should it have been covered up

[Ozzy Fudd]

Well sec 19 firearms act 1968 states this is a direct cut from the act

 

19.

Carrying firearm in a public place.A person commits an offence if, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse (the proof whereof lies on him) he has with him in a public place

[F1 (a)a loaded shot gun,

(b)an air weapon (whether loaded or not),

©any other firearm (whether loaded or not) together with ammunition suitable for use in that firearm, or

(d)an imitation firearm.]

 

Frank

 

i think this is the important bit guys - reasonable excuse

 

it doesnt say anything in here about it being slipped or not, so technically i could be breaking the law when i walk through town and along public roads with my 22lr or 17hmr in a slip with ammo in my pocket, on the way to some of the local places i shoot on.

 

HOWEVER

 

as it says reasonable excuse, im reading that to mean as long i have a reason to have the gun and ammo with me (ie im walking to somewhere i have permission to shoot on) then im not breaking the law, and woe betide any cop that gives me hassle for it!

[Kent Militia]

Hmm all this law about the gun being "broken" what if you're a farmer and you shoot with a semi or pump? You can't exactly "break" it can you?

[CharlieT]

Hmm all this law about the gun being "broken" what if you're a farmer and you shoot with a semi or pump? You can't exactly "break" it can you?

 

 

Nothing in the "Law" mentions anything about a gun being broken, same as there is no mention about slips. These are just old wives tales and have no bearing in law.

[Gene Hunt]

Also what's the definition of "in Public"? is it any public place? or a place where the public are?

 

Shotguns are seemingly fine in public unless you "brandish it"

 

A public place is a place "WHERE THE PUBLIC HAVE ACCESS TO ON PAYMENT OR OTHERWISE" so if you are on a farm and only you have permission from the land owner/ farmer this would not be a public place, unlike the side of a road and also a few pages back someone stated that your car is a public place, I wouldn't agree with that.

[djgeoff]

hi, well as i am approx 12 months into shooting and i have been following this topic i decided to contact west mid police firearms dpt by email just for my own peice of mind, i mentioned some of the points that have been raised. the reply i got was from Bob ( rogers retired), very nice chap and did not mind my questions and he said that some of the issues were correct eg crossing from one permission to another across a lane , track, public footpath etc with gun not covered but must not be loaded and gun broken. but at the end of the day common sense should really be applied. if theres nobody about then fine, but if you can see public about ( even in cars etc) knowing what some people are like these days if they see someone carrying a gun then they panic and inform us and we respond, saying that these people that see guns in the field so to speak should have a bit of common about them knowing that shooting does take place in the country side. as to carrying the gun from house to cars even if car is on your drive, gun should be cased.i said even if gun is cased its obvious really what you are carrying, he replied yeh i suppose so but if you are worried, ie if you are going into a public area like fuel station then you could lock your barrel in the boot of your car and carry the stock in some sort of bag like sports bag and no one is the wiser. i also said that a mate of mine told me that he was walking down a country lane between permissions with gun broken over his shoulder and the local bobby stopped to talk to him passing time of day, and never even mentioned the gun over his shoulder apart from have a good days shooting, so it appeared to me that it all depends on the policeman that stops you and how they feel about the situation. he replied yeh i suppose that could be the case local boys normally know what goes on in their patch, but if it was me, gun cased at all times if your in doubt, better to be safe than sorry.i said i hope you dont mind me asking these questions i always have my guns cased when not in use and walking about in public etc, but with the issues raised in the forum i thought i would ask, he siad no problem thats what we are here for. before we finished our conversation i asked him about the B A S C letter someone ( sorry cant rem ur user name) mentioned in this topic, his reply to this was yeh that could well be correct but as we have already covered its down to the chap that stops you,and if you can avoid all the grief and hastle this might bring then if its cased then there would not be any need to stop you. so i took it from that he was not disputing the letters contents.

i think i shall continue to have mine cased/ covered when not in use. so it seems to be down to common sense.

regards

geoff

Edited April 19, 2010 by djgeoff

[Floating Chamber]

1962, yours truly, 15 years old, walking with a single barrel 12 gauge in the High Street.

