got stopped last night/legality of copies of your cert's

bobjs

Well-Known Member
Well i have been stopped over the years in a few places when out shooting/driving to a shoot/coming home from a stalk/lamping in the wee small hours etc.

But out with Steve on here and had the local boys turn up to check us out,

anyway when stopped i was just booking on to HQ hants police, so we where then asked for our certificates,

me being a bit of a typical jock said.

I don't have it as i misplaced one a long time ago so no longer carry it with me, but will produce it etc. one officer then stated its the law you must be able to blah blah blah.

they done the checks, name address etc, but while i was getting questioned at the rear of the veh with one officer (the other was checking Steve over) i said i have a copy of mine in my kit bag.

now at this point i thought i was going to be told something like "this is not allowed" and i could have been in a tad hot water, but nothing was said.

now i am not sure if that was down to the fact that the replies from the call centre where these guys are all legal etc or the fact that a mate of steve's who is a police officer chipped in to say we are all ok made them just forget that i had just a copy and steve's is in for a variation, but needless to say they where doing their job and we where left along to get on with the foxing.


so your thoughts on the legality of a copy of your cert/carrying your's with you ? (this has been done to death but i never really care what they think i just do not like taking my ticket with me)

bob.
 
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The wording "in possession of a valid firearms certificate" is open to interpretation, but I believe that "in possession" does not actually mean having your certificate on you. The same as being in possession of a current UK driving licence.
 
Hi bob
hope your all well mate
my feo told me that there's no need to have your certs with you while out shooting , however a lot of cops don't have a clue on firearms licencing laws and it only takes one keen one to confiscate your guns because he doesn't have a clue . so I keep mine in the motor when out stalking if they want to see them that badly they can accompany me to the car , but I really don't see the need seeing as they can just check you out on pnc
atb jim
 
Nowt illegal about carrying a copy of your cert. Whether any police officer wants to take it as any sort of proof that you have a valid certificate is another matter. Of course they should be able to check over the radio what certs you have, whether you've been in trouble, are disqualified from driving, if you're insured, have an MOT, are wanted for anything and a description of you including any identifying marks such as tattoos to verify you are who you say you are.


So it does no harm to carry one and may put a suspicious police officer somewhat more at ease, but they'd be stupid to take a photocopy as proof of a valid cert. For all they know, you might have had your certificate revoked last week and still have a photocopy.
 
some cracking replies.

so i will let this run a tad and then tell you what the OTHER officer said when he came around to the rear of Steve's truck :smug:

bob.
 
I would imagine the first thing the police would do after stopping you would be to check on PNC so that all they needed to do was ask you your name. This would confirm that you were the registered keeper of the vehicle and that you were the holder of SGS/FAC. All they then needed to ascertain was if you were acting within the law. QED.
 
I would imagine the first thing the police would do after stopping you would be to check on PNC so that all they needed to do was ask you your name. This would confirm that you were the registered keeper of the vehicle and that you were the holder of SGS/FAC. All they then needed to ascertain was if you were acting within the law. QED.

1 nil to us.

bob.
 
All they then needed to ascertain was if you were acting within the law. QED.

Unless things have changed all they can do is ascertain if you hold a SGC/FAC. I understand that they cannot see the weapons you have listed, their serial numbers and conditions. The ONLY way to prove they are your legitimate guns is the ORIGINAL certificate. There is no requirement in law to have the certificate with you, but if you are stopped and the officer fancies (or you are an arse) they can seize your guns and make you come along to the station to collect them with your certificate.

The only issue with copying your certificate is fraud if you were attempting to pass a copy off as an original document. I make black and white copies of mine when sending in for a variation - colour looks just too good. They used to say 'FRAUD' if copied but don't seem to any more.

This is why I keep my original in the glovebox of the car.
 
