Bit of a strange question, but hubby wants to know about gun ownership?

[MrsC]

Hi all

I said I would ask, might sound a bit strange, but hubby is after a hunting rifle sort of thing (sorry, not sure of the technical term) for shooting rabbits etc etc. What are the legal implications of this? I only said I'd ask because I know that people on here have their own farms etc or whatever or shoot as a hobby

[dexterdoglancashire]

Not exactly sure, but know that you have to have a licence for certain types of guns, think including pistol types. Know doubt other grapes with more knowledge than me will be able to help.

[bubblewrap]

If it fires live ammunition(bullets) you need a fire arms certificate(Not easy to get)
Shot gun licences are easier to obtain.
Best place to ask is at the local police station.

[MrsC]

If it fires live ammunition(bullets) you need a fire arms certificate(Not easy to get)
Shot gun licences are easier to obtain.
Best place to ask is at the local police station.

What is the difference with shot guns?

[Peter]

The only stuff you do not need a licence for is air-weapons, rifle or pistol.
An air rifle is certainly up to killing rabbits from cover, but no good for a moving target.

Two calibres .22 and .177, basic power limit is (I think) 12 foot pounds of energy, so the smaller lighter pellet (.177) goes faster for the same energy.

Shotgun you will need a certificate and secure storage, police checks, etc.
Not worth the bother unless you are taking up clay pigeon shooting or own a farm with a rabbit problem.

Genuine gun is not a thing for which you are likely to get a licence if your reason is rabbits, nor is it really a safe method.
Deer control near here in National Trust property of Hatfield Forest uses seats about fifteen feet up a tree with attached ladder so any bullet that misses or goes through the target goes down into the ground.

[Hilary B]

Shotgun, licence needed, and you have to show why you want, and that you have somewhere reasonable to use it (as well as all the storage etc). Rifle, same only more so, but the smaller the calibre the less difficult to get (friend of mine has a couple of .22s, recently got his licence made international so he could take it to Portugal when they next go to the holiday place).
Pistol, they are totally illegal for members of the public.
Air rifle (no licence needed), will kill rabbits, rats, crows, wood pigeons IF you are a good shot and can get close enough.
The smaller calibre of air rifle goes further, but its energy is more reduced by air resistance (especially if travelling further) so perhaps not as good an option.

[organic]

Just to clarify the above points...

In essence there are three kind of guns he might want for bunnies. (Personally I'd ignore pistols for that purpose)

1> Air Rifles
These fall into two categories as far as the law is concerned... Those with a power of 12 ftlbs (foot pounds) or below and those over 12 ftlbs.
If he has a rifle below 12 ftlbs he needs no licence to own or use it, though there are restrictions on use.
If it is above 12 ftlbs it is legally a firearm and he MUST have a firearms certificate to buy or own one.
On that front he should be very careful about buying second hand as if the previous owner has increased the power your husband would be breaking the law by buying and owning it.

2> Shotguns
These need a shotgun licence to own one and must have secure storage. Usually that means a gun safe that the firearms officer for your local force will come and check before issuing the certificate. Some shotguns do not come under the shotgun licence and are instead covered by a firearms certificate and so must not be owned unless he has one.
Typically a shotgun certificate is easier to obtain than an FAC, but it's not a piece of cake. See my suggestion about other forums towards the end of this post.

3> Rifles
A very closely restricted one here and a complicated certificate. In short it's the certificate that states where he can shoot, what he can shoot, how much ammunition he can buy at one time, how much ammunition he can own at one time, whether he can use a sound suppressor (or "silencer" if you prefer, not that it sounds anything like the silencers you see in James Bond movies).



With an air rifle he'll need to get to within about 30 yards of his target to make an accurate shot. As mentioned above there are tow main calibers for air rifles (there are others, but there's no need to complicate matters) .177 and .22
A .177 is a smaller pellet, typically if flies a flatter trajectory at a faster speed. Some find them "more accurate" but really that comes down to practice. Some shooters find .177 has a greater chance of passing through the target critter, and that's not a good thing. You want the pellet to stop in the creature to ensure maximum damage and the cleanest kill.
A .22 is a larger pellet, typically it flies a steeper curve than a .177 but the extra weight of the projectile causes far more damage on impact and is more likely to achieve a clean kill.

I feel I should add, before he so much of thinks about aiming at an animal he should be able to hit a 50p with reliable accuracy at 30 yards. That's about the size of target he's aiming for on a rabbit and if he misses and makes a body-shot there's a good chance the rabbit will run to ground and die there... not the swift end a hunter should be striving for.


For more information about actually getting a shotgun licence or FAC (firearms certificate) it might be a good idea to actually join a hunters forum. The folks on there will have gone through this stuff a million times for themselves, their families and for other newcomers to shooting and can prove a wealth of information for everything from legal aspects to the technical side of zeroing the sights on the rifle.



Finally, if he's going to be going after rabbits on your land (assuming you've got a bit of space here) he might want to consider alternatives if he's not just interested in fieldcraft and shooting... for example, if he looked up "long nets" and similar it might be a more effective solution if all he wants to do is get rid of a pest population.

That said, a rifle will give a steadier supply of bunnies for the pot.


Despite what all of the above may suggest, I don't shoot.
I'd love to and when I have the space I will, but for the time being, living in urban Manchester doesn't give me a great deal of opportunity to go after bunnies and the likes, though I'd be able to have a crack at getting some of the squirrels and wood pigeons that frequent our garden... and both would be more than welcome in my kitchen too.

