FAQ: Do I have an Open or Closed Certificate?

[fallowshot]

Hello

I have always photo copied my FAC and kept all letters to and from the Police, that way they can not back track. One of the best ways to stay ahead is to access and down load the "Police Firearms Guide" either go via google or Police web site. It is my bible, and I have on many occasions caught the Police out proved them wrong.

Tom

 

[AN DU RU FOX]

mine are like archers, new c/f restricted even tho at least three maybe more perms are passed for higher calibre .

 

[paul o']

mine is fully open "n" the buck stop with me! forgive the pun no add on wording apart from aolq and land deemed fit by the holder of cert

 

[49ERIC]

MINE 223 RIFE Serial number rxxxx 243 rifle serial number rxxxx 270 rifle serial number rxxxxx and ammunition shall be used for shooting DEER and any other Lawful quarry and for zeroing on ranges or land which the holder has lawful Authority to shoot

and same again for 22rf i.7 hmr .223 only vermin /fox /gound game
and 12G FAC SHOT GUN For the shooting of birds general licence Bla Bla bla AOLQ
plus all the expanding AMMUNITION ball sh-t ,,, apart from AOLQ HAD This 25 years + RIGHT how I want a 30 06 or 3.9x62 for for PAID BOAR/DEER TIPS HERE and abroad
and my base land is,,, 270 ,, THAT MEANS FUN AND GAMES not sure what ,will be needed or how this is going to pan out ... getting ready to jump The hoops and jump more hoops again, so its Back to playing the same old game A real pain in the you no ware , so Don't despair all you NEWBE,S its part of the game bit by bit,,, little by little

 

[RickoShay]

Recent, good experience with Glos Constabulary; variation for 30.06, plus 'on land for which the holder has lawful authority to shoot', which is 'open'.

Turn around 9 working days, arrived on the same day as the BSS and I had left for B'ham, which on reflection was probably not a bad thing...

 

[Fallenover]

Recent, good experience with Glos Constabulary; variation for 30.06, plus 'on land for which the holder has lawful authority to shoot', which is 'open'.

Turn around 9 working days, arrived on the same day as the BSS and I had left for B'ham, which on reflection was probably not a bad thing...

I can top that, Sussex police, sent for change of address, variation and request for an open ticket..........6 days including the weekend. Outstanding very impressed.

 

[ELMER FUDD]

What an interesting question! I have an "open" ticket so I assume that I am deemed responsible enough to assess any land myself to decide if it is safe for the calibre I wish to use. The debate really does come in when we have the above situation - Who is in a better position to make "the call" and decide what is safe and what is not? - An FEO who might not even be a firearms user or the "shooter" who uses firearms all the time?
As I said - An interesting question!

An feo cannot assess land if he is a non shooter.

Sec 13.14 of the firearms licensing law states,

When land inspections are required, the knowledge of local shooters, stalkers, gamekeepers etc may be drawn upon. This is particularly important in cases of doubt. Decisions to refuse approval on public safety grounds should not be based on the assessment of a Police employee with little or no experience in such matters and the views of those experienced in the field use of firearms should be sought before final decision are made.

If land is deemed unsuitable I would be asking who inspected the land and what the assessors experience is relevant to making that decision.

 

[Colesco]

I'm currently in the process of getting mine varied so that I can use my .243 for deer on paid deer stalking days, my firearms officer only requested proof of taking part in stalking days to allow me the variation which made it very simple to get sorted

 

[Scipio Africanus]

The attitude of the licensing authority seems to vary not only with the geographic location of the police force involved & its awareness of normal country pursuits, but also unfortunately the prejudices of those employed as public servants to do the job on the ground, & who can too often give the impression that no member of the public should be permitted to own firearms......

 

[Flyer4u0]

Agree

 

[Gundoc]

Just got mine back, 'the firearms and ammunition shall be used for shooting ALQ suitable for that calibre and for zeroing on ranges land over which the holder has lawful authority to shoot'

target clause- club membership etc
expanding ammo

lawful shooting of deer
shooting of vermin, or , in the course of carrying on activities in connection with the management of any estate, other wildlife;
humane killing of animals
ammo may also be used for zeroing in connection with above purposes


seems pretty open to me....

