Orion
Well-Known Member
This is utter nonsense, within the context of the main purpose of the firearms act it makes no difference at all which of these rifles you used to shoot a fox, where is the good reason issue? Obviously if you were carrying your .243 in expectation of a deer and saw a fox you would shoot it and if you were only intending to shoot a fox you would be carrying the .223. i.e. you have "good reason" for both. atb Tim
Tim,
I'm with you 100% in what you say, but we have to be careful when mentioning 'good reason' in relation to firearms.
As detailed at length in the HO Guidance, 'good reason', (land availability/bookings, presence of quarry species etc.) must be shown for the initial grant of the FAC or firearm, including those obtained later under variation. Any further use, i.e. additional quarry species or, as they put it, 'reasonable eventualities', should be allowed but do not have anything to do with that primary 'good reason'.
You might ask why I am making the point, and the reason is that I am aware of FLDs that have tried to use the 'good reason' argument to deny a shooter the use of a lawfully held firearm because he already had another suitable rifle for the same quarry species.
Case in point: Mr X is unfortunately under a very restrictive FLD and has a .270 on open ticket for deer/fox/vermin. He puts in a variation for a .308 for boar overseas and is granted it. He also quite reasonably wishes to also use the .308 on deer in the UK as he now has invitations to shoot reds. One would think that this shouldn't present any problem whatsoever but he is refused! The reasoning for this bonkers decision put forward by the FLD is that he now has to provide 'good reason' for the .308 to allow it to be used on deer, and as he already has a .270 for that purpose he can't demonstrate the 'good reason' requested! A few choice quotes from the Guidance later and they relented, but it does illustrate how having to show 'good reason' at any stage other than the initial grant might be unwise.