Certificate Renewal

[DGM03]

Certificate Renewal
Just gone through my SGC & FAC renewal, no problems at all.
Couldn’t fault the firearms team.
After receiving an extension letter I presumed there was going to be delay but to my surprise the certificates arrived and FEO visit happened before the original expiry date. I think the increase in application fee has rightly stayed within the firearms dept.
My new FEO was very professional and thorough, checked all serial numbers, moderator’s & ammunition count. I mostly reload my own ammunition so not a lot written onto my certificate, mostly 22LR.
Cabinets were inspected.
Who has access (only me) and storage of key were discussed.
Both of my referees, club secretary and the boss (wife) were called.
We also spoke about my medical report.
Be sensible, the changes are there to protect us and the public.

I really enjoyed my home visit.

what I did to help my FEO and myself-
Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.
Keep keys hidden and separately stored (Key boxes with different combinations)
All my shooting gear is kept out of sight and locked away.
Only ask people who really know you to act as your referee.

Hope this helps!

 

[Dalua]

Sounds as though it all went smoothly, so well done for that!

However, it's worth keeping in mind that whether you need to 'prove usage' or not, and how much use you need to prove (if any), will depend on what your good reason is to hold each firearm. And keep in mind that for sporting or pest-control purposes, you might well be using the rifle by carrying it a good deal more often than by firing it: at least, that's my experience!

 

[Tikkat1x]

Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.

why on earth would you want to waste time keeping those records, or providing your FEO with them?

 

[timbrayford]

Certificate Renewal
Just gone through my SGC & FAC renewal, no problems at all.
Couldn’t fault the firearms team.
After receiving an extension letter I presumed there was going to be delay but to my surprise the certificates arrived and FEO visit happened before the original expiry date. I think the increase in application fee has rightly stayed within the firearms dept.
My new FEO was very professional and thorough, checked all serial numbers, moderator’s & ammunition count. I mostly reload my own ammunition so not a lot written onto my certificate, mostly 22LR.
Cabinets were inspected.
Who has access (only me) and storage of key were discussed.
Both of my referees, club secretary and the boss (wife) were called.
We also spoke about my medical report.
Be sensible, the changes are there to protect us and the public.

I really enjoyed my home visit.

what I did to help my FEO and myself-
Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.
Keep keys hidden and separately stored (Key boxes with different combinations)
All my shooting gear is kept out of sight and locked away.
Only ask people who really know you to act as your referee.

Hope this helps!

Obviously don't live in Hants and Isle of Wight!

 

[Liveonce]

Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.

why on earth would you want to waste time keeping those records, or providing your FEO with them?

Exactly, a dangerous process to do unless for personal reasons only not required by the law or HO guidance.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.

glad it went well for you, but non of the above if a legal requirement, just to save you the hassle next time

 

[r judd]

sounds like a good experience.
Personally i only give whats required by the guidance.

 

[DGM03]

All great comments.
It’s great to get other opinions and experiences, a great way to learn and improve.

The post was only about my own personal renewal in North Yorkshire and my own approach to things.
As a none professional deer stalker and pest controller a box or two of hunting ammo every year is probably enough usage.
I also target shoot on different ranges.
My records are for my own personal use and it’s best to be prepared for the FEO visit. I was asked about range time, reloading and quantities. Luckily I had the information ready. Probably to do with range shooting.
The online renewal process now asks for a photo of certificate ammo purchased page.
A mate applied for a renewal 3 months before me and this wasn’t in his renewal process.

 

[Stalker62]

I really enjoyed my home visit.

I didn't.

I don't like anyone coming to my wee house, much less 'gate-crashers' from HMG.

what I did to help my FEO and myself-
Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.
Keep keys hidden and separately stored (Key boxes with different combinations)
All my shooting gear is kept out of sight and locked away.
Only ask people who really know you to act as your referee.

• Absolutely no need to do that unless it is for Target Shooting at a HO Club. However, I do keep (for my own records) a Game Book. No FEO has ever expressed a desire to look at it. Which is a shame, as it is a work of art.
• This is sensible advice. The arbitrary "three uses a year" for Target firearms is a thing. Make sure your 'Admin.' is in order.
• Absolutely no need to do this. It is akin to 'saving your used primers' to 'prove' what you have fired. Doing so only proves you are paranoid, and collect used primers.
• Absolutely no need to do this. Whatever one 'logs' is proof of nothing. It is just proof you wrote something down.
• This is a requirement to keep the location of your keys 'secret'. Your cohabitees will, during their interviews, will be asked where you keep your keys.
• Not quite sure what you mean by shooting gear? Wellingtons?
• Why would you do otherwise?

