BASC to launch £100,000 legal expenses cover for members.

David63

Well-Known Member
£100,000 of legal expenses cover for appeals againstfirearms licensing decisions will be added to the membership insurance package offered by BASC from the 1st March 2014.

Concerns have been raised that some firearms licensing departments have appeared reluctant to use proper risk management processes to make decisions in difficult cases; preferring that the courts take responsibility. BASC believes that its members must be able to challenge apparent injustices without the fear of personally incurring heavy legal costs.

The new policy, developed by BASC with AIM Risk ServicesLimited, offers cover to members against legal expenses should they need to challenge a licensing decision in court. The policy will offer protection from legal costs for valid appeals following:
•Refusal to grant or renew a shotgun or firearm certificate.
•Revocation of a shotgun certificate.
•Revocation of a firearm certificate.
•Refusal to vary a firearm certificate.
•Partial revocation of a firearm certificate.
•Conditions imposed on a firearm certificate.
•Airgun kinetic energy test failure.

BASC is constantly working to improve and expand the benefits that we can provide to members. Adding legal expenses cover to our existing insurance package means we believe we have developed the best possible membership package and are offering the best possible advantages to BASC members.

David
 
Good show .... but I'll await details of the small print.

It's not clear at this stage what will be defined as a ' valid appeal ' (quote) by AIM Risk ServicesLimited. Will these cases be claims contingent, or will there be a solid underlying fund of cash from BASC to support legal actions?
 
A valid appeal means one that is sound in law, we have specialist firearms lawyers and barristers on hand to review each case.

Claims will be paid by the insurers.

A copy of the policy summary will be on the BASC web site inthe new year, a full policy summary will be sent to all members prior to renewal and when new ones join.
 
I do feel this is a good move as now inline with SACS as it will make a force think abit harder before dismissing variations and things so can only be a good thing, atb wayne
 
This is very good news, hopefully the very existence of this insurance will deter FLD's from imposing the unnecessary petty minded restrictions which they have indulged themselves with in the past.

atb Tim :thumb:
 
About time, but surely should not all the different sporting bodies get together and throw all their collective might together to ensure all issuing police forces all follow and abide by the same rules and apply the law as parliment intended?

Its a pity that a chief constable doesnt get put in the dock to try and explain their dubiuos actions?

Also why is there no right to appeal, surely this is the biggest injustice.

D
 
This is a great idea - the one problem with the law in this country is that only the very poor or the very rich have access to a defence. The generally law abiding citizen who works hard to scrape a living has absolutely no access to the law because, quite simply, he can't afford it. The "powers that be" know this and take full advantage of it. Unfortunately I can't see the insurance company funding a lot of legal challenges as they are in this to make a profit but none the less maybe the awful possibility of the average working man actually having access to the legal system will encourage the police and others to behave in a more reasonable manner.
 
:tiphat: Well done BASC been a long time coming and will be good news to the chaps that are being hounded in ESSEX at this time some or more than 150 in number .
 
It is important to have a bite with a bark, well done BASC.

I assume it will be part of each members benefits upon the deal being published rather than just available to members with their next renewal ?
 
I would like to see the small print and the definitions within it before I jump to applaud this. 'Valid Appeals' is a broad statement and could mean anything at all. On the face of it and in the selling of insurance it appears to be just the ticket and will have everyone signing up. I thought we already had this type of cover, so what exactly has changed and why has it changed? Comparisons with other shooting insurance providers need to be made to get some idea of what is happening here and frankly I do not think this is all it is cracked up to be.
 
As I said in post 4 above, A valid appeal means one that is sound in law, we will not waste time and money running appeals that are not sound in law or that have no chance of success and we have specialist firearms lawyers and barristers on hand to review each case.

Currently BASC self funds appeals, but this tends to be a slow and cumbersome process, and specialist policy is a much better and slicker way of helping members.

In what way do you think this is 'not all its cracked up to be'?

Just as a bit of background, together with our firearms team, a barrister, and a solicitor advocate, I have been reviewing legal expenses policies for firearms appeals for just over 12 months, we have looked at all options currently on the market, met with two underwriters who have made proposals that fit the bill we wanted, ie a firearms legal expenses product where we can work with a chosen , small, group of lawyers and barristers who we know have experience in firearms cases, where BASC firearms team can work along side hem through the case, and from those two we have selected the best one.

All members will be sent a policy summary with their membership renewal, a copy of the full policy wording will be on the BASC web site in February, and will be sent to any member upon request in hard copy I would challenge anyone to show me any other organisation that does this, so a comparison will be a bit tricky I guess?

We are already looking at options to increase the cover even further in 2015...

David
 
Will this extend to an appeal against a variation for a "historic weapon" to be kept an a Home Office approved site, under s7 where the apparent policy of that police force, in the Midlands, is, I am given to understand, to refuse ALL such applications for a variation for such a weapon?
 
Will this extend to an appeal against a variation for a "historic weapon" to be kept an a Home Office approved site, under s7 where the apparent policy of that police force, in the Midlands, is, I am given to understand, to refuse ALL such applications for a variation for such a weapon?


theres no such policy, you have to satisfy the terms of the home office guidance on historic handguns and to show you have a genuine and substantial collecting base.

I dare say bascs policy will cover any refusal to grant, vary or renew in principle subject to terms and conditions?? Perhaps David will clarify.

i also guess valid appeals mean those that have a reasonable chance of success and are not whimsical on the basis the appellant just wants to have his say in court. Underwriters will wish to protect their cash flow as basc will wish to protect its good name. Capricious or unfounded police decisions are fair game but appealing a revocation after conviction for battering your wife would make any appeal judge wonder why his time is being wasted .
 
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Yes it extends to historic guns, and yes tFl's summary of what would trigger a valid claim is pretty well spot on.
 
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