Got an Asda delivery yesterday

[David71]

Out of curiosity, what ARE the rules on buying/owning a g-u-n outside a range/club? I know you can buy an airgun easily but must show ID; I thought anything else required a lot more forms and explanations what you want it for?

Outside of hunting or vermin control which I don't know much about as I'm a target shooter...
There are two 'main' types of certificate:
Section 1= firearms certificate. Pain in the backside to get, takes club membership and passing a probationary period. A 'good reason' given for each and every firearm you possess. Secure storage, personal references and a home visit from the local police along with a report from your GP regarding mental and physical health.

Section 2 = shotgun certificate (for shotguns with a maximum capacity of 3 shots. Effectively this is a must issue certificate as long as you have never been sentanced to > 3 years inside. You need secure storage and have a counter signatory to your application but you DON'T need club membership etc and DON'T need to provide a reason for wanting to own one.

But....FYI....at the moment all police forces appear to have stopped processing new applications to free up officers.

And as an aside, if you live in (or visit) Scotland and have a perfectly legal airgun you will now need a licence as wee Jimmy Krankie changed the rules last year....nice way to waste scarce police resources!