Sound Moderators:-

[u.k.neil]

I wonder what difference this will make to legislation regarding air gun moderators when it comes into effect?


Following years of lobbying, BASC has welcomed the Government’s decision to remove the licensing requirement for sound moderators.

Dame Diana Johnson MP, the Home Office Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention, this morning made a written ministerial statement to announce the publication of the government response to a Home Office consultation on sound moderators, which took place during the term of the previous government.

The response confirms that the Government has decided to remove sound moderators from firearms licensing controls, although in order to lawfully possess a sound moderator you will still be required to hold a valid firearms certificate.



Neil

[Dragonboy]

Probably nothing? Can’t see them changing any restrictions for airguns.

[Waddy]

This appears to say that you now need a FAC to own a mod for an airgun.


Airgun mods really should not have any restrictions on them, neither should pistons, but then the people making the laws have no idea what they are dealing with.



.

[angrybear]

No, it should have no effect on airgun mods at all, because sub 12 are not on ticket to start with.

With FAC mods you will still need to show your ticket to buy one but the listing & need for a "slot/variation" is being removed, that's all.

To clarify Mods on airguns & sect 2 shotguns are NOT considered to be "Component parts" so are not controled in their own right,
I've copy/pasted the paragraph to the mod thread in firearms if anyone wants to read it.

[Neil54]

Yes, but we are talking about MPs here.
A fourteen year old cannot walk down the street with a sub 12 air rifle.
A fourteen year old can walk down the street with his own .22LR.

Both suitable cased of course.

[angrybear]

Well I'm pretty sure that in both cases they would need to be under supervision of an appropriate adult.
Which the guide to firearms law confirms.

[wall90]

I might be wrong but a 15 year old lad up here has just got a 243 he could not buy it but his father did then transfered it to his sons licence, the lad is not allowed access to the gun cabinet but his dad can take the rifle out and give it to his son and he can then use it unattended on any land he has permission to shoot on,he could have done this from the age of 14.

[rapidresponse1]

theres some odd laws regarding guns and ammo

[angrybear]

I might be wrong but a 15 year old lad up here has just got a 243 he could not buy it but his father did then transfered it to his sons licence, the lad is not allowed access to the gun cabinet but his dad can take the rifle out and give it to his son and he can then use it unattended on any land he has permission to shoot on,he could have done this from the age of 14.

Yes, he can have it on a permission to shoot it, but off that permission to be in possession he needs to be "supervised" by an adult licence holder over the age of 21, until he reaches 18.
At 14 he cannot drive so presumably his father, or another adult, drives him to & from the permission ?

There are some odd laws, which is why every shooter should have a copy of firearms law,
I'm quite surprised there isn't a copy of the "Home Office guide to Firearms Law" as the first sticky for everyone to read.

[pelletboy]

I've 3d printed some mods to test (airgun), how the hell would anyone be able to police that? Even if they did somehow, it's easy to create one with 3d software.

[angrybear]

I've 3d printed some mods to test (airgun), how the hell would anyone be able to police that? Even if they did somehow, it's easy to create one with 3d software.

That's like asking how do they police the 12lb rule ? but there is a special section of firearms law for 3D printing.
I've made several mod's for my airguns, it's completely legal unless you make/sell them for other people , some work, others don't & I've had more than one blow apart.

But this change is to reduce the Police paperwork & unnecessary cost of having sect 1 mods, individually listed as "firearms" on your FAC.

[Muskett]

Any half decent metal machinist can manufacture a Sten Gun, doesn't mean they should, will, and will break laws if ever they did so.

Part of Shooting Sports is following the laws. It is part of being responsible. Not always easy as some are quite convoluted, and even "experts" aren't absolutely positive how some should be interpreted. Thankfully, the authorities aren't supposed to be knocking down doors trying to find "breakers", and nor should they as most people are doing their best to apply to them.
Sometimes it goes pear shaped because there are 52 Police Constabularies and each do their "legislation licensing responsibility" their way, and it's a niche area that some might say is a conflict of interest. Our society doesn't "do" guns bar for sporting purposes, which is a great thing. Horrid, when someone uses one to threaten or in violence, both criminal. And the Police are not mental health professionals either. And some people are just irresponsible. Big subject, but our society has an excellent record all things considered. Everyone, including the Police, are trying to do their best.
Lastly, we do need people like BASC to keep a check on the legislation and its implementation, for the authorities have daft people too with their own agendas.

Anyhow, if only to save bureaucracy/paperwork, it is a good thing moderators are going off ticket. Few had traceable numbers, and as said easy enough to "shed build". The authorities never had control of them from the start, and it was a bureaucracy lost cause. Anyone should have one that wants one, as being refused would open the Police to being sued for hearing loss, which is very possible as firearms are loud. Ear defenders stop the firer hearing "stop" warning calls. On a range, controlled environment, not so bad, but elsewhere not so clever. Same might be said with PCP "air bang". Who doesn't love a quieter world?

[Oddbob08]

I might be wrong but a 15 year old lad up here has just got a 243 he could not buy it but his father did then transfered it to his sons licence, the lad is not allowed access to the gun cabinet but his dad can take the rifle out and give it to his son and he can then use it unattended on any land he has permission to shoot on,he could have done this from the age of 14.

Different constabularies apply different restrictions based upon their interpretation of the firearms act. This is another good reason to have an independant single licensing body for firearms (and possibly airguns in Scotland too).

[Oddbob08]

I wonder what difference this will make to legislation regarding air gun moderators when it comes into effect?


Following years of lobbying, BASC has welcomed the Government’s decision to remove the licensing requirement for sound moderators.

Dame Diana Johnson MP, the Home Office Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention, this morning made a written ministerial statement to announce the publication of the government response to a Home Office consultation on sound moderators, which took place during the term of the previous government.

The response confirms that the Government has decided to remove sound moderators from firearms licensing controls, although in order to lawfully possess a sound moderator you will still be required to hold a valid firearms certificate.




Neil

Last I'd heard, the BASC were trying to get clarification of the requirement to have a licence to buy/possess a moderator due to the current status, whereby you don't need a licence for shotgun and airgun moderators. Has there been any clarification yet?

There still seems to be a postcode lottery on the ability to buy moderators mail order, some online rfds will post, others are sticking to the old rules and won't post. This may not seem like that much of a problem to most shooters, but those of us who collect more than shoot often see some vintage stuff which we'd like, but have to do the rfd transfer malarky, which is ridiculous imho.

[angrybear]

Last I'd heard, the BASC were trying to get clarification of the requirement to have a licence to buy/possess a moderator due to the current status, whereby you don't need a licence for shotgun and airgun moderators. Has there been any clarification yet?

There still seems to be a postcode lottery on the ability to buy moderators mail order, some online rfds will post, others are sticking to the old rules and won't post. This may not seem like that much of a problem to most shooters, but those of us who collect more than shoot often see some vintage stuff which we'd like, but have to do the rfd transfer malarky, which is ridiculous imho.

The clarification is over in the FAC section (see my post#4) sect-2 & airgun mods are NOT component parts,
it's the VCR act that prohibits an RFD from posting you a mod not firearms law.