Ian750 Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) Hi Guys, I applied for coterminous sgc/fac begining of March, had interview etc. and all was well. My local RFD had a mint s/h CZ silhouette in on Tues 25th May so I rang the FEO to see if it was within the law for me to put a deposit down on it for the RFD to keep it for me until my cert dropped on the mat. No problem he says, and told me he'd done the land survey on one of my nominated patches just two to go, my cert should be with me in a week, two at the most. Now I know Cumbria has happened between then and now, but I thought earlier this week great, it's due to rain, I'll get my field sown, by which time I'll have my rifle and be able to keep the pigeons at bay! Guess what, no cert, no rifle and lots of fat pigeons! This is a 2 acre winter grazing field, that I just can't afford to a: Keep reseeding and b: have no grass for next winters grazing. Would you ring the FEO and explain, because I just feel like I'd be hassling him now and make matters worse! Thanks in advance for advice guys I'm pulling my hair out here! Edited June 11, 2010 by Ian750 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vampire Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Your not the only one,applied for mine about same time as you,chased him twice,5 weeks ago i rang and he said it was granted,11 days ago was the last time i rang him and he said he would hurry it up.Getting well ****** at the wait,all checks,interviews etc are done it should just be going through the system,but i know they are busy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Hi Guys, I applied for coterminous sgc/fac begining of March, had interview etc. and all was well. My local RFD had a mint s/h CZ silhouette in on Tues 25th May so I rang the FEO to see if it was within the law for me to put a deposit down on it for the RFD to keep it for me until my cert dropped on the mat. No problem he says, and told me he'd done the land survey on one of my nominated patches just two to go, my cert should be with me in a week, two at the most. Now I know Cumbria has happened between then and now, but I thought earlier this week great, it's due to rain, I'll get my field sown, by which time I'll have my rifle and be able to keep the pigeons at bay! Guess what, no cert, no rifle and lots of fat pigeons! This is a 2 acre winter grazing field, that I just can't afford to a: Keep reseeding and b: have no grass for next winters grazing. Would you ring the FEO and explain, because I just feel like I'd be hassling him now and make matters worse!Thanks in advance for advice guys I'm pulling my hair out here! Ian I think the events in Cumbria last week could delay things significantly but that shouldn't put you off ringing either your FEO or the firearms licensing dept. I know all forces are different but over here in Cleveland, if you ring them they can't do enough to help. Explain the problem and once you have some sort of timescale make a decision on the best course of action. Remember, they are doing a public service! If there is going to be a significant delay, consider asking another gun to help. You must know someone? If not, even though I live quite away away I could take a day off next week to come over and help. Hope you get sorted but give 'em a call, that's what they are there for. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian750 Posted June 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Thanks Paul that's a really kind offer, but I wouldn't have you take holiday to come all that way! The field that I'm talking about is half of one of my nominated land sections, so I'm not sure that it officially classes as cleared yet. I guess that could be my excuse for ringing the FEO again! Nice one, didn't think of that, I have a mate in the next village with an old .22LR which I'm sure he wouldn't mind using! It's not the wait as such that's bothering me, just the fact that the FEO mentioned 2 weeks at the outside, but like we've already said, Cumbria happened! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grasshopper Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 You could try some rope bangers or a scarecrow to keep them off for the time being. Hasseling the FEO/Firearms department could just delay the process,as in,they may just put your application to the bottom of the pile...not that that would happen...would it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vipa Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 (edited) You could try some rope bangers or a scarecrow to keep them off for the time being. Hasseling the FEO/Firearms department could just delay the process,as in,they may just put your application to the bottom of the pile...not that that would happen...would it Whilst I read about unhelpful FEOs and constabularies who appear to try to hinder tickets etc, in my experience, this is not the case in the main. At the end of the day, the police and their departments are working for the public not against them. Expecting them to put applications to the bottom of piles etc is a real sign of the paranoia that exists in the shooting community and we really do need to get away from that. Call the firearms licensing team, I think you will be surprised at how helpful they are. If you get no joy there, call your FEO, that is what he is there for he is not there to oppose you! Whilst I agree that hassling these people could potentially cause you more problems than you want or need, a couple of calls is hardly hassling. If you were on the phone 2 or 3 times a day then maybe but the title Firearms Enquiry Officer would suggest that he or she is there to handle 'enquiries' Hope you get sorted, the bangers etc are a very good idea in the short term, do anything you can to get them off the ground until you can deal with them properly! All the best Paul Edited June 11, 2010 by Vipa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian750 Posted June 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 OK, made the calls, spoke to licensing department first who told me I wasn't being a nuisance, they would rather take 100 calls to make sure someone stays safe and within the law. They also told me that events in Cumbria are not slowing them down at all. They did however want me to contact my FEO which I did. He was surprised that my certificates were not with me by now and assured me that they would not be long, he also said that yes the land in question is now cleared and if I need someone to shoot over it, provided they have an open ticket that's no problem. So all in all, positive result, my mate can shoot my land until my certificate arrives, then I can go and get the CZ I have a deposit down on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Hunt Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Ian, I've still not had any joy either, I was speaking to a friend of mine who lives in Cambs and his took two weeks from home visit, how can it be so different when it's the same checks etc for everyone and every police force.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian750 Posted June 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 Yes I've heard Cambridgeshire are really quick, Dave Shipman at Whittlesey Gun Shop said that Lincolnshire are always slow, something to do with it being a large county with a high proportion of rural areas. Someone from Cambs posted on here saying theirs had been really quick about a week ago I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckyshot Posted June 11, 2010 Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 OK, made the calls, spoke to licensing department first who told me I wasn't being a nuisance, they would rather take 100 calls to make sure someone stays safe and within the law. They also told me that events in Cumbria are not slowing them down at all. They did however want me to contact my FEO which I did. He was surprised that my certificates were not with me by now and assured me that they would not be long, he also said that yes the land in question is now cleared and if I need someone to shoot over it, provided they have an open ticket that's no problem. So all in all, positive result, my mate can shoot my land until my certificate arrives, then I can go and get the CZ I have a deposit down on! If the land is now cleared why does the person you are going to get to clear the rabbits need an open ticket If your mates ticket is open then it dosen't matter if the land is cleared or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian750 Posted June 11, 2010 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2010 I have no idea, I can only assume it's because the certificate that has specific requirements to this particular piece of land is not yet in existence, therefore avoiding the 'grey area'. It's only what I was told. Just to clarify, this particular piece of land has never been cleared before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gene Hunt Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Ian, my SGC turned up this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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