[bobleponge]

Not much to add to the above, but my tuppence worth..

The chances of him getting a hunting rifle are fairly small, but a shotgun would be easier, and an air rifle, for rabbits, I wouldnt really bother with.

Your local nick will have a firearms officer (or give you the number of him anyway). He could always phone and have a word with him/her and explain what why when how etc.

Providing he can justify ownership, and prove safe storage, (mine were always kept in the armoury at work, but friends of mine had gun cabinets at home) there shouldnt be a huge problem in obtaining a license.

The license needs to be renewed every 5 years, this involves a police check again. If you move house the certificate needs to be updated.

I'm sure this isnt the case, but if he has a criminal record of pretty much any description (less motoring offences) he is unlikely to get one.

I shot for years when I lived in UK, holding a shotgun license for all of that time and never had a problem at all.

[HeyWayne]

Of course, when you absolutely have to kill every last motherbunny in the room, there is only one weapon of choice:



Oddly enough a colleague and I were looking through the H&K catalogue (a friend of his works in graphic deisgn and worked on the catalogue) and we were talked about how odd it seemed that gun manufacturers have catlogues and sales people, and were laughing at some of the sales talk in the brochure.

Some rather odd features and benefits.

Sorry, can't be any help as usual.

[Rhona]

I was in the little gunsmith near us not long ago (I know bobbins about guns but it's a lovely shop that also sells baby Uggs and and interesting outdoor things). Someone came in and said words to the effect of "I know nowt about guns but want to shoot rabbits" and the gunshop owner gave him tons of advice about what he needed to do.

See if there's a gunshop nearby for their advice, is my advice. But like I say, I know nothing either...

[organic]

Can't remember if I saw it mentioned above, but if he's going to go for a shotgun licence AND a firearms certificate he should apply for them to be "coterminous" - that way they both expire at the same time, are renewed at the same time resulting in less effort and (I think) less cost.

Bob said he wouldn't bother with an air rifle for bunnies. Certainly many would agree with him and depending on what your husband wants to do I might agree.

With an air rifle below 12 ftlbs he will need to get to within 30 yards of Thumper in order to get an accurate shot and a clean kill.
If he wants to stay further away (less chance of spooking them back underground) a .22 rimfire rifle on a Firearms Certificate could be the way.

The only reason I can see for a high powered air-rifle on an FAC is if he needs to shoot bigger than rabbits in an area that doesn't have a safe back-stop like a big hill. Stray shots in any place with people within the range of the bullets used can be fatal.

[Hilary B]

Can't remember if I saw it mentioned above, but if he's going to go for a shotgun licence AND a firearms certificate he should apply for them to be "coterminous" - that way they both expire at the same time, are renewed at the same time resulting in less effort and (I think) less cost.

Bob said he wouldn't bother with an air rifle for bunnies. Certainly many would agree with him and depending on what your husband wants to do I might agree.

With an air rifle below 12 ftlbs he will need to get to within 30 yards of Thumper in order to get an accurate shot and a clean kill.
If he wants to stay further away (less chance of spooking them back underground) a .22 rimfire rifle on a Firearms Certificate could be the way.

The only reason I can see for a high powered air-rifle on an FAC is if he needs to shoot bigger than rabbits in an area that doesn't have a safe back-stop like a big hill. Stray shots in any place with people within the range of the bullets used can be fatal.

It might be easier to get the FAC for a high powered air-rifle than for a 'real' rifle (even the .22 rimfire)? In terms of capability (for good or ill), there isn't all that much to choose between them is there?
I've used a 'just below the limit' air-rifle (mainly target, but also to shoot rats) and I've fired a .22 rimfire belonging to a friend (we had some really old eggs, and an empty silage pit, made a great target range for the day. He usually used it for killing rats, rabbits, black-backed gulls, and to 'put down' sick/injured sheep etc).

[Mrs Dobby]

We've got a .22 air rifle each, Lee has a Webley Longbow and I've a BSA Supersport, both with decent sights. We joined the local Rifle club to get some practice in, and now have unofficial permission to take care of local rabbit problems. You need permission from the landowner and a Vermin licence (main post office) to legally shoot rabbits, but we find our .22's do the job nicely, and the rabbits make excellent eating too!

[pigletwillie]

As an aside, if you have had a prison sentence of 3 months or more, you are barred from having any kind of shotgun or firearms license for 5 years, a sentence over 3 years and you are barred for ever.

You have a right to a shotgun certificate, but do have to jump through the hoops to get it. Leicestershire police are quite sensible but some are a bit beligerant. Safe storage and a legitimate use for it (clays or hunting) are the main points that the police pick up on.

[snuffer]

Before breaking my spine and neck several years ago I used to own and regularly use shotguns and air rifles.

If the choice has to be between shot gun or air rifle for rabbit control there is one other thing to take into account that has not so far been mentioned.

Because of the spread of shot from a shotgun (dependant on barrel choke) at thirty yards only a few pellets will hit a rabbit. The ammount of power transfered to the target will only be about the same as that transfered by a .22 air rifle pellet.

The only real advantage of using a shotgun against rabbits is the ability to hit a moving target. This has to be balanced against the fact that your first shot will scare every rabbit for miles, where as using the air rifle will give more opportunity of a second target.

I enjoyed shooting for many years and would choose a good air rifle over a shot gun every time.