Norfolk FLD 'Safe shooter assessment'

[Dagless]

And they want the assessment for just the change of conditions and not an open ticket?

It sounds very strange.

From what I've been led to believe, the likely outcome from the assessment would be an open ticket. I have several rifles in smaller calibers that would also be deer legal too.

The farmer gave me AOLQ on my permission in addition to deer so I could be as useful as possible, I.E. "if you a see a fox you may as well shoot it, we have a lot of ground nesting birds round here that we'd like to keep".

 

[Bo Diddley]

I wouldn't worry too much about it.
My nephew put in for a Firearms certificate 6 weeks ago, he has already become a member of a club and has two estates to shoot/stalk on, he applied for .22rf, .223 and .308, he did the drive around the estates with the FEO and talked about safe backstops etc, luckily enough for him, he was asked the maximum range that a .308 bullet could travel and he had just been discussing this with the range officer at the club... he knew the answer to within the yard .
He picked his ticket up and has everything he asked for... he's just collecting a .308 Tikka at the minute.
Well done Norfolk & Suffolk

 

[Morkai]

the FEO and talked about safe backstops etc, luckily enough for him, he was asked the maximum range that a .308 bullet could travel and he had just been discussing this with the range officer at the club... he knew the answer to within the yard .

What is it, 2 or 3 miles roughly?

 

[Bo Diddley]

What is it, 2 or 3 miles roughly?

3 I think, he will be down in a while with his rifle I'll ask him.

 

[timbrayford]

I’m Suffolk based and asked for some land to be checked as had closed ticket, said no longer checking land and doing safe shooter assessment and opening ticket instead. Simple enough conversation, similar to initial grant asking about experience and backstops etc. ticket opened. Just waiting for it to come back in post. Think it’s to avoid the land check stuff more than anything and associated hassle/resource driving round thousands of acres?

Or to avoid responsibility for stray shots on cleared land?

 

[sy247]

About 4500 yards for .308?

 

[Bowland blades]

Land checks are utterly useless as regards saying the land is safe or unsafe ! its the shot taken or rather passed up that matters (there is no safe land in the whole of the UK ) what we have is an assessment by the person in control of the rifle at the time if the shot is safe or not safe to take .

 

[Bo Diddley]

What is it, 2 or 3 miles roughly?

Nephew said 3.124 miles, fired somewhat like an artillery shell at an optimum angle, but Google comes up with loads of answers from 2 - 4 miles
He's happy, his certificate is open from the get-go.

 

[25 Sharps]

Has anybody here had experience of undertaking the Norfolk Firearms Licensing Department's 'safe shooter assessment'?

I'm currently awaiting the availability of the FEO who covers the area I have a land permission on to conduct said assessment on me, so I can have my certificate changed to allow me to shoot deer and AOLQ. From what they've told me, it more or less duplicates the practical element of the DSC1 safety stalk assessment.

Apparently this is standard operating procedure for anyone who is new to shooting live quarry. I passed my DSC1 earlier this year, and have held an FAC for more than a decade (restricted to target shooting). I've competently stalked and shot deer since gaining my DSC1 whilst accompanied by experienced stalkers, using their rifle.

I was told that Norfolk FLD won't accept the completion of DSC1 alone as adequate proof that I am a safe shot, so need to varify this for themselves before they'll change the conditions on my certificate.

They assure me that I've done nothing wrong to merit having to do the assessment, so presumably the practice is widespread, therefore the chances are a few of you on here will have done it already, right?

It’s made up boll*cks

 

[User00047]

he was asked the maximum range that a .308 bullet could travel and he had just been discussing this with the range officer at the club... he knew the answer to within the yard .

There is no maximum range that a .308 bullet can travel.
What a stupid question.

 

[skinnywhitetrash]

There is no maximum range that a .308 bullet can travel.
What a stupid question.

Maybe not in space?

 

[User00047]

Maybe not in space?

We are in space.

 

[skinnywhitetrash]

We are in space.

You make an excellent point.

 

[User00047]

Perhaps it was a trick question and the nephew failed.
Armed police will kick in the door at 05:00 and seize all his guns!

 

[Bo Diddley]

Perhaps it was a trick question and the nephew failed.
Armed police will kick in the door at 05:00 and seize all his guns!

Good luck with that, he will be out stalking for a Roebuck with the only gun he's got at the minute Tikka T3 .308, maybe if they arrive at 8.00 they may have better luck.

 

[Turkish]

@Dagless , what was the outcome of your FEO assessment please?
Can you cast any more light on it.

 

[ContinShots]

Without a basis in law or statutory guidance, I can't see how this could possibly stand up in court if you appealed against a refusal.

 

[Dagless]

@Dagless , what was the outcome of your FEO assessment please?
Can you cast any more light on it.

I got an open certificate. Essentially it is a tick-box exercise to document that you have thought about the precautions necessary to fire a rifle outside of a range environment, before 'opening' your certificate.

 

[M@tt]

I wouldn't worry too much about it.
My nephew put in for a Firearms certificate 6 weeks ago, he has already become a member of a club and has two estates to shoot/stalk on, he applied for .22rf, .223 and .308, he did the drive around the estates with the FEO and talked about safe backstops etc, luckily enough for him, he was asked the maximum range that a .308 bullet could travel and he had just been discussing this with the range officer at the club... he knew the answer to within the yard .
He picked his ticket up and has everything he asked for... he's just collecting a .308 Tikka at the minute.
Well done Norfolk & Suffolk

What is it, 2 or 3 miles roughly?

These types of questions are now covered on the NRA's club probationary course that many clubs offer, or should.
HO Clubs have a duty to provide an approved auditable course for all probationers, and most just take the NRA's course 'as is' as it saves having to get their own bespoke course approved.
According to the Training Manual; at 30° off horizontal, a 7.62 round can be expected to reach approximately 2½ miles.

 

[Heym SR20]

So you have a FAC already for target?

If so, do they come and watch you shoot targets to ensure you are safe?.....

I've never heard of such a requirement from anybody in fieldsports.

If you are a member of a Home Office Approved Rifle Club you will be shooting under the supervision of a qualified range officer. Your club officials will have been contacted by the police regarding your suitability to hold an FAC for the purposes of target shooting.

A shooting range is very clearly defined with safe shooting directions etc. etc. all determined by range officers, and in the past signed off by MoD Range Officers etc

In the field there are none of these restrictions/ controls. It is down to the individual carrying the rifle.

Given what some on SD view as acceptable practice, I fully understand why FEOs want to see clear demonstration and understanding of rifle safety. Or put it another way, pretty much any centrefire deer stalking rifle is quite capable of sending a bullet about 3km and it to arrive with more than enough energy to cause a fatal injury. A bullet can also pass through hedges, gorse bushes and a long way into forestry, again with plenty of energy to cause serious injury.

And as many will understand, we live on a crowded little island.

You only have to look at the number of hunter related accidents in places like New Zealand or parts of the US, where controls on gun ownership and use in the field are much less to see why the Police are quite rightly concerned that any body using a firearm is deemed to be safe.

Quite frankly the sooner we have a readily accepted hunter safety course that is understood and endorsed by Police forces the better IMHO.