I don't carry it! i'v got a photo copy and a picture on my phone all sides of it , but they can remove your stuff if they wish to ! but they also have a ton of paperwork .A pnc should bring you up as xyz, A cert should be in a safe place guess the place mine is kept :rolleyes: , my reply has always been should i lose it will i be in the crap should my cert be used to obtain firearms or ammo as the picture can be overlaid (old type) don't know about your copier but mine can even copy the watermarks clip art can do the rest ! so mine will stay at home safe and sound in my control I now call essex even in the daylight now as i go out and before i get there this has avoided the choppys and blue lights and silly Q's " like what are you doing on a private farm with a rifle and a light at this time of night" :doh: my reply reply is going about my lawful business and why are you on private land and have you informed the owner you have walked across his crops !!! or do you know you may have stopped his cows from giving milk tomorrow with that helly overhead , but if you wish i can come to the station now or tomorrow and show you what you already know ,still not had that offer most don't wish cow or pig crap in there motor lol . I must say all the control room staff know what i am doing should i call up and have been very professional when giving me a incident number its so easy to get one and save a whole lot of shat when it happened's and it will at some point ,play the game and call it in or suffer as we all know we are mad gun loving nuts who need to be distrusted :stir:

:tiphat:
 
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I don't carry it! i'v got a photo copy and a picture on my phone all sides of it , but they can remove your stuff if they wish to ! but they also have a ton of paperwork .A pnc should bring you up as xyz, A cert should be in a safe place guess the place mine is kept :rolleyes: , my reply has always been should i lose it will i be in the crap should my cert be used to obtain firearms or ammo as the picture can be overlaid (old type) don't know about your copier but mine can even copy the watermarks clip art can do the rest ! so mine will stay at home safe and sound in my control I now call essex even in the daylight now as i go out and before i get there this has avoided the choppys and blue lights and silly Q's " like what are you doing on a private farm with a rifle and a light at this time of night" :doh: my reply reply is going about my lawful business and why are you on private land and have you informed the owner you have walked across his crops !!! or do you know you may have stopped his cows from giving milk tomorrow with that helly overhead , but if you wish i can come to the station now or tomorrow and show you what you already know ,still not had that offer most don't wish cow or pig crap in there motor lol . I must say all the control room staff know what i am doing should i call up and have been very professional when giving me a incident number its so easy to get one and save a whole lot of shat when it happened's and it will at some point ,play the game and call it in or suffer as we all know we are mad gun loving nuts who need to be distrusted :stir:

:tiphat:


well said Paul.

these two even drove to meet us in the field in a skoda lights ablaze etc, and just the one (but then there is always one) that thought he knew it all.

bob.
 
Get the farmer to put in a 1033 or indent the CC for the damage they made LOL. Yup always One and i have found its the shortest time served one at that :old: have at em bob :tiphat:
 
Get the farmer to put in a 1033 or indent the CC for the damage they made LOL. Yup always One and i have found its the shortest time served one at that :old: have at em bob :tiphat:

as they drove away Steve said i hope they don't get STUCK ?

I am 100% sure we would have just driven on.:)

bob.
 
I recently put my variation in with Suffolk and thought i would just email them to clarify and i got the reply that there is no requirement for me to have my FAC on my person whilst out shooting.

Good enough for me.

On a side note : I photocopied my FAC/SGC for the Shooting I/C on camp using my home printer and it made perfect copies but then copied it on the work photocopier and it came up with FRAUD written across all pages. Is this normal?
 
funny my mates one came up that but my one did't or should i say the old one two weeks ago did't ill try the new type now !

edit :: nope just scanned it , came out perfect copy with water marks and all :D must just be met and you force so far as i know that use a safeguard mind you this would prove that you have a proven copy of your cert ? as yours can't be defrauded as mine can .

(we got cakes at h4h this year feller lol)


I recently put my variation in with Suffolk and thought i would just email them to clarify and i got the reply that there is no requirement for me to have my FAC on my person whilst out shooting.

Good enough for me.

On a side note : I photocopied my FAC/SGC for the Shooting I/C on camp using my home printer and it made perfect copies but then copied it on the work photocopier and it came up with FRAUD written across all pages. Is this normal?
 
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So, two cops checked you whilst you were out with a firearm and had the temerity to check whether all was in order? Even by the standards of the tediously dull content of most posts by some on here, this really is a non event.
 
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The one time I have been stopped the police were more interested in posing for iPhone photos with my over and under than giving me a hard time.
 
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