Legality of spent brass

Leopoldo

Active Member
Quick question, folks.
What is the legal situation around spent brass?
I ask because a friend of mine was pulled over for a routine stop and had to spend ages justifying his existence to the police after they found a few spent brass cases rattling around in the boot of his car.

TIA
 
There IS no legal situation as it's spent... Ok, they might want to know more about how/when/where, but that's what their bat phones are for

PNC check:
"FAC?"
"Yes"
"Thank you Sir, have a nice evening"
 
There IS no legal situation as it's spent... Ok, they might want to know more about how/when/where, but that's what their bat phones are for

PNC check:
"FAC?"
"No"
Now the show begins :eek:
 
This was also my understanding. However, the particular officers concerned behaved as if there were laws being broken, and detained my friend at the roadside for a considerable time
 
What were they doing looking in his boot in the first place? Did they have a just cause to infringe on his freedom?
Martin
 
No issue as far as I know about having spent brass!
Having said that I would suspect that Traffic Division have little knowledge of firearms laws and regulations!
 
What about all the people wearing a piece of so called fashion ie a belt with .303 rounds fixed to it....


Or buying your lad some spent rounds at a military swap meet type event....


We soon won't be able to have a tom tit with out having to ask for permission....


Tim.243
 
What about all the people wearing a piece of so called fashion ie a belt with .303 rounds fixed to it....


Or buying your lad some spent rounds at a military swap meet type event....



Tim.243

well, quite... That was what my argument would have been if they'd have hassled me...
Traffic cop or no, it's a no-brainer....
 
The only way in which I could possibly see spent brass being of 'legal concern' is if the person is under a S21 prohibition - since last year, prohibited persons are also not allowed to possess de-acts or imtiation firearms, and it's entirely possible that brass, bullets, etc. might come under that new legislation too.

Apart from that, if the police stopped me and were intimating that having unsecured spent brass was a crime, then I'd be very happy to see them in a courtroom, and would tell them so.
 
The only way in which I could possibly see spent brass being of 'legal concern' is if the person is under a S21 prohibition - since last year, prohibited persons are also not allowed to possess de-acts or imtiation firearms, and it's entirely possible that brass, bullets, etc. might come under that new legislation too.

Apart from that, if the police stopped me and were intimating that having unsecured spent brass was a crime, then I'd be very happy to see them in a courtroom, and would tell them so.

Well the chap in question is a stalker of good repute, with a current FAC which he produced at the time. So no issues there, but a good point
 
Believe it or not,spent brass counts towards your total allowance of ammunition in Ireland. This is a country where reloading is only allowed on a very limited scale. Only for the chosen few shooting F-class at the Midlands rifle range.
go figure,we can't.
 
i had to explain the difference between trespass and criminal damage to a police officer and CSO last week.

they have so many offences to memorise i am not surprised that they aren't sure on some subject matters.
 
The Police could have been waiting for a return call to confirm that there had not been any 'drive by' shootings that night !
 
the particular officers concerned behaved as if there were laws being broken

I had exactly the same treatment from a couple of armed officers at an airport on my return from the States a couple of years ago. The airline check-in staff were so incompetent they couldn't handle the fact I was checking-in a previously-declared rifle on the return leg and got the police involved. The pair of them acted as though I was some sort of threat to national security before I was finally allowed to go about my lawful business. I wasn't impressed with them one tiny bit, especially as they almost caused me to miss my return flight
 
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As far as I am concerned if an officer in carrying out his duty mis-informs members of the general public they have failed in their duty
You have a duty to report that officer

This may have profound consequences and be a distasteful suggestion to any members of the force but in any other line of work if you attempt to mis-sell something you suffer the consequences

I recently had 9 years of Previous Convictions added to my name on the Police records system due to a "clerical error"!!
I have only one option to respond to that and it is to make sure the person responsible is fully investigated and appropriately dealt with

Enforcement of the law requires a knowledge of it first and foremost
If they didn't know they should have asked.....presumably that is one use of a phone/radio
 
At the mere mention of anything firearms related most police get very nervous and over cautious.
Yet the feo system is on the way out and local cops with a short course in firearms will take over.
Been there, had that and not looking forward to it again.

In America you get the Homeland Security people.
They seem to have seen all the Die-Hard movies multiple times :rolleyes:
 
Apparently a "routine" traffic stop.

There is no such thing. What perhaps they meant was "we have no grounds in law to stop you, so we're going to call it routine". You should always ask a constable, if he doesn't volunteer it, why he has stopped you. You can do that without being arsy. And he is required to tell you.

-JMS
 
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