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Gun License Woes


bankz5152

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Hey guys,

 

Just wanted to voice my lets say 'anger' but more just being really annoyed.

 

I've been shooting 12 Guage Shotguns since 13 (6 years now) so allmost as soon as I turned 18 I sent off for my Shotgun License (15 months ago now) so filled in all the forms got it signed and sent off. Needless to say it got sent back, first reason pictures where not good enough (fair) so took them again and sent off again (7 weeks later when it came back).

 

At this point the pictures are perfect and I had it countersigned by my GP of 15 years sent off again. It came back again which annoyed me a little saying a GP could not be used unless they have personally know you (which mine has 15 years..) so had him write a letter explaining this. Sent off again, sent back :( saying that I my GP need to write a seperate letter with proof he had known more for so long. Did it sent off AGAIN!

 

After all that I got it back today AGAIN although they did call and explain why..

 

They said that a GP could not be used as a countersignatory :@ why the hell couldnt they have told me that in the first place!!! So its now being signed by an Architect who has known my family and me for well my whole life, sending off again next week and this time i really really hope it works!

 

Ive been saving £1500.00 for 3 years which is very hard not to spend considering i just joined uni!

 

 

Anyone else had anything similar to this?

 

If not how long did it take you?

 

Cheers guys!

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for my Pistol Permit in the state of Connecticut, USA, the process of which to get the town/temporary permit is supposed to take like a month tops........took me over a year cause they never told me the paperwork (fingerprints) didn't go through, so every 3 weeks I'd go and inquire if it went through or not, always being told that I needed to be processed again. Finally one day I dropped in and they're like "Oh yeah you were approved 2 weeks ago. No one told you?"

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Well I have been licensed to own firearms since I was 15 (That's 26 years now) , back in the 1980s things were quite a bit more relaxed, the minimum age to get a shotgun certificate was 15, and the for a section 1 firearms certificate was 17, and generally unless you had a criminal record or the police had a valid reason to object, all you had to do was apply and you got it. My biggest problem was being short changed by £6000 on my pistols back in 1997 when we all had to hand them in. If had known then now what I know now, I would have had them all deactivated and sold them for £25,000 4 years later :rolleyes:

 

Elliot.

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  • 2 weeks later...

for my Pistol Permit in the state of Connecticut, USA, the process of which to get the town/temporary permit is supposed to take like a month tops........took me over a year cause they never told me the paperwork (fingerprints) didn't go through, so every 3 weeks I'd go and inquire if it went through or not, always being told that I needed to be processed again. Finally one day I dropped in and they're like "Oh yeah you were approved 2 weeks ago. No one told you?"

 

alice HK, you're from Connecticut? Me too, which part are you from? My buddy is having the same problem, the local LEOs keep messing up his prints too. I'm at school out of state, so i've only been limited to long arms for a while now.

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banks, sounds like youre being given the run around, could it be to do with your location?

 

im in the process of applying for mine now, and spoken to the F/A office at county headquarters. was told how to go about it, recommended to do it asap as the price is going up to around £100, can get anyone 'professional' to sign it - teacher, doctor, lawyer company director etc, as long as they have known me for 2 or more years.

 

basically they were extremely helpful, but im out in the sticks, with a large shooting community, and as a result, the coppers are rather clued up about the whole process :)

 

good luck!

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  • 4 weeks later...

any update on this bud?

 

just to let you know, i sent my form off yesterday finally, after some back-and-forth questions with the firearms dept. (and me being lazy and not getting the form countersigned), and have been told by my FEO that, from application, it should be about 3 weeks until a home visit, and maybe another 2 - 3 weeks for the licence to come through after that.

 

so, around 6 weeks total, and thats only taking so long because the season has recently started, so there's a backlog!

 

not trying to rub it in, just hoping to give you an idea of the timescale up here :)

 

also, i went pricing up shotties yesterday. i hate beretta's for being so pretty, and so spendy...

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It does sound like the problem is your area, which constabulary is this. Some are worse than others and try everything they can to block applications and generally *fruitcage* you around.

