An Act to consolidate the Firearms Acts 1937 and 1965, the Air Guns and Shot Guns, etc. , Act 1962, Part V of the Criminal Justice Act 1967 and certain enactments amending the Firearms Act 1937.
The Firearms Act 1968 (c. 27) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated the law regarding the control, use, and possession of firearms into one statute. It forms the foundation of modern British firearms law, bringing together and rationalising earlier statutes to regulate the manufacture, sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition, establishing a framework for the certification and licensing of gun owners, and defining categories of prohibited weapons and ammunition.
The Act introduced, for the first time, a system of shotgun certificates alongside existing firearm certificates, both issued by local police forces under the authority of the chief constable. Applicants for firearm certificates were required to demonstrate a “good reason” for ownership and satisfy conditions of public safety, whilst shotgun certificates were subject to less stringent requirements. The Act also made it an offence for certain categories of persons, such as convicted criminals, to possess firearms or ammunition, and established penalties for unlawful possession, use, or transfer.
Since its commencement on 1 August 1968, the Firearms Act has been amended numerous times to respond to changing attitudes toward gun control and major incidents involving firearms. Notable amendments followed the Hungerford massacre in 1987 and the Dunblane school massacre in 1996, leading to the near-total prohibition of private handgun ownership through the Firearms (Amendment) Acts 1988 and 1997. The amended Act remains the principal legal instrument governing firearms in Great Britain.
Overview
The act brought together all existing firearms legislation in a single statute. For the first time, it introduced controls for long-barrelled shotguns, in the form of shotgun certificates that, like firearm certificates, were issued by an area's chief constable in England, Scotland, and Wales. While applicants for firearms certificates had to show a good reason for possessing the firearm or ammunition, it did not apply to shotgun certificates. Firearms and ammunition had to be kept locked up in a secure place approved by the local police firearms officer.
The act also prohibited the possession of firearms or ammunition by criminals who had been sentenced to imprisonment; those sentenced to three months to three years imprisonment were banned from possessing firearms or ammunition for five years, while those sentenced to longer terms were banned for life. However, an application could be made to have the prohibition removed.[1]
The act was accompanied by an amnesty; many older weapons were handed in to the police. It has remained a feature of British policing that from time to time a brief firearms amnesty is declared.[2]
Section five of part one of the act states that a prohibited firearm is one which:[3]
Fires more than one projectile when the trigger is pressed;
Is a self-loading or pump-action rifled gun except when chambered for 5.6 mm rim-fire cartridges;
Has a barrel shorter than 30centimetres or is shorter than 60centimetres overall, except air weapons, muzzle-loading guns and signalling firearms;
Is a self-loading or pump-action smooth-bore gun which is not an air weapon or chambered for 5.6mm rim-fire cartridges and has a barrel shorter than 60cm or shorter than 100cm overall;
Is a smooth-bore revolver gun except chambered for 9mm rim-fire cartridges or a muzzle-loading gun;
Is a rocket launcher or mortar except when designed for line-throwing, pyrotechnic purposes, or for signalling;
Is an air firearm which uses a self-contained gas cartridge system; e.g., the Brocock system of pump-up cartridges, each with their own pellet, but not a CO2 bulb system;
Is a weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other, presumably including sound or light that may cause injury.
Is designed to explode on or immediately before impact;
Contains any such noxious item;
Consists of a missile
Prohibited firearms and ammunition may only be possessed, purchased, sold, given, or manufactured with authority from the government. As enacted this was from the Defence Council; as of 2020 this is from the Secretary of State.[3]
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