EU Proposals Now Inc's MAGAZINES (FAC variation required!)

[GeeRam]

Edit: May have mis-spoke here, DWS-UK have this:

As many customers will know, from April 8th 2016, the EU is imposing a new deactivation standard on all Member States including the UK. The new deactivation requirements are poorly thought out, difficult to understand, difficul to implement and in some cases, more severe than our present UK standards. We'd like to be professional in communicating our opinions on the EU standard, but we can't; it has been conceived by morons who have little technical knowledge and even less real understanding of firearms and how to effectively deactivate them.

There is a great deal of mis-information out there at present (particularly on social media) suggesting that the new standard requires everything to be welded solid. This is not the case for the majority of firearms with the important exception of light, medium and heavy machine guns which will now need to be welded up with no moving parts or dry fire action. Pistols and revolvers are not going to be welded solid, but will have to be 'captivated' meaning that they will not be able to be stripped down, but will still cock and dry fire. The other biggest change is that all magazines will have to welded in place. None of these changes are desirable, but the UK Government is adamant that the EU deactivation standard will be law and must be followed.

Importantly, what you own currently (and as of 8th April) does not need to be re-deactivated unless you sell or transfer it. However, from our perspective everything we have in stock on 8th April will have to be re-deactivated before we can offer it for sale.

This suggests to me that the bottom will fall out of the pre-95 market in terms of resale value, but it would not mean that those with pre-95 collections would need to submit for re-proof.

Commercial sales, or even advertised private sales, but given there is no traceability on de-acts, private sale by word of mouth would be still be possible - obviously, much harder to achieve though....??

Damn and blast as they say, as I was hoping to convert the value of my de-acts into the new 'live' stuff, which means I'm a tad stuffed - marvellous

[AJSawyer]

Why are these people such morons!?

[huntervixen]

As I understand it, many different proposals were submitted to member states licencing authorities before they ended up with this poorly conceived, utterly ineffective waste of space legislation.

Two of the many suggestions:

Ban all deacs that don't comply: impossible to implement, plus an eye watering compo bill.

Register them in some way: Police can't cope with current firearms legislation, never mind hundreds of thousands of additional new ones to register.

As it is, they have managed to sidestep paying out any money, while slashing valuable "investment" old spec deacs in value ... for example, you could buy a good condition old spec L1A1 for £750 five years ago, today that same rifle is worth £1,500 ... or rather it was until this was enacted!

I would seriously caution anyone who sells an old spec deac on after 8th April as they could end up in a world of trouble, especially if its decided by the powers that be that it infringes the Firearms Act.

The authorities might turn a blind eye to private trading, or they may come hammering down, we will have to wait and see.

I know someone with a large collection of old spec deacs, they formed a jaw dropping and impressive reference firearm collection and acted as part of a pension plan, he is now badly out of pocket and attempting to move on as many as possible before the cut off date.

While voting out of the EU is absolutely the right thing to do for anyone with an ounce of sense, don't expect the Government to repeal this (if we leave), they never repeal any Knee jerk firearms legislation, so I gravely doubt this will be any different!

[25Pdr]

Guy in our club has a massive old spec collection, he regularly gives us lectures on them even dressing up in the appropriate uniforms too, bloody great.

If the bottom falls out the de act market surely that means that there will be lots of guns now not butchered, have the politicians thought that some people will now be tempted to just buy the real thing instead?

[Chuck]

25: Ypu're asking politicians to THINK? Oh come on - you know much better.

Fact: NO new legislation, however "temporay" is ever repealed.

[1066]

When the Brocock airguns, using the pre-charged air cartridges were, practically overnight, deemed firearms, there was no record of how many were in circulation or who bought them.

A special FAC was issued to those who declared them but it was so restrictive it made the guns using the system almost worthless. The guns became S5, they couldn't be traded, or sold or transferred to another FAC holder. My brother died holding a nice Brocock Winchester rifle and a Colt revolver. I was unable to get these transferred onto my FAC but no problem with an Enfield 7.62.

Anyone caught holding one without certification faces the whole illegal firearm/minimum sentence routine.

If the government tries the same trick with existing de-acts I think they will be almost worthless.

[25Pdr]

25: Ypu're asking politicians to THINK? Oh come on - you know much better.

Fact: NO new legislation, however "temporay" is ever repealed.

What I'm getting at Chuck is...There will be dealers all over the EU holding stocks of S5 stuff with the intention of de acting them and selling them on for stupid prices, now their stock is worthless, with respect to most dealers, surely there will be some who will just sell them off ticket and fully functional.

[25Pdr]

When the Brocock airguns, using the pre-charged air cartridges were, practically overnight, deemed firearms, there was no record of how many were in circulation or who bought them.

A special FAC was issued to those who declared them but it was so restrictive it made the guns using the system almost worthless. The guns became S5, they couldn't be traded, or sold or transferred to another FAC holder. My brother died holding a nice Brocock Winchester rifle and a Colt revolver. I was unable to get these transferred onto my FAC but no problem with an Enfield 7.62.

Anyone caught holding one without certification faces the whole illegal firearm/minimum sentence routine.

If the government tries the same trick with existing de-acts I think they will be almost worthless.

Mate had a brocock Lee Enfield, he tried to surrender it to the Police, they refused to take it.

BTW Believe that of the 75,000 sold, the whereabouts of around 70,000 are unknown.

[saddler]

25: Ypu're asking politicians to THINK? Oh come on - you know much better.

Fact: NO new legislation, however "temoray" is ever repealed.

While not temporary, I can name one type of Section 5 that came "off ticket" & is now in widespread use....C02 airguns

[zanes]

What I'm getting at Chuck is...There will be dealers all over the EU holding stocks of S5 stuff with the intention of de acting them and selling them on for stupid prices, now their stock is worthless, with respect to most dealers, surely there will be some who will just sell them off ticket and fully functional.

Yes, a legit dealer will quite clearly be able to get away with "losing" a few Section 5s. And it's definitely worth the risk for the sake of a few thousand Euros. And obviously deac collectors will look at the new law and think "f*** it, might as well get the "real" stuff in".