hi,im after a bit of advice please.A friend who does not have a fac has asked to come out shooting with me on my permission.my question is can i let him use my rifle under my supervision?
atb
pete
hi,im after a bit of advice please.A friend who does not have a fac has asked to come out shooting with me on my permission.my question is can i let him use my rifle under my supervision?
atb
pete
Personally I believe that a lot of shooters who exercise the "estate rifle" rule have probably erred in law in some way and could be leaving themselves wide open if something goes wrong .
Absolutely no grey area at all. Why imagine difficulty where there is none?
From the Manual of Guidance:
Section 16(1) of the 1988 Act enables a person over the age of seventeen to borrow a rifle from the occupier of private premises and to use it on those premises in the presence of
either the occupier or their servant without holding a firearm certificate in respect of that
rifle.
and later:
The effect of the provision is to allow a
person visiting a private land to borrow and use a rifle without a certificate.
How can an 'estate' own a rifle...a rifle can only be owned by a licensed individual??
I suspect you are correct, it has never been legally tested in court, but you can bet your bottom dollar when something goes wrong (heaven forbid it does but it will one day) it will be tested and clarified and future questions posted like the OP will have his answer, until that day its open to interpretation of the existing act, so the buck stops with you.I'm well aware what the Act says. The grey area is who is actually the occupier or servant. It has never been legally tested in court.
I was told from an experianced feo that the occupier or servant was somebody with written permission for the stalking on the particular piece of landI'm well aware what the Act says. The grey area is who is actually the occupier or servant. It has never been legally tested in court. How can an estate own a rifle? maybe the rifle could be entered onto the certificate of the owner and on the certificate of the estate manager? Aren't firearms owned by gun clubs estate rifles of sorts? I wouldn't consider any of my rifles to be estate rifles in any shape or form but have still been encouraged to allow people to shoot them by the FLD. So their interpretation is pretty clear but what of other FLD's? Until it's legally clarified, it IS a grey area and will be open to interpretation. Interpretation is someone's opinion. Opinions are like arsehoes, everyone's got one (In my opinion).
I was told from an experianced feo that the occupier or servant was somebody with written permission for the stalking on the particular piece of land
Very true mateCommon sense would say that that would be the case but unfortunately what the courts decide does not always follow.