Open FAC?

Beowulf

Well-Known Member
Can anyone out there help me with this problem? I appiled for a variation to my certificate at the start of August. I then applied for land permission to be entered on my ticket in September. I renewed my FAC at the start of October, and asked for an open license. During all this time the police had my license. After jumping through hoops to accomadate the police, I am still unclear about what I may or may not shoot and where! At one point I was told that my FAC would be partitioned as the use of 308 would be excessive for the land permission I had and would be entered as 'closed' on my certificate!

The wording on the FAC reads thus:- The .243 and 7.62/308 rifles with sound moderators and ammunition to which this certificate relates shall be used only for deer and fox control and for zeroing over land deemed suitable by the Chief Officer of police for the area where the land is situated and over which the holder has permission to shoot with that class of firearm from the person by whom the shooting rights are owned or from whom they may be leased or otherwise obtained. The firearm(s) may also be used for zeroing at a range suitable for the safe use of that class of firearm and with adequate financial arrangements in place to meet any injury or damage claim.

Now does this mean that I have an open license or yet again, have the police balls'd up again and wasted my time money and respect?

Thanks for any help you can offer on this matter.

PS I have left out the four times that they sent my FAC back with loads of mistakes on it and the endless phone calls and letters I have sent and made to get them corrected.

Please can anyone help :confused:
 
It reads to me that your licence is an open licence in the respect that you can use the firearms on any land that you have permission to shoot over that is suitable for that type of weapon but the land has to be police approved so suffice to say if you get an invite to a bit of ground that is already approved you should not need to notify the police for approval to shoot there, any bits you have will need to be approved though as per the conditions stated.

l don't know how long you have had an FAC but obviously long enough for at least one renewal so that condition should not be put on you now, l cant ever remember that being on any of my licences l was granted an open licence from the start and the suitability of the ground has always been down to me, l have been involved in one or two grants and that condition has always been taken of after the first renewal.

See what BASC has to say on the matter and talk to your FIO if they can get away with imposing those kind of conditions they will but at the end of the day all it is doing is making more work for themselves, its probably right that those kind of conditions are put on rookies but when you have a few years experience under your belt, well need l go on.

Also,
"and with adequate financial arrangements in place to meet any injury or damage claim"
That's a new one on me l have never seen that on anyone's licence before, we all should shoot with insurance cover and l think we all do, so is that a way in through the back door to make it a legal requirement, l wonder.
 
Thanks Monynut,
This is my second renewal and I have land permission of my own as well as invitations the stalk all over the country, which the police know of. I just don't understand why I have been messed around so much! I've never been in any trouble, I have very good referees and do everything by the book. Yet my lists of conditions read like the 'dead sea scrolls'! :(
I have yet to get a straight answer from the police about any of my inquiries.
 
Thanks Bucksden,
I have just phoned both the police authority where my land permission is and the FAC issuing county. After the usual round of 'Computer says no'! and 'sorry the person you need to speak to, is out of the office today'. I finally got a phone call from the Chief of Police to say, 'yep we cocked up again...sorry you were supposed to get an open this time round!'

So in my certificate goes again! :eek:

Thanks eveyone for your advice :D
 
Just picked up this thread as I have been busy of late. Mr B you do not have an open ticket, if the wording mentions deemed suitable by the Chief officer. As the onus is on him if you hurt anyone.

An open ticket states the calibre and species allowed, ie deer, fox, Boar (Quote) for zeroing on ranges or land over which the holder has the lawful authority to shoot (Un Quote)

The onus is on you as the ticket holder if you hurt anyone, and you should make sure you are insured, although it is news to me that they are making this compulsary.

I am glad to see that you appear to have rectified the situation with the Chief of Police in your area. What are you buying next a 50 calibre Barret :lol:
 
Funny you should mention the 50 Cal Malc, they asked me if I would be getting one for my long range target work. The police were quite happy for me to have one! I'd prefer them to just get my FAC right first time!

I think I will stick to the 22, 243 and 308 for now. Although I think I'll get a new 6.5x55 at some point as I miss my Carl Gustaf. :cry:
 
sikamalc said:
The onus is on you as the ticket holder if you hurt anyone, and you should make sure you are insured, although it is news to me that they are making this compulsary.

l to have not heard that it is going to be compulsory, stalkers/shooters are responsible enough not to go without it l would hope but to put it on the licence as l said it sounds like it is bringing legislation in through the back door just like they do with highway code.

l am not saying that to make it compulsory is a bad thing after all you can not legally drive a car without it, but if the powers that be are going to do it why not be upfront and inform us of proposed legislation.

The only reservation l have is that it will probably give the insurance companies a licence to print money like they do with other compulsory insurances.

Ok rant over :)

By the way Beowulf when you get your 50cal can l hire your services l have a large bit of vermin that needs sorting :lol:
 
We don't need a 50 cal Monynut, we can just put his precious horse's head in the bottom of his bed!! :p
 
hi beowulf not sure which police force u r with but sounds a bit like mine i am with west mids and hav had same problem for 15 years they keep saying i hav a conditioned open, basicaly it is an open ticket to shoot over any land i hav permission to shoot on for that paticular weapon as long as i hav a letter to say so off eg land owner or lease holder. The conditions are that i can only shoot the animals that are listed on my cetificate with that paticular weapon so work that one out. So that is as open as they will let me have where as brother inlaw with leek wooton his ticket says on it this is an open cetificate and has all the same conditions as i hav best of luck hope u manage to make some sense out of it all
 
Hi Stone,
Yes we are under the same Police Force although my land is in the much more helpful Warwickshire Police area. The Chief of Police told me that the onus was on me to use whatever rifle I deemed appropreate on the land with the land owners permission. The onus was also on me if there was any accidents. So why all the smoke and mirrors? When I talk directly to 'The Boss' its all 'honkey dory', when I speak to his officers its all whistling through their teeth and 'Nah the gaffer won't buy that I'm afraid'!
In future I'll speak to the organ grinder rather than his monkey! :D
 
You English boys seem to have alot of hassle when it comes to an open ticket.I had the same problem with Derbyshire police when inviting a friend up to stalk ground up here.After alot of arguing he now has an open ticket.My advice would be to stick to your guns so to speak and don't take their negative responses.If you have been a FAC holder for years they have to show good reason not to grant you an open FAC
Hind-sight
 
Back
Top