Anyone can take up shooting, and with it the opportunity to own their own firearms, unless they are a prohibited person, this, in short, is a person who has been imprisoned for a sentence of 3 or more years. Persons who are sentenced to a term of imprisonment for 3 months or more but less than 3 years must not possess firearms until five years have passed since the date of release.
With an Approved Target Shooting Club, anyone wishing to take up target shooting will be given a probationary course of instruction in the safe handling and use of firearms on a one-to-one basis.
After a period of at least 3 months (dependent on attendance and a satisfactory completion of probation) the prospective member can apply for full membership, which brings with it the opportunity to apply for a personal firearms certificate.
To apply for a certificate you must demonstrate a “good reason” for possessing firearms. The police will make enquiries to establish this: with target shooters this will be the verification of club membership and shooting activities. To acquire a personal firearm certificate, should involve a genuine intent to use the firearms concerned regularly, generally each firearm should be used at least 3 times a year.
Age is no legal barrier to taking up shooting, although to possess one’s own firearms or shotguns there are certain restrictions.
For more information, please refer to the document below which contains a detailed account of Firearms Law.
Select whether you require PDF or Flash format.
Guns and the Law (PDF)
Guns and the Law (Flash)
