shot gun grant

[BSA-airgunner]

a work mates father lives in france and has ask does a british shotgun licience cover him legaly in france as he wants to procces in the uk

[mr_colt]

It depends on how long your friend's dad will be having possession of shotguns in France for. Normally, you can request a "European Firearms pass" from the UK police force firearms licensing dept once you have a UK cert. This is usually enough to occasionally bring shotguns into most of Western Europe. Depending on residency circumstances it may be necessary to acquire additional permits however depending on french firearms law. French firearms law is somewhat more liberal than over here if I remember rightly, however I would check with the BASC to be sure of what you need to do. They have dealt with such matters previously.

 

Getting a UK cert might be difficult if the man is not permanently resident in the UK, it may be more practical to go through the french system and get a "Visitors firearms permit" for the UK depending on where he is going to be residing the most. Again it's probably best to check with the BASC on this one, as I could not give a definite answer without having more information on the proposed arrangement.

 

Regards,

 

mr_colt.

[BSA-airgunner]

many thanks he is keen as he owns land in france and recons to have a severe bunny probleme i have offered to go out there but he wants to do the job him self.he has an air rifle to get started with.........

 

well i have done some surfin and it seems the french authoroties do not deem an air rifle enough for rabbits i beleave the law states rats / mice / and your own foul..............and there very strict about it...........

Edited April 26, 2009 by BSA-airgunner

[mr_colt]

He may not need any form of license at all in France for the purchase of an ordinary shotgun. Certainly as it was last year, you could still buy one over-the-counter with suitable ID. But this position may have changed so you may want to check with the police over there.

 

The problem I can see is he would almost certainly need to have a valid permis de chasse to shoot even on his own land. I am not aware of rabbits being exempt from this, it may also apply to air-rifle use from controlling them so he needs to be very careful to avoid committing an offence. Although the procedure to get one is typically bureaucratic; it is not astronomically expensive compared to some countries as far as I am aware.

[swift4me]

Hi:

 

I have relocated to France recently and have imported guns from the US. I got my Permis de Chasse in 2000. Here is what I can tell you.

 

You cannot buy a shotgun, (and take posession of it), here without a French Hunting Lisence. That has been the case since I had my lisence to my knowledge. With the hunting lisence, you can walk in, pay for the gun and leave with it. I've never bought more than one at a time, but I think you can do that too.

 

There is a CERFA Form available on the ambufrance website for the temporary importation of sporting or competitive firearms. It is possible to bring them in for a short period of time, without a French hunting lisence. The website spells it out pretty well. I used to come over here and hunt woodcock with friends, and they secured a lisence for me that was good for 2 or 3 days. This may havechanged since then, (1995-1998)

 

It is true that he would need to have a Hunting Lisence to hunt, and some interface with the local Association de Chasse in or near the village of his friend.

 

Airguns are not allowed for hunting of anything.

 

Hope it helps.

 

Pete