carrying firearms on public transport

[mr_colt]

Hello all,

 

Can anyone tell me whether it is legal to take a firearm, shotgun or air rifle onto public transport such as a bus or train providing that the following conditions are met:

 

. Like while in public places; the gun would be unloaded and in a securely fastened slip or case. Hypothetically for this I would be using a non-descript black rifle soft-case such as the Logun or BSA casemat. It would be slightly "decorated" with fishing stickers etc so as not to cause any public alarm or suspicion.

. I would carry any relevant certificate or documentation on my person.

. I would keep it in my secure custody at all times and never think of letting it out of my sight.

 

It's a question that has been frustrating me for some time as I cannot find any information on it in my "Police Firearms Law" book or on the net. Needless to say whether its legal or not; it is not a question you want to raise with your local police firearms licensing dept in the middle of a SGC cert application. I normally wouldnt have problems getting a lift to the local clay ground and I will hopefully have my own car in about January(At 19 not having a set of wheels is an embarrasment as well as a major inconvienence.)

 

I've got a local gunshop in town for the consumables but; shopping around for a shotgun from another RFD looks to be rather difficult if I can't get to them other than on the train or rather bring anything back.

 

Any Help with this question would be most appreciated.

 

mr_colt.

[LEFTY478]

Carrying it on the bus (in a slip) probably isn't illegal, but I don't think that I would want to do it, certainly not often.

If it's a shotty you're gonna carry, try to get a 'Break-down' slip. That way, the other passengers will simply mistake you for a '******' with a man-bag, rather than a purely hetro guy that likes to shoot & fish etc.

 

I hope this helps?

[Macnab]

Not sure this really answers the question but for what it's worth I regularly carry my gun on the bus and train.

 

I commute through Gatwick to the West End of London daily, and have often carried my shottie in a metal case through Gatwick past dozens of armed Police and sniffer dogs, sometimes the same at Victoria. I then carry it on the bus up to Green Park and back.

 

It is always broken down, locked in the case and without any ammo on my person. I carry my license in case I am stopped and am confident this would be fine if I was ever stopped. However I stand to be corrected.

[paul1966]

if its any help i will put this question to the FEO that's supposed to coming to see me this afternoon.

[Macnab]

In my experience every time you ask them you get a different answer, and none of the answers actually deal with the question. The jist of it seems to be that it's your look out if something goes wrong.

[oozelumbird]

From what i was told by the FAO. You can carry your gun to your destination of shooting only. You can't go via work or the super market etc. It has to be secure. Hope this helps.

[al4x]

simply put though it may be legal you can be refused entry to the train or bus etc depending how the driver/ staff feel. Personally I'd not carry one in a slip as it is obviously a gun. Break it down and put in a hard case or rucksack etc and its a different matter

[Presh]

Have also recently asked the same question to my FAO. He just advised common sense. Only carry in public if you have to and always keep in a slip / case. He did suggest using a trigger lock as if anything went wrong (say someone took it from you) then you would be looked upon favourably by the Police as making additional efforts to secure your gun.

[henry d]

I asked GNER and they said virtually verbatim what you said at the start, gunslip, unloaded(no brainer), bolt out etc.

 

Ask via E-mail and print off the answer and if challenged show said E-mail.

[Blackbart]

I think you can Unless your brazilian then you can be shot repeatedly in the head by armed response unit just for carrying your sandwiches in a haversack.

[BSA Shaun]

I personally would be nervous carrying it on public transport and would avoid it at all costs.

 

Just me really

[dunganick]

i asked connex when they were in buisness and they said no before i finished my sentance.

[invector]

In Northampton, the driver of a local bus refused to allow a young lad to board, because he was wearing a tee shirt with a shooting logo!!!

[Blackbart]

In Northampton, the driver of a local bus refused to allow a young lad to board, because he was wearing a tee shirt with a shooting logo!!!

 

Yea but the tee shirt said "I shoot bus drivers"

[dazzyboi]

lol, i couldnt deal with that.

[mr_colt]

Some good points here.

 

As I said I intend to use a non-descript rectangular case as opposed to a gun-slip. It's got fishing stickers on it and is the right length for someone who would be carrying rods.

 

It's not something I would normally do, just to go and buy a shotgun from a dealer/private person and bring it home. I can get a car to the clay ground and the local gunshop is right in the town centre. Naturally I wouldnt be carrying carts as well as a shotgun at any point on public transport.

 

I use a trigger-lock when transporting my Air-Rifle so no probs there with putting it on the shotgun.

 

mr_colt.