Firearms licensing: clubs/target shooting
Guidance on the Criteria
The club must be a genuine rifle and/or muzzle-loading pistol club set up for the purpose of target shooting. The club's constitution should implement the conditions of approval.
Club officials should be responsible people who are not disqualified from being in possession of firearms. See What is a prohibited person?
Clubs must make their own arrangements for assessing whether or not prospective members are of good character. Police Firearms Licensing Departments should not be asked to disclose whether or not someone has a criminal record. Prospective members should not be required to apply for a firearm or shotgun certificate as a means of determining good character. Firearm certificates are not normally issued to someone just because they are a probationary member of a club.
Club Liaison Officers should normally be a member of the club committee. He/she should establish contact with the local police Firearms Licensing Officer and agree what information should be supplied and at what frequency. They should also set up a system so that the liaison officer can contact the firearms licensing officer as often as is necessary, and vice versa.
The attendance register should be kept for all shooting members of the club, although its principal use will be in relation to those members who hold firearm certificates. This is to comply with Lord Cullen's recommendations that shooters should not have firearms on their certificates which are not used regularly. For this reason it will be necessary to record, in the register, the description of the firearms used, as given in the members firearm certificate. All visiting shooters should also be logged in the same way. In the case of competition shoots between clubs, the responsibility for recording the attendance of a team member will lie with the club that the shooter represents. In the case of open competitions, the organising club will record details of competitors. Clubs should retain their attendance records for a minimum of
six (6) years.
The police should be informed within one month of the cessation of any club membership. Notifying the police when a firearm certificate holder's membership has ceased, or when such a member has not shot with the club for a period of twelve (12) months, will allow the police to check whether the individual is still using his/her firearms regularly at another club or approved range. The period of twelve (12) months should be calculated separately for each individual member.
Casual membership enquiries need not be reported - only those which reach the stage of a formal application. The police should be informed when an application for membership is submitted formally to the club, and its outcome.
Whether a prospective member has ever had an application for a firearm or shotgun certificate refused, or had a certificate revoked, should form the basis of a question on the club's membership application form. There are many reasons for refusal or revocation, and not all will count against an individual with regard to his application for club membership. Clubs should therefore ascertain the reason for refusal/revocation in order to make an informed decision.
There are three (3) categories of approval: Full-bore Rifle, Small-bore Rifle and Muzzle-loading Pistol. Rifles chambered for pistol ammunition above .22 rim-fire are regarded as full-bore rifles. Clubs seeking approval in order to use such rifles will therefore need to have access to a range with a suitable safety certificate. The national associations are able to provide advice on the construction and use of ranges.
Clubs which are affiliated to the National Small-bore Rifle Association or the National Rifle Association will be able to obtain a safety certificate for their ranges from the Ministry of Defence.