 

[Orion]

Open yes, but because your FLD have deviated from that advised by the Home Office in Appendix 3 (1) of the latest Guidance, the first condition doesn't read very well or make much sense. Why do they still try and meddle with a perfectly sensible conditions even when they are laid out for them in black and white?

 

[bigtom]

Right now for daft questions...

Can I apply for my firearms licence with deer on it before I have any dsc1 or 2?

or ,do I have to have reason to need a firearm before I can apply,for work say... I take it the police would look at the application better If I had the stalking licences and was needing a rifle for work.
Do they decide whether the licence is open or closed?

If I was wanting a beginners rifle for stalking red deer,what would you guys recommend for the £600 mark used rifle and scope,also,does buying used rather than new present any problems with licence ,holdups or anything?

Cheers ,Tom

 

[bigtom]

Maybe I should have put that question in a different thread ,sorry but reading sparked a few thoughts.

Tom

 

[49ERIC]

here,s mine just back ''open''

6 12 bore shot gun serial number xxxxx shall be used for shooting Birds in Accordance with the purpose , terms and conditions of the general licence issued by the appropriate authority under the provisions of the Wildlife and countryside Act 1981 and any other lawful quarry


7. 17 HMR rifle serial number xxxxxx 22rf spare Barral serial number xxxxxx 223 rifle 22rf rifle and ammunition shall be used for shooting vermin/ fox/ground game and any other Lawful quarry and for Zeroing on ranges or over land the holder has lawful Authority to shoot

(223 and 22rf with out numbers authorised to purchased )



8 .270 spare barrel serial number xxxx 243 rifle serial number xxxxx and 30 06 rifle and ammunition shall be used for shooting deer and any other Lawful quarry and For zeroing on ranges or over land which the holder has Lawful Authority to shoot


(30 06 with out number authorised to purchased)

 

[8x57]

Right now for daft questions...

Can I apply for my firearms licence with deer on it before I have any dsc1 or 2?

or ,do I have to have reason to need a firearm before I can apply,for work say... I take it the police would look at the application better If I had the stalking licences and was needing a rifle for work.
Do they decide whether the licence is open or closed?

If I was wanting a beginners rifle for stalking red deer,what would you guys recommend for the £600 mark used rifle and scope,also,does buying used rather than new present any problems with licence ,holdups or anything?

Cheers ,Tom

Tom there is no legal requirement for anyone to have a DSC1 but often it can be seen as beneficial when applying for a firearms certificate and if your knowledge of deer and stalking is little to none in the first place i.e. just starting out it will put you on the right track. DSC2 is NVQ based qualification that is normally completed over a period of up to two years however some people rush ahead with DSC2 and complete it as quickly as they can though I'm not sure why this should be.

You will always have to demonstrate good reason in order to be granted a firearms certificate, and this can be through having permission to shoot over land or based on bookings that you may have made with a stalker. The police will decide whether your certificate is open or restricted to named land only.

Regarding a starter rifle and scope you won't go far wrong looking through the classified ads on this site but perhaps it would be better to do a search first for previous similar questions as there have been many over the years and guys have usually recommended such rifles as Howa , CZ or even old Parker Hales. Something like this is often just a personal choice though and if you ask two stalkers such a question you will get at least four different answers.

 

[bigtom]

Cheers,much clearer now,

Thanks,Tom

 

[G1963]

Hi
I was just about to post a question related to this elsewhere on the forum, but I’ll put it here instead – I think what I’m asking is similar to exmarksman’s question....
I have the ‘closed’ condition on my certificate, and when i applied for the variation for centrefire rifle I enclosed a land authority, for the ‘good reason’ etc..... Now, if a friend offers me to come and shoot with my rifle on his land, and I know it is cleared for my calibre, if not more, can I do it? Or do I have to contact the police/send off new land authorisation (form 646)?
The condition is quite vague in this respect!
Any help much appreciated
Cheers
Skinner

Hi mate I think you will find that if the land your friend shoots has been cleared for your calibre by the police and you have permission then its okay.

 

[Brandlebracke]

all open for me, however I drop a courtesy call to the local police station each time i go out, better than being stopped by the armed responce unit....again.

 

[cjm1066]

Why do the police condition an open certificate, the conditions are restricive not permisive and therefore unnecessary.