FAC

[asher]

Here goes then!

 

The starting point is that the Firearms Act 1968 requires that any firearm subject to section 1 of the Act needs to be possessed on the authourity of a Firearm Certificate and any firearm subject to section 2 of the Act needs to be held on the authority of a Shot-Gun certificate. There are several exemptions to this though. Section 8(1) creates the exemption from the need for an FAC or SGC if you are a Registered Firearms Dealer who possess the firearm in the normal course of that business. Section 11(5) is the exemption for people borrowing a shotgun from the occupier of private land and using it in his presence.

 

The Firearms Act 1988 at Section 16(1) creates the exemption from needing an FAC so that someone can borrow a rifle on private premises and use it on the presence of the occupier or his servant.

 

Section 15(1) of the 1988 Act says that a member of a rifle club approved by the home office may have in his possession a rifle and ammunition in connection with target shooting without needing a certificate. Section 11(11) extends this to muzzle-loading pistol clubs.

 

Clearly then, there is no exemption from needing an FAC for long-barrel pistols/revolvers as they are neither rifles nor muzzle-loading pistols. This is why clubs cannot have them and you cannot shoot your mates gun.

 

Section 1 shotguns can not be borrowed because the examption in section 11(5) above only applies to section 2 guns as it spoecifically refers to people who do not hold a SGC, not an FAC.

 

J.

 

Good man! So, essentially it boils down to: 1997 amendments specify small firearms as "banned" (the 300/600 rule), long barrelled pistols are section 1 firearms, the various acts specify that club approval can only be for rifles & ml pistols, somehow long barrelled pistols end up with their own classification which is neither and, despite the legislation clearly being for section 1 FIREARMS the HO position that they aren't rifles essentially gives them their current purgatorial position?

 

In complete support of your point, I subsequently found this on the better regulation executive website, in direct response to a suggestion that lbrs be treated as any other section 1 firearm:

 

Official response

Thank you for your simplification proposal. Long-barrelled pistols can be held on a firearms certificate but they can only be possessed and used by the certificate holder. They cannot be held as club firearms and used by other club members since they are not covered by the legislative provisions on club approval. Under section 15 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988, as amended by section 45 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997, club approval is limited to rifles and muzzle-loading pistols, and the ability to share club firearms is limited to the same types of firearm. Guidance to the police has already been issued on this point and was recently repeated after it was raised with ACPO. The Government has no plans to add long-barrelled pistols to the club approval provisions.

 

There you go; ridiculous, petty, but pretty damned clear.