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I would say that having FAC also has a impact on your life away from the range as well - certainly if you want to keep it!

Be careful who you tell that you have Firearms, they can use that information against you later should you ever fall out.
You have to back down from arguments a little quicker, no fist waving whilst driving your car, no border wars with the neighbours kids. Even having to back down on the home front if you have nosey neighbours who may be quick to call the Police.
The last thing you want is the Police knocking on your door asking questions about some incident where by you lost your temper.

With regards Bisley, I find that the rules change from comp to comp and firearm to firearm, learn the basic safety rules and then everyone can see that even if you are not following their rules, your actions are not inherently dangerous,

Good luck,

DM

Thanks all :goodjob:

Thanks for the links too. Haven't had a chance to read through yet, but certainly will.

So seems like common sense, good advice and a smattering of self-education/revision are the order of the day. That said, I do think that when the Police grant an FAC to a first-timer, they should provide some kind of handbook, but hey ho.

I'm not worried about any specific point, but it dawned on me that even accidentally breaking the Firearms Law could potentially have seriously heavy consequences. :shock:

I can certainly buy into the idea that being an FAC holder affects your whole life. Since I sent my application off in July there have been moments when driving, where previously I may have shared(shouted) a few choice words and greeted the offending numpty with a middle-finger salute, but I can actually remember stopping myself because of my FAC application. It's certainly not a negative effect, but an interesting one.

Points noted on: not telling friends, telling insurance company and not pointing guns at people! Oh, and probably best not to practice dry-firing whilst on the motorway.

As always, top responses and much appreciated. I look forward to the day when I can add something to the forum, rather than just ask questions.

Robin128 wrote:Have you had a read of my safety notes Jud...they are easy to read and it's all linked to the law etc...what do you think?

An odd para from us won't do it...there is more to know...give yourself 10 mins a day...you will be surprised how much you already know.

Hi Rob,

Just had a read through. As you said, a lot of it was familiar but it was really useful to have it in one place.

Cheers,

Jud

Just remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question and an ounce of experience is worth a ton of knowledge.

judders wrote:
Points noted on: not telling friends, telling insurance company and not pointing guns at people! Oh, and probably best not to practice dry-firing whilst on the motorway.

Dry firing from the top of the local multi-story car park is probably going to be frowned upon as well...

judders wrote: As always, top responses and much appreciated. I look forward to the day when I can add something to the forum, rather than just ask questions.

The good news is the FAC process is going to be fresh in your mind, you have learnt a lot of the few months so that is an immediate thing you will be able to share with people walking the same path.

Inerestingly in our club (and no doubt others up and down the country) it tends to be the "senior" members who have lapses of concentration more than the newcomers :roll:

We are lucky we have RO's who shout to get their point across - makes everyone aware of what is going on and then if you make the same mistake - well, you can guess the rest!!

Above all enjoy your sport and don't panic!! oh and don't be afraid to point out bad practice (quietly works well 1:1) - whilst you might get growled at, it will stick in those peoples mind that you are safe and a decent person to be around.

Mike

John25 wrote:

the running man wrote:Just dont point your gun at anyone!! And the rest is pretty much common sense....

RM, common sense to you and I perhaps, as we know, common sense and FEO's are often worlds apart. Any newbie is likely to be bamboozled by an FEO out only to impress his superiors by 'reducing'

Typed in smile

i had the main feo from norfolk and suffolk arround for tean and a chat the other day and i asked him e directly


"are you told to try and reduce numbers of certs and firearms held by cert holders"

his reply seemed honest and he didnt seem to be bullshitting when he said "no, we are accutually incouraged to boost numbers"

spud wrote:

John25 wrote:

the running man wrote:Just dont point your gun at anyone!! And the rest is pretty much common sense....

RM, common sense to you and I perhaps, as we know, common sense and FEO's are often worlds apart. Any newbie is likely to be bamboozled by an FEO out only to impress his superiors by 'reducing'

Typed in smile

i had the main feo from norfolk and suffolk arround for tean and a chat the other day and i asked him e directly


"are you told to try and reduce numbers of certs and firearms held by cert holders"

his reply seemed honest and he didnt seem to be bullshitting when he said "no, we are accutually incouraged to boost numbers"

I've heard the same - increased numbers = job security - reduced numbers = loss of jobs!

Just been thinking some more and come up with a train of thought that I don't necessarily feel strongly about but suspect that some would.

If a Official publication was produced then people would quickly find where the holes were and flout them where it was to their advantage to do so.
It would not take long before contravening something written in said publication was held as evidence of wrong doing and would go against them should a FAC holder ever end up in court.

We already have an example of this which springs to mind and that is the highway code - much of what is written is not law but should you not follow it then that can go against you, or be evidence of bad practise, in court.

Just rambling thoughts, perhaps it is best that we don't rock the boat too much.

DM

Hi Judders

If you are an NRA member you can always phone their Firearms Liaison Officer for help and advice. The NRA acts as referee for shooters from all over the country, and can see where police forces are out of step with accepted practice. Also, simply though doing it hundreds of times, the FLO will spot errors or omissions on applications. Also, the FLO happens to be the bloke that edits the NRA rulebook, so will probably know the answer to questions on range regulations and competition rules.

01483 797777 ext 154 - it forwards to a mobile so will get an answer at most reasonable times.

Iain
Firearms Liaison Officer
NRA