 

PC comes along on his Velocette autocycle: Slows to a wobble and asks:

 

'Have you got a licence for that, son?'

 

'Yes Sir.' I reply.

 

'Good. Now you be careful, mind,' and drives off.

[Mr Potter]

The other year, two of us were standing next to the road, in a local village waiting to be picked up by the shoot transport, we each had a shotgun and between us 3 dogs and a handful of game,

 

the village bus pulled up asking if we were getting on.

 

That's the sort of world I'd like to live in

 

I'm sure many years ago the sight of persons with guns (slipped or otherwise), dogs and dead pheasants standing in a village would have raised not an eyebrow. I'm equally sure the same scene nowadays would at best attract tut tutting or barbed comments from incomers who are fortunate enough to be able to afford to live in our countryside or at worst the screamed instructions to 'drop your weapons and lie face down' from an armed response team summoned by the same ill informed newcomers.

 

Personally even if the consensus of opinion or even the LAW allows you to walk down Main Street in Anytown UK with an unloaded naked gun, i would question the sanity of doing it. Whilst no-one should be ashamed of their hobby/pastime/passion etc. why not only risk alienating or frightening people but also risk arrest, false arrest it would be but you've still wasted all those hours and had the humiliation of being whisked off in handcuffs, or being mugged for your gun and try explaining that to your FLO

 

Just because something is legal to do does not make it a wise thing to do!

 

Mr Potter

[CharlieT]

A public place is a place "WHERE THE PUBLIC HAVE ACCESS TO ON PAYMENT OR OTHERWISE" so if you are on a farm and only you have permission from the land owner/ farmer this would not be a public place, unlike the side of a road and also a few pages back someone stated that your car is a public place, I wouldn't agree with that.

 

 

You may not agree but I can assure you that in law a car is deemed to be a public place.

 

djgeoff

 

Whilst "Bob" kindly answered your questions much of his advice was based on his own personal take rather than law.

 

I do worry when a firearms officer states such things as " his reply to this was yeh that could well be correct but as we have already covered its down to the chap that stops you" and " so it appeared to me that it all depends on the policeman that stops you and how they feel about the situation. he replied yeh i suppose that could be the case"

 

The law is not down to individual officers interpretation and for a FEO to state such drivel is disgraceful. In law a gun does not need to be broken or cased in a public place, the firearms act makes no mention of it nor does any other statute and if "Bob" is not familiar with the law he should have passed your enquiry on to someone who does rather then inform you incorrectly.

[Kent Militia]

As far as I know even in the "knife thread" public place does not include your car or personal belongings. So really their are beating around the bush.

[Kent Militia]

You may not agree but I can assure you that in law a car is deemed to be a public place.

 

Can you give me exact wording of the law Mr. Lawyer?

[Gene Hunt]

You may not agree but I can assure you that in law a car is deemed to be a public place.

 

djgeoff

 

I was being polite as I'm new on here, however by any stretch a car (Your) car is not a public place.

[MJN]

a car is a public place ask Gillian Taylforth (sp).

[kyska]

I was being polite as I'm new on here, however by any stretch a car (Your) car is not a public place.

 

A car which is parked in a public place is deemed to be a public place, quite the opposite is for example it is parked on your private driveway.

Edited April 20, 2010 by kyska

[wymberley]

A public place is a place "WHERE THE PUBLIC HAVE ACCESS TO ON PAYMENT OR OTHERWISE" so if you are on a farm and only you have permission from the land owner/ farmer this would not be a public place, unlike the side of a road and also a few pages back someone stated that your car is a public place, I wouldn't agree with that.

Hi,

Unless, like where I shoot so have to be careful, there is a farm shop. The lane, the parking area and the shop itself are all deemed public places but only so during opening hours. I think the law calls this something akin to "the relevant time".