As promised To will be seeing my English Constituency MP about the effect on the similar legislation as it applies to England. Here is the letter I am sending to the Parliamentary Leaders of the SNP, the Scottish Liberals, Scottish Labour, DScottish Conservatives. I hope SD members in Scotland might wish to use this as a cut and paste or as a draft outline also for them to write to their MPs? I will be making one for English and Welsh MPs shortly and will post that here too.
Dear XXX,
I hope that you will not mind me writing to you? For I am concerned of the unintended effects of a recent Westminster proposed SSI.
The REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/195) is the Statutory Instrument (SI) that legalizes the ban on lead ammunition in England, Wales, and Scotland. Laid before Parliament on 3 March 2026, it comes into force on 1 April 2026, initiating a phased transition period leading to full restrictions on the sale and use of most lead ammunition by 2029.
This SSI is in fact not a "done deal" and can still be stopped coming into force if MPs object by what I am told is known a laying a prayer. There is thirty days to do this from when the SSI is laid before Parliament.
Many owners and occupiers of enclosed land in Scotland may rely on the one and only firearm that they have...a 12 bore shotgun...to protect the crops, foodstuffs or plantings from damage by deer.
The law specifically recognises that they need to do this and therefore allows them to use a shotgun exceptionally because of their unique position and this and set out the rules applying as here below in The Deer (Firearms etc.) (Scotland) Order 1985.
This says as here below:
The Deer (Firearms etc.) (Scotland) Order 1985
4. Where an occupier of agricultural land or of enclosed woodlands has reasonable grounds for believing that serious damage will be caused to crops, pasture, trees or human or animal foodstuffs on that land if the deer are not killed, it shall be lawful for any of the persons described in paragraphs (c), (d) and (e) of section 33(3) of the Act to use a shot gun whose gauge is not less than 12 bore and which is loaded with the following lawful ammunition:-
(a) for shooting deer of any species, a single rifled non-spherical projectile weighing not less than 380 grains (24.62 grams); or
(b) for shooting deer of any species, a cartridge purporting to contain not less than 550 grains (35.64 grams) of shot, none of which is less than 0.268 inches (6.81 millimetres) in diameter, that is to say size SSG; or
(c) for shooting roe deer, a cartridge purporting to contain not less than 450 grains (29.16 grams) of shot, none of which is less than 0.203 inches (5.16 millimetres) in diameter, that is to say size AAA,
for the purpose of taking or killing any deer found on any arable land, garden grounds or land laid down in permanent grass (other than moorland and unenclosed land) and forming part of that land or on enclosed woodland, as the case may be.
There is no suitable non-lead ammunition of any of the types in (a) which is commonly referred to as "slug" ammunition after the often used "Brenneke slug") and of the types at (b) and (c) that are commonly referred to as "buckshot" or by older users the now archaic name "lettered shot" from those letters SSG or AAA.
Thus the SSI if not opposed by the threat of laying of a prayer which it is hoped will force the Government to amend the SSI to allow the continued used past April 2029 of "slug" and "buckshot" will remove the ability of those with enclosed land who own only 12 bore shotguns to control deer.
I hope that there might be a consensus of Scottish MPs who can be asked to "lay a prayer" against the SSI unless the Government takes account of the need for farmers and crofters on "enclosed land" to still be able to purchase, possess and use such lead ammunition.
Also avoiding an otherwise unintended consequence that those then being unable to use shotguns past April 2029 will the seek authority to acquire rifles and ammunition for rifles that otherwise they would not need to have.
So yes the SSI is now laid before Parliament but not...if a prayer is laid...yet passed into law. I hope that there can be a rally Scottish MPs of all parties to consider such action?
Dear XXX,
I hope that you will not mind me writing to you? For I am concerned of the unintended effects of a recent Westminster proposed SSI.
The REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/195) is the Statutory Instrument (SI) that legalizes the ban on lead ammunition in England, Wales, and Scotland. Laid before Parliament on 3 March 2026, it comes into force on 1 April 2026, initiating a phased transition period leading to full restrictions on the sale and use of most lead ammunition by 2029.
This SSI is in fact not a "done deal" and can still be stopped coming into force if MPs object by what I am told is known a laying a prayer. There is thirty days to do this from when the SSI is laid before Parliament.
Many owners and occupiers of enclosed land in Scotland may rely on the one and only firearm that they have...a 12 bore shotgun...to protect the crops, foodstuffs or plantings from damage by deer.
The law specifically recognises that they need to do this and therefore allows them to use a shotgun exceptionally because of their unique position and this and set out the rules applying as here below in The Deer (Firearms etc.) (Scotland) Order 1985.
This says as here below:
The Deer (Firearms etc.) (Scotland) Order 1985
4. Where an occupier of agricultural land or of enclosed woodlands has reasonable grounds for believing that serious damage will be caused to crops, pasture, trees or human or animal foodstuffs on that land if the deer are not killed, it shall be lawful for any of the persons described in paragraphs (c), (d) and (e) of section 33(3) of the Act to use a shot gun whose gauge is not less than 12 bore and which is loaded with the following lawful ammunition:-
(a) for shooting deer of any species, a single rifled non-spherical projectile weighing not less than 380 grains (24.62 grams); or
(b) for shooting deer of any species, a cartridge purporting to contain not less than 550 grains (35.64 grams) of shot, none of which is less than 0.268 inches (6.81 millimetres) in diameter, that is to say size SSG; or
(c) for shooting roe deer, a cartridge purporting to contain not less than 450 grains (29.16 grams) of shot, none of which is less than 0.203 inches (5.16 millimetres) in diameter, that is to say size AAA,
for the purpose of taking or killing any deer found on any arable land, garden grounds or land laid down in permanent grass (other than moorland and unenclosed land) and forming part of that land or on enclosed woodland, as the case may be.
There is no suitable non-lead ammunition of any of the types in (a) which is commonly referred to as "slug" ammunition after the often used "Brenneke slug") and of the types at (b) and (c) that are commonly referred to as "buckshot" or by older users the now archaic name "lettered shot" from those letters SSG or AAA.
Thus the SSI if not opposed by the threat of laying of a prayer which it is hoped will force the Government to amend the SSI to allow the continued used past April 2029 of "slug" and "buckshot" will remove the ability of those with enclosed land who own only 12 bore shotguns to control deer.
I hope that there might be a consensus of Scottish MPs who can be asked to "lay a prayer" against the SSI unless the Government takes account of the need for farmers and crofters on "enclosed land" to still be able to purchase, possess and use such lead ammunition.
Also avoiding an otherwise unintended consequence that those then being unable to use shotguns past April 2029 will the seek authority to acquire rifles and ammunition for rifles that otherwise they would not need to have.
So yes the SSI is now laid before Parliament but not...if a prayer is laid...yet passed into law. I hope that there can be a rally Scottish MPs of all parties to consider such action?
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