The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

Just having a poke about and found the following at: https://www.gov.uk/shotgun-and-firearm- ... mmunition.

"A shotgun certificate will not be given or renewed if the chief officer of police has a reason that you should not be allowed to have a shotgun under the Firearms Act. Or if they do not think you have a good reason to have, buy or acquire a shotgun." (my bold underlining).

Oops.

whats wrong with that?

"if they do not think you have a good reason to have, buy or acquire a shotgun"

You don't need one

Surely the chief officer of police can take whatever immediate action he/she feels is necessary in a given situation.......(and argue the legality of it later?).

Pete

Pete wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 11:20 pm Surely the chief officer of police can take whatever immediate action he/she feels is necessary in a given situation.......(and argue the legality of it later?).

Pete

If they have a specific reason (including a 'suspicion' of unsuitability) to remove a shotgun from a SGC holder or to refuse a grant or renewal then absolutely; we all wish Devon & Cornwall had done their job properly and stopped the Plymouth murders before they had even happened.

But for granting or renewing a SGC which the .gov website is referring to, there is no requirement to provide a reason for your SGC application - the form doesn't even give you an option to put one if you wanted to, unlike an FAC which requires a 'reason' for each slot.

Probably just seeding the lie now and will build and expand into other documentation later. Once the new batch of FEO's start coming through following that they'll start quoting it verbatim and pointing a finger at the 'official info', or maybe i'm just cynical

While I think the present gun laws are strict enough - if they are enforced properly, but if the Home office does decide to make 'Good reason' for owning a shotgun, would it really be much of a problem - or for that matter if they insisted on having two referees? All the applicant has to do is write down 'clay pigeon' or 'game shooting' in order to get it. What they might do is clamp down on the number of guns a person can own which would be a pain in the a..., but there again if someone has a good reason to own numerous guns it would be up to the Chief Constable to prove his reasons for refusing the application.

You still seem to be conflating the law as writ and currently defined by issues determined 'pon in court and peoples (Police, gun clubs, internet firearms experts or not etc.etc.) opinions on the subject informed or otherwise.

This approach looses the whole foundation of the rule of law it gives the power of interpretation of the same to all and sundry with the plethoric confusion and uncertainty this creates.

It is an issue of principle and once that principle is lost then the rule of law becomes meaningless.

Just because a Chief constables opinion and actions on same don't impinge now but still are a subjective interpretation of the law then they should be resisted so as to maintain the principle otherwise we end up with the absurd mess we have now.

After reading the recent threads on this here gun owners and clubs seem to be as bad as plod for making things up on opinion which in no time seems to be accepted custom and practice and takes us yet another step away from what the law says and allows legal firearms owners to do and not to do.

With a community like ours no wonder shooting is damned and doomed!

dromia wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 9:46 am it gives the power of interpretation of the same to all and sundry with the plethoric confusion and uncertainty this creates.

This 100%.

Read my post on my guns being seized based on the local FEOs 'interpretation' of the:

• Any other mental or physical condition which might affect your safe possession of firearms
  or shotgun

Line in the list of 'Relevant medical conditions' which must be declaired.

if it's not law, it's not law.

Just yesterday a chap showed me a letter from Kent police suggesting he should keep a cartridge case from each of his rifles, to help them identify the gun if it were stolen or used in a crime. The cases should be kept in a sealed bag and updated if any work was carried out on the rifle. I've heard they tried to implement this idea in Manchester but didn't realise it was creeping.

Also yesterday, had a little to and fro chat with with a chap saying it was a requirement to keep the bolt secured separately from the rifle. He couldn't really explain how that idea works with a semi-auto.