(England, Scotland and Wales)
(all dates are inclusive)
It is illegal to have a shotgun without a current shotgun certificate or temporary police permit. (In certain circumstances this is permissible)
It is illegal to give or sell a shotgun to someone who does not have the authority to possess it. (This is usually meant to mean a shotgun certificate)
You must inform the police authority who issued your certificate within seven days of the transfer or sale of a shotgun by recorded delivery. If you give, sell or lend a gun for more than 72 hours to anyone, you must enter it on the other person’s certificate and also notify the police force which issued your own certificate by recorded delivery within seven days. A shotgun can be borrowed from another certificate holder for a period of 72 hours or less without having to inform the police, or enter the details onto the borrower’s certificate.
It is illegal to sell or offer for sale a shotgun, which is out of proof and in most cases it is illegal to sell cartridges to someone without you see their current shotgun certificate.
It is illegal to sell or hire a shotgun to someone under 18 years of age. It is illegal for a person under the age of 15 to have with him or her an assembled shotgun except while under the supervision of a person of 21 or more, or while the shotgun is so covered with a securely fastened gun cover that it cannot be fired.
It is illegal to have a loaded shotgun in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
Security for any shotguns in your possession at all times is the sgc holders responsibility. When not in use, shotguns must be stored securely, where reasonably practicable, to prevent access by unauthorised persons. When being used, reasonable precautions must be taken for their safe custody.
The game licence in England and Wales has been abolished but still applies in Scotland. It is illegal to shoot game on Sundays and Christmas Day. In certain counties it is an offence to shoot wildfowl on Sundays. This applies to England and Wales but the law is somewhat different in Scotland. Always check if you are unsure the onus is on the shooter.
All birds and most animals are protected. There are ‘open’ seasons for several quarry species and it is an offence to kill or attempt to kill them at other times. Certain species of birds may be shot by authorised persons at any time under the open general licences in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. These are classed as ‘open’ and ‘general’ The individual shooter does not need to carry or even hold a copy of the licences. It is illegal to shoot wildfowl or game with a shotgun having a magazine capacity of more than two cartridges.
A shotgun may be loaned to someone without a certificate only if you are with that person, on land of which you are legally the occupier or if you are at a clay pigeon shoot where the chief constable has granted special permission to allow non-certificate holders to shoot.
Make sure when you have your certificate you study the laws relating to your particular area.
WILDFOWL
Below the H.W.M. of ordinary Spring Tides : 1st September - 20th February,
Elsewhere : 1st September--31st January
Golden Plover : 1st September--31st January
Blackgame : 20th August--10th December
Grouse : 12th August--10th December
Hare : No close season : may not be sold March--July
Partridge : 1st September--1st February
Pheasant : 1st October--1st February
Ptarmigan : 12th August--10th December
Common Snipe : 12th August--31st January
Woodcock (England / Wales): 1st October--31st January
Woodcock (Scotland): 1st September--31st January
Before the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, orders prohibiting the shooting of wildfowl on Sundays were made under the Protection of Birds Act 1954. These orders have not been rescinded and so the following counties/part counties are still affected in England and Wales :
Anglesey, Brecknock, Caernarfon, Carmarthen, Cardigan, Cornwall, Denbigh, Devon, Doncaster, Glamorgan, Great Yarmouth County Borough, Isle of Ely, Leeds County Borough, Merioneth, Norfolk, Pembroke, Somerset, North and West Ridings of Yorkshire.Severe Weather Conditions
On occasion severe weather bans on shooting may be triggered by the Government who have the power to suspend wildfowl and wader shooting under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. The act is brought into force normally after 15 days of extreme weather where the ground temperatures have stayed below freezing based on data collected from 23 coastal weather stations around Britain. If 50% of the weather stations have shown temperatures below freezing on seven consecutive days through frozen or snow-covered ground in Scotland, England / Wales or both BASC is informed by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee of this fact. BASC in turn will inform the secretaries of its wildfowling and gameshooting clubs, Joint councils and syndicates, that if the conditions continue for the next 6 days and beyond, a protection order suspending the shooting of wildfowl and waders in which ever area is suffering is likely to be signed on the 13th day following this on the 15th day a suspension will begin at 9.00am.
A ban may be nationwide or country specific it could be Scotland alone or England / Wales depending on the weather conditions. Similar arrangements are in place in Northern Ireland, the period leading up to a ban is shorter and the ban comes into force on the 13th rather than the 15th day. In certain areas the weather may let up for one or two days leading up to the cut off point but these brief thaws have no effect on the pending suspension, if the thaw continues for three or more days throughout the region however this may terminate the severe weather process. Even if the conditions improve prior to the 13th day the ban could still be imposed for the benefit of the birds. Many societies, clubs and syndicates, impose their own voluntary restraint, up to the time when any statutory suspension takes place from the 8th day onwards. Voluntary restraints are determined by the local organisations as the weather conditions obviously vary from area to area, in some cases the local bodies have in other years imposed a voluntary ban due to the hardness of the weather and it's effect on the wildfowl. (Guidelines for voluntary restraints are available from BASC HQ or regional offices)
Statutory bans covers all wildfowl quarry species, moorhens, coots and reared duck, although game birds are not included, the shooting of geese for crop protection purposes is also illegal during the ban. Any ban imposed lasts usually for 14 days maximum with a review after 7 days. The ban if the weather has improved and the forecast is for continuing improvement may be lifted provided that the wildfowl have not suffered any serious loss of condition. If the severe conditions last beyond the 14 days and the forecast does not show any signs of improvement, a second suspension may be signed for up a further 14 day period.
Information regarding any statutory bans is released to the national and local press in the following publications :- The Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Daily Mail, the Sun, Scotsman, Glasgow Herald, Dundee Courier and Advertiser, Aberdeen Press and Journal, Dumfries and Galloway Standard, Edinburgh Gazette and the Western Daily Mail. Shooting and hunting magazines, television and radio are also used to publicise any severe weather bans. BASC regional offices also have a 24 hour telephone information service available during severe weather bans. Telephone numbers can be found in the "Shooting and Conservation" magazine or on the BASC website