WalkedUp Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 The latest statistics seem to show very few young certificate holders yet anecdotal evidence is that there are many more… “I put in for my grandson’s when he was five” etc. My son and I are completing his application this weekend, having received the completed medical pro-forma this week. If his is approved he would likely become the youngest SGC holder in the country, which I cannot believe is accurate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 i got mine when i was 13 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultrastu Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 9 minutes ago, ditchman said: i got mine when i was 13 .. Yeah but that was so you could hunt dinosaurs with your dad wasn't it? .a bit different back in your day eh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 18 minutes ago, Ultrastu said: Yeah but that was so you could hunt dinosaurs with your dad wasn't it? .a bit different back in your day eh. YEW CHEEKY WASEYEDPARROT.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisdom Posted June 28 Report Share Posted June 28 15 for me never been without one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondoggy Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 15 for me also. It arrived on or just after my 15th birthday in 1974. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoli 12 guage Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 18 ish for me.closely followed by FAC. my son was 12. can't remember if they did coterminous then🤔🤔🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sle Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 I tried at 15 and was told by Kent police they didn’t care if the law said I was allowed they would not let anyone that age have a gun to walk around the country side and to not even bother asking again until I was well over 18. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigbob Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 On 28/06/2024 at 17:07, ditchman said: i got mine when i was 13 .. did they have licences for Flintlocks ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fellside Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 What the above data confirms, is pretty much what most of us realise…… there aren’t enough young people in the sport….!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_b_wales Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 15 for me too (1972) and FAC in 1983. Never been without them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted June 29 Report Share Posted June 29 1 hour ago, Fellside said: What the above data confirms, is pretty much what most of us realise…… there aren’t enough young people in the sport….!! I quite agree, but when, like me you are supporting 2 Grandson's that shoot, it can become very expensive. I took 1 of them shooting last Wednesday, our joint cartridges and clays bill was over £100. If both Grandkids had been with me, you can add a further £50 plus to that. They are still in full time education, but both have evening/weekend jobs, so have started to contribute towards their costs, but it is still an expensive day out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted Sunday at 06:10 Author Report Share Posted Sunday at 06:10 Good on you for taking them out though. Game shooting on a little syndicate is probably cheaper per day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rim Fire Posted Sunday at 07:04 Report Share Posted Sunday at 07:04 17 for me because thats how old you had to be to go shooting without an adult with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fellside Posted Sunday at 08:27 Report Share Posted Sunday at 08:27 13 hours ago, Westley said: I quite agree, but when, like me you are supporting 2 Grandson's that shoot, it can become very expensive. I took 1 of them shooting last Wednesday, our joint cartridges and clays bill was over £100. If both Grandkids had been with me, you can add a further £50 plus to that. They are still in full time education, but both have evening/weekend jobs, so have started to contribute towards their costs, but it is still an expensive day out. Yes agreed - clay shooting can be expensive. I often take my sons plus school friends to the local clay ground, and the costs mount up if you dare to do the maths, which I try not to….?! However, taking them beating or vermin shooting costs very little. Sometimes I think they just need to be shown an open door in to country ways and this often proves the catalyst for a life long involvement. That’s how I got started. It just takes someone to make the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOPGUN749 Posted Sunday at 20:46 Report Share Posted Sunday at 20:46 I was 14 getting my first shotgun certificate,52 years ago,think it was £1 for 3 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poor Shot Posted Monday at 16:39 Report Share Posted Monday at 16:39 Is it really worth young shooters getting their own certificates when they aren't old enough to shoot solo anyway? I'm guessing a lot of young shooters forego the cost and 12 month wait for an SGC grant and just use a gun on their parents certificate. They can't shoot without supervision anyway so what's the