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UK law and deactivated guns

To be honest, unless its something really special and the calibre suggests it isnt as .22 really would not have been used in a combat zone i would forget the whole idea or doing anything with it. There are so many more relic rifles from both world Wars around, certainly worth saving. I really dont think its worth the agro you could possibly land yourself in. Dont put yourself in the frame for agro from the authorities for a non combatant small bore rifle is my advice, just let it go.


Andy
 
I once had a shotgun given to me by a land owner, said he had found it under his house on the bearers. Well I found it to be siezed shut. Eventually I managed to open the gun and lo and behold here is a live 12 gauge shot shell. You can NEVER be too careful, it takes only about 0.10 of a second to kill or maim you.
I will step down from the soap box now .

Iain:tinysmile_fatgrin_t



Arddu said:
strangely the action is seased OPEN. dont ask me why...but i can clearly see the end of the barrel that the round would be loaded into (breach?) im only guesing that it is .22 as i have seen many .22 rounds and that is the only one i can think of that would fit the breach.

Although I am now having second thoughts as to if i want to accept the gun. (offered to me as a gift) as I dont want to risk getting into trouble over it. yet sending a gun away and paying for it to be deactivated when it clearly isnt going to work in the first place seems a little pointless.

so i will mull it over and talk to some gun enthusiast friends and see what there take is on the situation. I will still get those pictures of the gun and post them here when i get home though, just to show what i mean, and hopfully someone knows just what it is. corrosion has left any serial numbers unreadable.

so stay tuned for pics :D

Arddu
Click to expand...
 
Importing deactivated firearms to the U.K.

Hello There!
Thank you for accepting my registration and membership to your Network.
I have been out of the U.K. for the best part of 40 years and have been shooting and collecting for most of that time.
For better or worse, I shall shortly be returning to the U.K.
I would very much like to know the real situation with regard to importing dectivated firearms and a bayonet collection into the U.K.
I have whittled down my collection to two handguns and a .303 Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine, an M1 .30 Cal Carbine plus a Snider "Volunteer" Carbine made by Blakemore .577 (Some favourites just HAVE to be kept, if possible!)
Due to the prevailing general and official paranoia in the U.K. concerning anything that shoots, and much against everything I have always believed in, I am having to "Bite the Bullet" (no pun intended), and have these firearms deactivated here in Canada before departing for the U.K., if I want to at least hang on to some vestige of a lifetimes interest.
Could someone please let me know if what I am contemplating is worth doing, or am I going to face insurmountable problems on arrival in the U.K? Needless to say, I have no desire to break the law, as I am too long in the tooth to risk wasting my remaining years as a guest of the Government!!
If anyone has any comments or some constructive ideas or experience, I would be most grateful to hear from you.
Many thanks
Joe
 
I'm not an expert in the field but I do reenactment and on the main forum I post on there are plenty of people who know the regulations affecting deactivated firearms. I would suggest that you would need your weapons to be deactivated to British Standards and not just rely on the Canadian Standards. Your weapons will receive a certificate and proof marks. Without them you might attract the attention that you say you wish to avoid.

The following link will take you to the relevant section in the WWII reenactment forum.

http://www.wwiireenacting.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=69
 
Hi Joe,

To start with, foreign deactivated guns are not recognised as being deactivated under UK law so there is no point having them deactivated in Canada. Also, some of the guns you have listed can be legally owned in live condition with the appropriate license or do not require a license:

two handguns = If they are modern they are section 5 firearms and would need to be deactivated. If they are over a certain age AND chambered in an obsolete calibre, they can be owned without a license as an antique. What are they?

.303 Lee Enfield Jungle Carbine = Can be legally owned in live condition with a section 1 firearms certificate (FAC) or deactivated.

M1 .30 Cal Carbine = A section 5 firearm and would need to be deactivated. I believe .22LR semi-auto replicas are available that can be owned on a section 1 FAC.

Snider "Volunteer" Carbine made by Blakemore .577 = An obsolete calibre firearm that can be owned without a license as an antique. If you wanted to fire it, you would require a section 1 FAC.

I would suggest getting in touch with a section 5 importer like Ryton Arms as they should be able to import everything and deactivate the section 5 items and store the section 1 rifle pending your getting a section 1 FAC.

Cheers,

Mark
 
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A few further thoughts...

Unless those particular examples are of major sentimental significance, you're probably better off selling the No.5 and the M1 in Canada. Both live or deactivated No.5's + deactivated M1's can be purchased in the UK and it would save you a mountain of hassle and expense compared to importing them. Ditto your two handguns if they are section 5.

To get a live No.5, I believe the usual method is to join a fullbore rifle shooting club, pass your probationary period and then apply for a section 1 firearm certificate with the correct variation.

Cheers,

Mark
 
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Importing Deactivated Firearms to the U.K.

Many thanks to Mark and LCplCombat for your info.
You have saved me money and aggro, which is much appreciated.
Joe
 
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