.

[wiking]

In many police areas it is difficult to obtain authoirty to own rifle calibres above .30-06 or similar, unless a legitimate need can be established, i.e. hunting overseas. In such cases it is not unusual to be allowed to purchase the rifle, but not hold ammunition in the UK - madness ... ... ... yes, most hunters think so, but remember we have a socialist government!

That's the greatest load of RUBBISH i've ever heard.

In Norway you can't even hunt with a rifle before you've run atleast 30 training rounds over 2 diffrent cessions, and then place 5 shots in the "kill zone" area. untill you do that, you can't hunt with it.

To give someone approval for a weapon, and then not letting them train with it and zero it. Bloody hell.

[DeltaWhisky58]

May I ask what other long distance ranges are open to individuals in England?


Rifle ranges are not usually open to individuals as such, they are open to clubs who may hire the facilities - many of these are owned/operated by the MoD, but there are also civilian owned/operated ranges. I suggest you visit the National Rifle Association (http://www.nra.org.uk/) website which lists a large number of affiliated clubs widely distributed around the UK.

Clearly one would not expect deer hunting to take place in London - but there are huge numbers of wild deer within the greater London area, and these have to be controlled. I suggest a visit to the British Deer Society (http://www.bds.org.uk/) website for further information. As the only legal manner of contolling deer numbers in England (laws in Scotland & Ireland differ) is with a fullbore rifle, I would suggest that you might be surprised at just where rifles are/can be used. To give an example, the deer herd in Richmond Park in London are culled using fullbore rifles!



That's the greatest load of RUBBISH I've ever heard.

In Norway you can't even hunt with a rifle before you've run at least 30 training rounds over 2 different cessions, and then place 5 shots in the "kill zone" area. until you do that, you can't hunt with it.

To give someone approval for a weapon, and then not letting them train with it and zero it. Bloody hell.

Yes - total madness, but typical of our beloved (not so) Socialist government. There is no mandatory training scheme as yet, however to obtain a Firearm Certificate for target shooting one would normally have to undergo a period of in-club training. for hunters, there is a voluntary (at present) scheme operated by such bodies as British Deer Society (http://www.bds.org.uk/), BASC, Countryside Alliance etc., which offers a three-tier series of training courses which provide a standard well in excess of that which is mandatory in many European countries.

As for the concept of allowing a rifle but not ammunition - ridiculous though it seems, this is common in some - but not all - police areas, and typifies the non-unified approach to firearms administration here in the UK.

[Geezah]

Here you go zuhrich, as promised.

Controls Over Firearms (http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmhaff/95/95ap69.htm)

Firearms Controls in Britain Part I The History of Firearms Controls in Great Britain (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmhaff/95/95ap25.htm)

There is information on the British Bill of Rights in the link below.

The Second Amendment secures a right of individuals generally, not a right of States or a right restricted to persons serving in militias. (http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm)


I'll post more as I find them in my favorites.