New gun or rifle and your duty to notify your Police force

[Erik Hamburger]

I have always informed the Police by recorded delivery within 7 days of a new purchase of a rifle or shotgun. Most RFD's will give you a pre- completed form you simply sign and send off.
I now purchased a new rifle (the slot on my FAC was previously granted) and my RFD insists I do NOT have to inform my Force, it is only the SELLER who has that duty.
So who is right, who is wrong?

I will cover my back by informing my Force anyway, but I am interested to find out if I really should.

Thank you

 

[jase kaye]

With South Yorkshire, it's both the buyer and the seller who has to inform the firearms dept.

 

[Alistair]

Yep, same with West Mercia.

 

[Tulloch]

same here

 

[private fraser]

+1

I send them an email and request confirmation of receipt.
Covers all the bases.

 

[bobthedug]

I double checked by checking my Certificate and you are legally bound to notify the Chief Officer of Police who issued your Certificate if you "purchase or acquire a firearm" under Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997

Its on the Notes Section A on the back of my certificate

 

[Crosshair243]

Last one I did, I printed the form from the internet, filled it in, took a picture of the completed form and emailed it to them. I then posted the form using normal first class post.

 

[perdix]

Always have done here too and when I lived in the Midlands

 

[AN DU RU FOX]

+1 , anything for an easy life, to be fair they allways put spare forms in any thing that they return to us so no complaints on that one ,only gripe is you have to double check everything as they have a funny habit of losing things?,doug,

 

[paul o']

Essex i email them stating xyz obtained /sold to/from cert info both mine and theirs etc & keep a copy on file on pc , i made my own form up they are happy so job done.

 

[blunderbust]

+1

I send them an email and request confirmation of receipt.
Covers all the bases.

Exactly the way I do it down here in Norfolk.

 

[Plymouth Gin]

Back to the OP. Bad advice from that RFD, but he may be getting confused by the fact that an RFD does not have to notify police when he buys a gun in. He must only notify when he sells out.
The individual certificate holder must notify all transactions, buy or sell.

You can use email or fax, with no need to back up in hard copy; that came out a couple of years ago, something like "2010 Firearms (Electronic Communications) Act" IIRC.

 

[Pedro]

Back to the OP. Bad advice from that RFD, but he may be getting confused by the fact that an RFD does not have to notify police when he buys a gun in. He must only notify when he sells out.
The individual certificate holder must notify all transactions, buy or sell.

You can use email or fax, with no need to back up in hard copy; that came out a couple of years ago, something like "2010 Firearms (Electronic Communications) Act" IIRC.

......But I'd keep a copy of the communication, be it email or whatever, just in case...

 

[Brithunter]

I always faxed them and printed off a copy and posted that as well. Of course this was years ago now but even then a couple of time they claimed they were not informed. However the fax record proved they had been. Did the same plus a phone call when I moved again the fax record came in handy when they claimed I had done a flit without telling them.

Today I would add an e-mail as the fax capability is not set up here.

 

[Virbius]

The most recent firearms I've bought, the RFD completed a form, I signed it and they faxed it whilst I was there - thus satisfying both the RFD and me as buyer's obligations in one transaction. I always took a copy away, scanned and emailed too.

 

[timbrayford]

I always inform them by recorded delivery as conditioned on the Certificate, it would be a silly thing to face a revocation over as would not signing the certificate.

atb Tim

 

[Gundoc]

I can inform N Yorks by email, in fact their auto replyeven states that 'if you have meailed us to report the acquisiton of a new firearm this email is receipt of suchor something like that anyway

 

[Virbius]

I always inform them by recorded delivery as conditioned on the Certificate, it would be a silly thing to face a revocation over as would not signing the certificate.

atb Tim

Really? It simply states on mine that if I purchase or acquire a firearm that 'the Firearms Act 1997 requires you to notify the chief officer of police who issued your certificate'? The person who sells, lets on hire, gives or lends firearms has to notify within 7 days by registered post or recorded delivery.

 

[terrier1]

I have always informed the Police by recorded delivery within 7 days of a new purchase of a rifle or shotgun. Most RFD's will give you a pre- completed form you simply sign and send off.
I now purchased a new rifle (the slot on my FAC was previously granted) and my RFD insists I do NOT have to inform my Force, it is only the SELLER who has that duty.
So who is right, who is wrong?

I will cover my back by informing my Force anyway, but I am interested to find out if I really should.

Thank you

I was told the same thing
and rang my force a month or so later and was told I should have but they had all the details from the RFD that needed so not to worry about it, but the next time I went for some ammo I told the RFD I was not happy about him telling me that I did not have to inform them.

 

[timbrayford]

Really? It simply states on mine that if I purchase or acquire a firearm that 'the Firearms Act 1997 requires you to notify the chief officer of police who issued your certificate'? The person who sells, lets on hire, gives or lends firearms has to notify within 7 days by registered post or recorded delivery.

You are correct, the certificates both FAC & SGC put a 7 day notification limit for firearm/shotgun disposals but no specific time limit on notifying of acquisitions, but you are nevertheless obliged to do so.

I think that I will leave it for others to discuss with their FLD's about the timeliness of the latter notification, presumably if they think that you have omitted to inform them as required they could revoke if so minded.

atb Tim