Firearms licensing
Whether you require information on firearms law or advice regarding a certificate application, we have all the information you need.
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This page covers Scottish knife and offensive weapon laws. It complements our page titled “Carrying knives”, which can be found here.
Scottish law has always regarded an attack with an offensive weapon as a serious aggravation of the common law crime of assault. Successive legislation has also introduced tighter and more specific controls to tackle the carrying and sale of knives and target the prevention of crime.
A wide range of powers are now in force and there are an array of penalties available to the court, including fines and imprisonment. These powers and penalties are set out in a number of pieces of legislation, as set out below.
In conjunction with the Act mentioned above, The Sale and Hire of Crossbows, Knives and Certain Other Articles to Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Order 2011 prescribes that proof of age cards within the PASS scheme are also acceptable for the purposes of identification at point of sale or hire.
The PASS scheme is the UK’s national guarantee for proof of age cards and has the backing of the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and the Trading Standards Institute (TSI). The scheme delivers a common standard through its easily recognised hologram logo, which is backed by a robust audit and accreditation process to help protect retailers of age restricted goods, and their employees, against the many false identity cards that are widely available.
For specific information about the Scottish Knife Dealers’ Licensing Scheme and about carrying, using and selling knives, see here.
Got a question? Email us on firearms@basc.org.uk or call 01244 573 010.
© BASC July 2023
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