I am all for suppling the (increasingly more detailed) information that the FEO and their Licensing Department need to do their job efficiently; but let's not lose our sense of perspective shall we...otherwise where will it all end?

 

[Dalua]

• This is a requirement to keep the location of your keys 'secret'. Your cohabitees will, during their interviews, will be asked where you keep your keys.

I'm not sure this is true. Unauthorised people simply mustn't be able to get hold of them.

 

[Stalker62]

I'm not sure this is true. Unauthorised people simply mustn't be able to get hold of them.

Forgive me. I used 'secret' to indicate exactly that.

 

[Dalua]

Forgive me. I used 'secret' to indicate exactly that.

Putting things in a 'secret place' is not a guarantee that unauthorised folk won't be able to access them - whether deliberately or by mistake: though the FLDs take the view that if the place is considered obscure enough by the certificate-holder, the security requirement in law is met.
There are other ways of keeping keys secure (a decent combination safe, for example) despite their whereabouts being known to cohabitees.

 

[Squirrelbasher]

Certificate Renewal
Just gone through my SGC & FAC renewal, no problems at all.
Couldn’t fault the firearms team.
After receiving an extension letter I presumed there was going to be delay but to my surprise the certificates arrived and FEO visit happened before the original expiry date. I think the increase in application fee has rightly stayed within the firearms dept.
My new FEO was very professional and thorough, checked all serial numbers, moderator’s & ammunition count. I mostly reload my own ammunition so not a lot written onto my certificate, mostly 22LR.
Cabinets were inspected.
Who has access (only me) and storage of key were discussed.
Both of my referees, club secretary and the boss (wife) were called.
We also spoke about my medical report.
Be sensible, the changes are there to protect us and the public.

I really enjoyed my home visit.

what I did to help my FEO and myself-
Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.
Keep keys hidden and separately stored (Key boxes with different combinations)
All my shooting gear is kept out of sight and locked away.
Only ask people who really know you to act as your referee.

Hope this helps!

If that's what you want to do it's up to you, the thing is though, you can go to all the effort of logging everything down but it's of little
practical use as it's not verifiable.

 

[Benelli m2]

Jesus just got mine done no visit no call no nothing took 3 months

 

[Dickie]

what I did to help my FEO and myself-
Record a full and detailed record of every time you go out shooting.
Don’t ask for and hold guns you don’t use on a regular basis, you will need to prove usage.
Record all ammunition reloading session, including all the testing rounds used.
Log quantity of ammunition used on every outing.
Keep keys hidden and separately stored (Key boxes with different combinations)
All my shooting gear is kept out of sight and locked away.
Only ask people who really know you to act as your referee.

Hope this helps!

Good for you.
But when everybody is expected to do the the same because of some head of department that thinks you're brilliant you'll not be very popular with other FAC holders.

 

[M@tt]

The online renewal process now asks for a photo of certificate ammo purchased page.

This isn't in the online system we use here, they ask for an upload of your FAC, but the system only allows one page to be uploaded.
Front page is all they get until/unless they come and visit.
I reload for everything except rimfire, and I've even thought about this, the ammo page doesn't equate to the quantities I shoot in 5 years. Not even close, different order of magnitude even, though I do purchase a lot of ammo over the period nonetheless.

 

[Cogswell & Harrison]

I would have thought that the ammunition purchase page image would be meaningless if you have had a few variations in the intervening period, your certificate always comes back with that page blank .

Meaning? Say for example I put in for a variation six months before renewal but stock up on ammunition to my limits beforehand knowing full well that variation times are vague estimates, I would be at best uploading a blank page or at worst having no page to upload because my certificate is still with the FLD.

In any event, I'm told that slowly but surely RFD's are having to establish real time links to their respective FLD's for when licenced transactions take place so this information would be known beforehand.

 

[Bo Diddley]

School prefect material right there, I'd wager good money on it .

 

[long_range_rob]

With regard to the word Secret it doesn’t mean much, for example GPO tower (now BT tower) was an official secret for the first 25 years of its life before someone mentioned it in Parliament

 

[Cyres]

Feo inventing new rules!
As previously mentioned on here why keep your safe keys in a £10 key safe which could be removed and opened in minutes. Only use it as a decoy.!
As for recording ammo mine has a few hundred .22lr on it simply because I reload all my CF ammo..
D