He has been back to them repetitively. They have stated that no magnum calibers 30 cal and above will be granted for UK deer. He asked if this was just Thames Valley Police and was told that no this was going to be countrywide. Those already with 30 + cal magnums conditioned for UK deer will not be affected.
Regards
Ed
Excuse the long winded post but this really irritates me. The Police have a duty to administer the issue of FAC/SGC's from the standpoint of safety and security. That's it! Not there appropriate usage.
If he gives up it sets a precedence. Please urge him not to and he should contact BASC etc
There is no way they can limit the use of 300WM on deer Nationally. More to the point why would they want to!?
Moreover if he has that statement in writing please pass it on to the BASC as this would be a gross dereliction in the Police's duty as administrator to single out the usage of one range or calibres and effectively blanket ban them
He needs to contact the Chief Constable/Inspector and explain that he and his Firearm's office is in breach of UK Law in their restricted interpretation of the HO Guidance which is not their for their own obtuse amusement.
Perhaps he could ask the CC/CI to answer some simple stalking ballistics questions to qualify his judgement when he answers in his reply
-Why is the residential area he covers somehow different from the rest of the UK where many people have 300WM covered for deer?
-Is he an expert in the humane killing of deer? I know the answer but perhaps he can explain how he knows more about the terminal effects of large calibre HV bullets at range
-Is it the ME the MV or the bullet weight that most concerns him about these "fearsome" cartridges?
ME can be matched by any number of readily available cartridges
MV can be blitzed by any number of factory loads
Bullet weight is the same for .308, .30-06 etc
Should perhaps your friend have land that requires large species deer (highlight the resilience of Sika for example) to be shot at extended range that requires the use of a faster heavier bullet to maintain it IMPACT velocity/energy (rather than figures at the muzzle) in order to be considered humane. is the CI/CC really going to restrict your friends ability to kill humanely and will he be on hand should your friend be prosecuted for prolonging the death of an animal by any of the Animal Welfare organisations?
Draw his attention to the relevant parts of the HO Guidance
13.6 “Good reason” should be neither confined to need nor equated with desire. Most firearm
certificate holders possess firearms for reasons of their profession, sport, collectors or recreation,
and may properly wish to exercise discretion as to what types of firearms they choose for these
purposes. On the other hand, a simple wish to own a particular sort of firearm is not in itself
“good reason” without further supporting evidence of intentions.
Chief officers of police should
be mindful of case law (Anderson v Neilans (1940) and Joy v Chief Constable of Dumfries and
Galloway (1966)) which suggests that the chief officer should consider the application firstly “from
the standpoint of the applicant rather than from that of a possible objector”. “Good reason” will
need to be demonstrated for each firearm to be held under section 1 of the 1968 Act.
13.17 The table at the end of this chapter provides guidance on whether, for the purposes of
establishing “good reason”, a particular calibre is suitable for shooting certain quarry. It
should be noted that
the list of calibres is not exhaustive but will serve as a useful guide.
13.18 ‘Yes’ indicates that the calibre is suitable for the purpose, and pursuit of such quarry would
normally be a “good reason” to possess such a rifle. ‘No’ indicates that the calibre and
muzzle energy is unsuitable, unlawful or inhumane, and pursuit of such a quarry would not
therefore be a “good reason” to possess such a rifle.
This, however, should not exclude the
use of a larger or more powerful firearm, for which “good reason” has been established,
to shoot smaller quarry (see 13.9). In some cases an applicant will want to possess two
similar weapons for the same category of use, for example, where an employer requires
the applicant to use a weapon for official purposes but the applicant also wants to hold
one for personal use (for example, deerstalking). Chief officers of police should also note
that many animals (including many birds) are protected by law (see chapter 14). Licensing
officers will also wish to have regard to other paragraphs in this chapter which offer more
detailed guidance in relation to specific quarry.
13.37 Some rifles intended for antelope and other plains game may also be suitable for deer, boar or other quarry shooting in this country. Once initial “good reason” has been established for a rifle in shooting “dangerous game”, it may also be considered for shooting the larger deer species and boar in Britain.
If he still hits a brick wall, get it for target shooting and convert when acquired!!
in the same way I had boar added to a deer rifle they can not restrict the adding of a quarry condition to a rifle that you already have established a good reason...ever!
10.38 There is no requirement to establish ‘good reason’ for additional conditions or the addition of quarry species to an existing condition where ‘good reason’ already exists for the possession of a firearm in the first instance (See chapter 13). Firearms should be conditioned to provide flexibility with quarry shooting by allowing all lawful quarry (see Appendix 3)