 

Have you asked others at your club for advice, you may also want to join the Shooters Rights Association and consult them.

 

Good luck.

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Wiltshire. I live in the middle of bum*fruitcage* nowhere so most people have guns. I dunno.

 

cheers! im in the same vein here in lancashire, small country village with a huge farming comunity surrounding the area. guns galore!

 

also, applied thursday, got letters through today from the po-po, saying that they have started processing already, woo!

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  • 2 weeks later...

well, my FEO/FLO called me this afternoon, and is coming round on monday for an interview. 2 weeks from application being sent, to the phone call. not bad at all!

 

apologies for the thread hijack bankz, i hope keeping you in the loop with my timescale can help you along with yours :)

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As far as I know the firearms you can own are

 

- Any double barrel shotgun - A minimum length require (so no double barrels)

- Most semi autos - No detachable box magazine unless less than 2 rounds - Tube fed extended to a maximum of 9 rounds

- .22 Bolt Action Rifles (not sure on semi auto rifles)

- .243 & .308 bolt action (no semi auto as far as im aware)

- Nothing Revolver

 

I think thats a dodgy list persay, some one clear it up?

 

 

On my licence still waiting :(

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he wont see any airsoft RIF's. or gear ;)

 

as for whats legal, you can own .22 semi auto rifles, there has been an upper just released for an AR15 style lower that will hold 500 rounds of belt fed ammo! you can get AK style, AR15, sig 552 etc, all in .22 semi auto.

 

also, revolvers are allowed on a section 5, have to be over a certain barrel length. you can also own automatic pistols, short revolvers etc for 'humane dispatch', but these are usually restricted to 2 shots. can get 'noormal' ones though. there's a UK company selling glocks, sigs, 1911's and others, in various calibers.

 

very, very hard to get a ticket for these though. hand guns were never banned as such, it was 'short firearms'.

 

cant have semi auto rifles other than .22lr calibre, but can own bolties any cal (think they have a restricted mag capacity though). for example, you can buy a barrett .50 cal if you so desire, and can own assault rifles, but these must be straight-pull (as in need to be cocked for every shot). silencers/supressors are legal too, for pretty much anything.

 

its a lot harder to get a FAC (firearm certificate) than a SGC (shotgun cert). you generally need to be a member of a club for at least 6 months, and a valid reason to own one. that reason goes on your ticket, and oyu cant use said firearm for other things. eg i buy a target rifle for use on a range, i cant go out and blat bunnies in a field, unless you get a 'variation' on your ticket, approved by whichever police force you are under.

 

our gun laws do suck a bit, but are not as restricted as a lot of people think :) semi auto's (over .22) were banned after hungerford (1987 i think), and short firearms after dunblane in 1996, although that ban is seen as a knee-jerk in some circles, and downright illegal in others (not sure if it is/was though, not looked into it).

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''also, revolvers are allowed on a section 5, have to be over a certain barrel length. you can also own automatic pistols, short revolvers etc for 'humane dispatch', but these are usually restricted to 2 shots. can get 'normal' ones though. there's a UK company selling glocks, sigs, 1911's and others, in various calibers''

 

Im sure this was changed around 10 years back? One of the reasons why all the pistol clubs disappeard. I heard 9" revolvers where going to be able to own again but nothing since.

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guntrader is handy for browsing whats about, eg a brand new sig 226here

 

gunmart for some sale stuff and reviews, eg straight pull steyr AUG

 

semi auto .22 rimfire AR here

 

there are shotties about too, some guys over here run spas 12's for example one for sale, but you cant get the folding stock, as it brings the overall length under UK mi nimum (40 inches i think)

 

.22 mp5 on the gadget show

 

this months 'shooting sports' magazine has a review on the sig 522 (not a typo) .22 semi auto varient of the 552 as well. other than that, have a gander on youtube, it shows straight pull and semi auto stuff in the UK, and give some gun clubs in your area s shout to see if you can go and have a play :)

 

good luck!

 

edit, bankz, only just seen your post, sorry. long barrel revolver here. looks a bit silly, but they are legal!

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