Firearms use
Guidance on issues such as additional conditions on firearms certificates, the law around borrowing guns and access to shooting land.
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Firearms Firearms use What you need to know about the Firearms Act 2023
The Firearms Act 2023 received Royal Assent in September 2023, confirming it as new legislation.
The Act has raised some concerns from the shooting sector regarding the possession of ammunition components with the intent to illegally manufacture Section 1 ammunition.
BASC’s view is that legitimate shooters, and those that reload their own ammunition, have nothing to fear from this legislation.
The key factor is the word ‘intends’ in the Act. In law, intent has a specific meaning. It is defined in Section 8 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967, as follows:
Section 8 – proof of criminal intent
A court or jury, in determining whether a person has committed an offence,
The burden of proof is very high. A jury would have to accept beyond a reasonable doubt that a person held ammunition components for nefarious purposes.
On the flip side, someone with ammunition components for considerably more ammunition than their certificate permitted can easily reference that this is common practice, as components are often sold in large quantities. Similarly, if one had components from a calibre previously owned, there would be no issue.
The Act is aimed at criminals who have ammunition components with a very obvious intention to utilise them for criminal activities and no other plausible explanation. This was clearly the case with individuals who possessed obsolete calibre handguns with all the components to manufacture the ammunition for use with them. As the law originally stood, there was no offence with which they could be charged.
If you are a BASC member and you believe that you have evidence of the misuse of the legislation, please contact BASC’s firearms department immediately.
Guidance on issues such as additional conditions on firearms certificates, the law around borrowing guns and access to shooting land.
Information on the page covers the legitimate importation of knives from outside the UK, including a list of prohibited weapons.
Information on age restrictions for the possession and use of firearms by young people under the age of 18, including using borrowed rifles.
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© 2023 British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Registered Office: Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham, LL12 0HL – Registered Society No: 28488R. BASC is a trading name of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 311937.
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