point? They are also very unlikely to have a dedicated cabinet or a means of supporting the hobby. I was a kid from a non shooting household so I could have air rifles and ferrets but there was no way I was bringing firearms into the house. I lost interest when I figured out that my penis wasn't just for ******* through and beer started to taste less like urine. I didn't get back into it until later in life so I was 28 when I had my first SGC and FAC at 30. A 100 target registered clay shoot can set you back £90 in entry and cartridges alone. Unless they are being supported by parents then there's no chance that young people could afford it. Those that make it to 18 and are lucky enough to be able to afford it are probably then immediately put off by having to wait 12+ months just for the certificate. 12 months is a long time when you're 18, have your own car and money to spend. There are a lot of alternative hobbies that don't have anywhere near the same barriers to entry that shooting has. Huge number of 18-21 year olds are seriously addicted to golf which is just as expensive as clay target shooting overall, requires near the same level of skill and ability but doesn't have the associated ******** that shooting does so is more popular as a result. It is a sport dominated by 50+ year old men and there's no sign of that changing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westley Posted Monday at 16:58 Report Share Posted Monday at 16:58 Hhhmmmm ! Not too sure about that one. I know of 2 grounds that are frequented by large groups of Students, EVERY week, and that is just in the North West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted Wednesday at 15:07 Author Report Share Posted Wednesday at 15:07 On 01/07/2024 at 17:39, Poor Shot said: Is it really worth young shooters getting their own certificates when they aren't old enough to shoot solo anyway? It is illegal for an under 18 to shot Section 1 firearms without their own FAC except for in very specific circumstances. So sadly not only is it definitely worth young shooters getting their own certificate it is required by law. SGC less so, but it paves the way to FAC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houseplant Posted Thursday at 16:50 Report Share Posted Thursday at 16:50 (edited) I got a SGC in the UK when I was 15 years old. I was absolutely terrified of going to the cop shop for an interview. Was there any point? Don't know. After that, I carried my own shotgun, but under supervision of my dad. Not sure if that was technically legal. Here in NZ, supervision means one gun between the licence holder and the personal being supervised. I guess it was an early introduction in to the legalities of gun ownership and the responsibilities that come with it. Edited Thursday at 16:51 by Houseplant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted Thursday at 17:28 Report Share Posted Thursday at 17:28 (edited) On 28/06/2024 at 17:07, ditchman said: i got mine when i was 13 .. I also got mine when I was 13 from the post office on the island , it was 10 bob which for a 13 year old was a lot of dosh , I continued getting my licence from the post office and the one I found up was in 66 and still 10 bob , funny enough , when I joined the G Y W A in 64 that was also 10 bob , mind you the following year it jumped up to a £1 1s 0d as I had became a senior member , it have gone up a little bit since those far off days You might know where my place of birth was . Edited Thursday at 17:29 by marsh man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditchman Posted Thursday at 18:28 Report Share Posted Thursday at 18:28 paid £1-10s-6d for mine ......also dad bought a Licence to kill game...when he paid for the dog liecence........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoli 12 guage Posted Thursday at 19:10 Report Share Posted Thursday at 19:10 40 minutes ago, ditchman said: paid £1-10s-6d for mine ......also dad bought a Licence to kill game...when he paid for the dog liecence........ licence to kill game,i'd for got about that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marsh man Posted Thursday at 19:20 Report Share Posted Thursday at 19:20 47 minutes ago, ditchman said: paid £1-10s-6d for mine ......also dad bought a Licence to kill game...when he paid for the dog liecence........ They knew we had very short pockets and ten bob was a small fortune , as for game licence , you can't be serious , we had plenty of English Partridges , but as they were walked up then we didn't class them as game Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkedUp Posted 20 hours ago Author Report Share Posted 20 hours ago 12 hours ago, marsh man said: I also got mine when I was 13 from the post office on the island , it was 10 bob which for a 13 year old was a lot of dosh , I continued getting my licence from the post office and the one I found up was in 66 and still 10 bob , funny enough , when I joined the G Y W A in 64 that was also 10 bob , mind you the following year it jumped up to a £1 1s 0d as I had became a senior member , it have gone up a little bit since those far off days You might know where my place of birth was . Lovely to see Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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