RFD Transfer

Richard Parsons

Well-Known Member
Evening all,
A question please to the forum re rfd transfers.
Having decided to possibly buy a rifle from a dealer in Leeds they tell me they cannot legally send it to my rfd. However they sent one to my rfd last year.... they say it has to be face to face but I am miles away so therefore I have to send them my FAC , they sign on the new gun and post it back to me and then the rifle goes to my rfd afterwards. Surely they cannot be in possession of my fac by law..... They swear it is illegal doing rfd transfers and "the police are tightening up on this type of thing, aye up lad" How come, therefore everyone one else on guntrader advertises friendly transfer rfd for £20....how they stay in business is amazing. Any ideas gents ?? I know they are talking crap.
 
Evening all,
A question please to the forum re rfd transfers.
Having decided to possibly buy a rifle from a dealer in Leeds they tell me they cannot legally send it to my rfd. However they sent one to my rfd last year.... they say it has to be face to face but I am miles away so therefore I have to send them my FAC , they sign on the new gun and post it back to me and then the rifle goes to my rfd afterwards. Surely they cannot be in possession of my fac by law..... They swear it is illegal doing rfd transfers and "the police are tightening up on this type of thing, aye up lad" How come, therefore everyone one else on guntrader advertises friendly transfer rfd for £20....how they stay in business is amazing. Any ideas gents ?? I know they are talking crap.

The process which they have suggested is indeed the way things should be done and I'm sorry but they are not talking crap. There is nothing to say that you cannot send your FAC to a RFD

The RFD to RFD transfers which is the "usual" way is a bit of a grey area with regards to the law when you bought and paid for it and it was sent to your RFD
 
The process which they have suggested is indeed the way things should be done and I'm sorry but they are not talking crap. There is nothing to say that you cannot send your FAC to a RFD

The RFD to RFD transfers which is the "usual" way is a bit of a grey area with regards to the law when you bought and paid for it and it was sent to your RFD

And to substanciate this fact these very details are printed on ones FAC.
 
I was under the impression that nowadays you paid for the rifle, the dealer "sold or gave" it to your local RFD (it's now legally his) and he gave it to you. This way you only have to give your fac to your RFD
 
Well, whilst its not a rifle, I bought a gun from Holts recently and I had to send them my Shotgun Certificate to get them to put the gun on it. I did say why don't you just send it to my local RFD which is he way it's been done for a long time and they said, as above, that's not the way its to be done anymore.
 
I was under the impression that nowadays you paid for the rifle, the dealer "sold or gave" it to your local RFD (it's now legally his) and he gave it to you. This way you only have to give your fac to your RFD
That would be sensible wouldn't it .
 
Yes. Paper SGC or FAC is sent to person who sold it to you. They enter it up and notify transaction. They then send the weapon to your local RFD. And either the SGC or FAC back tou you or direct to your local RFD.

You go in,with your SGC or FAC and collect it. Only problem is that you have seven days to notify the transaction from the seller to you.
 
There's a difference between the way it "should" be done, and the far more sensible way that most people actually do it. Both methods have been described above. Take your pick!
 
There's a difference between the way it "should" be done, and the far more sensible way that most people actually do it. Both methods have been described above. Take your pick!

I'm not sure about the "far more sensible way" VSS but certainly the way that many preferred to do it.
I think I can understand why the police are insisting on doing it the new way especially if problems arise in the transfer, and I don't think you really have a choice as to the process procedure as it is laid down on recent copies of FACs and also I believe in the guidance document.
 
So what we're saying is that it's now illegal for one rfd to take legal possession (own) from another rfd unless they do it face to face ?
 
So what we're saying is that it's now illegal for one rfd to take legal possession (own) from another rfd unless they do it face to face ?

No. Not sure how you drew that conclusion from what has been said. :?:
 
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If you don't want to send your FAC, why not ask your RFD to buy the rifle, have it sent to him, and you buy it off him
 
I can't see anything problems with that Akeld but obviously your contract is with the RFD that you buy off and you will have no legal comeback with the original RFD if anything goes wrong. Also the costs involved may be higher when the ultimate RFD needs to put it through his books.
 
If you don't want to send your FAC, why not ask your RFD to buy the rifle, have it sent to him, and you buy it off him

You could say that's what's happening already but your just supplying the cash to let your RFD "buy" it first

I can't see what's wrong with the usual method
RFD to RFD .... Traceable , then from his books to your cert .

I know it's maybe legal etc but I'm responsible for my certificate & I would not be comfortable at all sending that to someone I did t know

Paul
 
I'm not sure about the "far more sensible way" VSS but certainly the way that many preferred to do it.
I think I can understand why the police are insisting on doing it the new way especially if problems arise in the transfer, and I don't think you really have a choice as to the process procedure as it is laid down on recent copies of FACs and also I believe in the guidance document.


its not new its always been stated (or for a good many years now) that you have to send your fac to the RFD you buy off (is this actually in the law or just a HO guidelines thing)

however Mostly RFD to RFD is what happens guess the police in certain areas have so little to do that they need to fill in time between dealing with Applications and variation to pedantically follow the law tho it makes no difference to public safety or stop criminals getting illegal guns

But does mess law abiding upstanding (police checked to probably a higher level than CRB etc ) member of the community about so must be good and worthwhile use of police time
 
The process which they have suggested is indeed the way things should be done and I'm sorry but they are not talking crap. There is nothing to say that you cannot send your FAC to a RFD

The RFD to RFD transfers which is the "usual" way is a bit of a grey area with regards to the law when you bought and paid for it and it was sent to your RFD

And to substanciate this fact these very details are printed on ones FAC.

I can't see what's wrong with the usual method
RFD to RFD .... Traceable , then from his books to your cert .

I know it's maybe legal etc but I'm responsible for my certificate & I would not be comfortable at all sending that to someone I did't know

As quoted above - it might have become the 'usual method' but it was never the correct one. Why worry unduly about the process of sending your FAC off? You are, as Charlie T says, only complying with the instructions on your certificate and you won't be open to criticism in the unlikely event of anything untoward happening.
 
Well, years ago, it was quite usual when there no prohibition on postal sales to send an FAC or SGC off an for the weapon to then arrive direct to your door by Registered Post. Ditto, although by carrier, with ammunition.

I really can't see what this "worry" about sending an FAC or SGC to an RFD is all about? I assume that you are sending the document by Special Delivery (the old Registered Post)? Heavens Above! When my local police send my FAC or SGC back to me it just comes in the normal post and is unsigned.

But I wouldn't look under you bed at night. Monsters and bogeymen often lurk there...
 
Don't tell anyone, but when I was a S.5 RFD we frequently had dart rifles and similar extremely dangerous S.5 equipment left on the doorstep by TNT, Royal Mail etc., as they were coming from abroad and regarded as slightly less than weapons of mass destruction over there, requiring no special means of transportation.

Sky never fell in, nobody died, etc. etc.
 
Spot on Orion and FGYT yes it is law.

F

Hi Frank,

This is not meant to be a smart @rse question or a dig at folk saying it is law, but in which section of which act or set of rules does it actually say how the transfer process must be done? The Firearms legislation is so complicated it could well be buried in there somewhere (when direct postal sales were prohibited perhaps?) and I'd be interested to see what the wording actually says. As always, the devil is in the detail!

Cheers,

hh
 
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