Section 1 Firearms Licence
Section 1 firearms are Rifles, FAC Shotguns and FAC Air Rifles. FAC Air Rifles are Airguns with a muzzle energy greater than 12 FT/LB (typically these guns are post fixed with the letters FAC).
This category of licence covers a full range of sporting calibres from .177 FAC Air rifle up to the largest centrefire calibres for target shooting.
To own a ‘Section 1’ firearm, you will need a Firearms Certificate. This is issued by your local police in much the same way as a Shotgun Certificate, but you use a different form and the questions are more probing. For a Firearms Certificate you need to specify each of the guns you want to acquire, and explain why you want them. For every gun you wish to purchase and own you must have an empty slot on your licence, also referred to as a variation.
When buying an FAC gun it’s the user’s responsibility to ensure they have the correct variation on their licence, this will include the type of gun and the designated calibre.
The police use specific criteria when they decide whether the calibre you’ve requested is suitable for your intended use. So if they deem your choice excessive or not suitable for the terrain, expect it to be refused. Usually it is a good idea to discuss your plans with the local Firearms Enquiry Officer, this avoids wasting time and money pursuing a route the police will not sanction.
With a Firearms Certificate it’s up to you to provide ‘good reason’ for wanting each gun, and show that you have somewhere suitable where you have permission to shoot. The police will check out the land you specify to ensure you really do have permission to shoot there and if it’s appropriate for the type of gun you are requesting.
With your Firearms Certificate application, you will need to provide details of two people willing to act as ‘referees’. As with a Shotgun Certificate, they must have known you for at least two years and be people of ‘good standing’ in the community. The police have some discretion in how they interpret ‘good standing’, so if you have difficulty finding someone suitable who knows you well, do ask for their advice. The referees will be asked to fill in a fairly detailed form about you, so make sure they are willing to do so before putting their names down. You will also have to provide details of your doctor and authorise the police to ask questions about your medical history.
Like a Shotgun Certificate application, you will receive a visit from the Firearms Enquiry Officer who will check the details of your application and inspect your security arrangements, which must include a lockable metal gun cabinet secured to a solid wall (not a partition stud wall) or floor. Remember that unlike shotgun ammo, rifle ammo must be stored securely and separately from the gun, so you will need a separate, lockable box big enough to accommodate the ammo you plan to buy. Before installing cabinets it is worth checking with the police that your intentions will meet their criteria.
It’s rare for a Shotgun Certificate to contain any special conditions about how and where you use your shotguns, but with a Firearms Certificate there will normally be conditions that specify what and where you may shoot for each gun listed on the certificate. These conditions normally follow a prescribed form of words, to be found in Appendix 3 of the Home Office guidance document referred to previously.
Increasingly, certain police forces are taking it upon themselves to add further conditions which may, for instance, specify that a rifle is only to be used from a high seat, or that you are accompanied by an experienced shooter until you have gained more experience yourself. You may be happy to comply, but to some shooters this seems a step too far. If you have any concerns about conditions applied to your certificate, then BASC’s firearms department should be able to advise you.
As with shotguns, you are responsible for keeping your rifles and ammunition secure at all times, so you need to take sensible precautions when travelling to and from your shoot, as well as during the shooting day. There is a Home Office publication, Firearms security: a brief guide, which you can download from the Home Office website.
If purchasing a gun over the phone or via the internet for dispatch to a third party gun dealer, you will need to send your certificate to the Sportsman Gun Centre. We can then complete the legal process before sending the gun. Legally your certificate must be filled in by the selling party before the gun can be handed over.
