Legality of placing a deposit without a slot on FAC

[Gazoo]

Do we not have enough hurdles to jump and problems to overcome without making them up for ourselves?
This is taking pedantry too far.

[Chuck]

Do we not have enough hurdles to jump and problems to overcome without making them up for ourselves? (YES)
This is taking pedantry too far.

NO

Not with UK firearms law and the "make it up as we go along / as we want to" attitude that is evident in some areas. Much better safe than sorry. The last thing you need is getting done for trying to procure a firearm without the paperwork and having this discussion in a police station in the wee small hours!

[bigfathairybiker]

This would never go to court, despite all the scaremongering.

Very probably not but where it can possibly cause serious problems for the buyer is if the seller goes bust before he gets the necessary variation and a liquidator is involved.

Why?
Would the liquidator press charges?

Mark

[Chuck]

The charges a liquidator can come up with are more serious than anything the police can bring

Nahh - he'd just lose his deposit...unless paid by credit card??

[Dark Skies]

I'm surprised this discussion is still going on. Having placed a deposit on a firearm in the possession and control of a RFD may temporarily change the 'for sale' tag hanging off the trigger guard to 'held' and that's it.

The Firearms Act 1968 isn't at all ambiguous on this:-

acquire” means hire, accept as a gift or borrow and “acquisition” shall be construed accordingly;

“transfer” includes let on hire, give, lend and part with possession, and “transferee” and “transferor” shall be construed accordingly.

The would be offender actually has to be in possession or have some physical control of the firearm.

It seems fairly clear cut to me.

If you need to worry about something how about about handling a firearm you're interested in within the dealer's premises that you don't have a slot for. Technically you're in possession of an unauthorized firearm. :)

[Blackstuff]

That would surely only apply to S1 shotguns, LBR/LBP's and S5 guns? On private property anyone can handle the owners firearms with their permission?

Any way, it would take a special kind of officious tw@ to try to bring about such a prosecution, surely even in this country it wouldn't happen

[Chuck]

Any way, it would take a special kind of officious tw@ to try to bring about such a prosecution, surely even in this country it wouldn't happen

If there's a way there's a will....