Getting an FAC for an air rifle

[skye]

I am looking to own higher powered air rifle to get better range, but as I know going above 12ft lb is illegal without an FAC. How do I go about getting an FAC licence, what does it involve and how hard is it to get one. Other than a secure gun cabinet what other requirments do I need?
I would appreciate any help
cheers Skye

[franktheferret]

Unless you have a totally clean record, don't even try to go there. By clean, I mean no criminal charges, regardless of outcome. No record of alcohol or drug abuse, and no record of violence, or poaching, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time, nor any history of counselling of any sort. If you've even had a Social Worker at any time for any reason ...

If, of course, Dad was a Freemason, or similar, you should have no problem at all.

If you think that I am being bitter about this process, it's only because I am.

[draftsmann]

Minor convictions, even for assault, will not necessarily be a problem, especially if they are old. Obviously anything that resulted in more than the shortest period of imprisonment will bar you from holding ANY firearm, even a sub 12 ft lb air rifle.

Apart from that, any evidence of mental instability or "intemperate lifestyle" will, quite rightly, result in the application being scrutinised very closely and likely refused.

Adrian

[stevew71]

The basic process is:-
Pay for cabinet and mount it in an approved manner
Get the application forms
Have 4 passport photos taken
Get two people who have known you over 2yrs to act as referees
They fill in their bits and send off and each sign one photo
You post your bits off and a cheque for £56 (IIRC)
Await for a phone call from FLO to arrange a meeting and to view your cabinet.
If no problems await FAC in the post.

You will have noticed that this requires you to fork out approx £150 in advance of even having your interview with the FLO.
If you have any questions always best to ask before you start buying cabinets, the West Mids lot are ok to deal with.

ps forgot. For any Sec 1 firearm you need a valid reason, as there are no FAC airweapon competitions target shooting goes out the window. The only valid reason that is likely to meet with approval is vermin control, for which you must already have land that is approved, or will pass approval, available. Usually with air rifles the FAC will come back with any approved land (providing you have permission of course), but you must nomianate a named piece of land to start with.

[jordanfranklin]

So what if you have been cautioned for something? Not ACTUALLY charged, just say kept in the cells overnight, for say something like assault. Would this affect your application? Theres no reason that im asking this........ Honestly.

[wazb]

franktheferret i find your advice very misleading as a freind of mine has a criminal record as long as your arm.the convictions are now over ten yrs old they ranged from assult to tresspass also when he was younger he was in the care of the local autority.he now has 3 children a wife a morgage .he run,s his own buisness and has an open f.a.c ticket.can you explain to me then why any one with a criminal record should not apply for an f.a.c ticket.we all do stupid things when we are younger.and him not been in trouble since has proved to the police that he is a responsable member of todays socitey.so the comments you have made may have put people of applying for an f.a.c are not justified

[wazb]

oh one more thing frank with him being in the care of the locl authority while he was 18 he did have numerous social workers

[draftsmann]

Originally posted by jordanfranklin
So what if you have been cautioned for something? Not ACTUALLY charged, just say kept in the cells overnight, for say something like assault. Would this affect your application? Theres no reason that im asking this........ Honestly.

A caution means the individual has actually admitted the offence, so it would be a factor in the decision just like a conviction; however of course the fact that the police opted for a caution means (or ought to mean) that the offence itself is not very serious, and therefore should be less likely to prejudice the application.

Adrian

[draftsmann]

Originally posted by wazb
franktheferret i find your advice very misleading as a freind of mine has a criminal record as long as your arm.the convictions are now over ten yrs old they ranged from assult to tresspass also when he was younger he was in the care of the local autority.he now has 3 children a wife a morgage .he run,s his own buisness and has an open f.a.c ticket.can you explain to me then why any one with a criminal record should not apply for an f.a.c ticket.we all do stupid things when we are younger.and him not been in trouble since has proved to the police that he is a responsable member of todays socitey.so the comments you have made may have put people of applying for an f.a.c are not justified

I don't have a section 1 FAC as yet, but I do hold an Isle of Man regulated weapon certificate, which is equivalent to a shotgun certificate, for which the Manx police are the issuing authority, and for which exactly the same criteria apply regarding the applicant being safe to entrust with firearms.

I also have an assault conviction which is now 10 years old, but which was only 2 years old when I got the RW certificate. There are plenty of certificated gun owners with minor or spent criminal records.

Adrian

[Gone but not forgotten]

Adrian,

Given your obvious erudition, I assume this was 'Assault with a deadly adjective", nes pas?

regards
BC

[sparky]

Originally posted by stevew71
The basic process is:-
Pay for cabinet and mount it in an approved manner
Get the application forms
Have 4 passport photos taken
Get two people who have known you over 2yrs to act as referees
They fill in their bits and send off and each sign one photo
You post your bits off and a cheque for £56 (IIRC)
Await for a phone call from FLO to arrange a meeting and to view your cabinet.
If no problems await FAC in the post.

You will have noticed that this requires you to fork out approx £150 in advance of even having your interview with the FLO.
If you have any questions always best to ask before you start buying cabinets, the West Mids lot are ok to deal with.

ps forgot. For any Sec 1 firearm you need a valid reason, as there are no FAC airweapon competitions target shooting goes out the window. The only valid reason that is likely to meet with approval is vermin control, for which you must already have land that is approved, or will pass approval, available. Usually with air rifles the FAC will come back with any approved land (providing you have permission of course), but you must nomianate a named piece of land to start with.

I agree with most of what Steve says but there is no need to get a cabinet first, have the visit and then if the FLO tell you to fit one go ahead as you more or less got your ticket.

Pete

[draftsmann]

Originally posted by linegeist
Adrian,

Given your obvious erudition, I assume this was 'Assault with a deadly adjective", nes pas?

regards
BC

I had a rather unsavoury encounter with another motorist Bob, who negligently drove into my car, then drew back his fist with what i construed as malicious intent when I suggested to him that he wasn't the brightest candle in the box (admittedly using language that was colourful, but I think justified in the circumstances).

I was convicted for pushing him away at that moment. Now, sensible people might say that I was taking reasonable defensive action. That was certainly the basis of my not guilty plea. I unfortunately learned the hard way that the expressions "sensible person" and "deputy high bailiff" are mutually exclusive.

Adrian

[Beano]

I think i might apply, was going to apply for a sgc, but i'd much rather have an fac, the places i shoot don't much like noise!

[stevew71]

Originally posted by sparky
I agree with most of what Steve says but there is no need to get a cabinet first, have the visit and then if the FLO tell you to fit one go ahead as you more or less got your ticket.

Pete

Did say 'best to ask first' Pete
With West Mids they usually want to see the cabinet in place on their visit.

[zooankski]

i had my shotgun cert revoked in 1997 when my marriage went down the toilet and i was bound over to keep the peace for a year all because i saw my 2 year old son sitting on the ex wifes new blokes knee at his house which looked all cosey and lost it-all i did was go over to the window and shout get out here you #### ### ###### ### #### i'm gonna kill you,you ###### etc etc.....
at the time i was gutted-even more so when the local firearm officer told me if it was his decision alone he would not have revoked it.
as soon as the year was up i re applied and hey presto back to being a responsible adult so i guess there are no hard and fast rules for rejection and each case is considered on its own merits as long as you do have some reason for wanting to keep the weapons and i suppose the same applies to a FAC app.

ps

the wierd thing is that i get on great with the bloke now-shame about the ex though!LoL