Firearms Act 1968

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.

Firearms Act 1968

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	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.
Citation	1968 c. 27
Territorial extent	England and Wales Scotland
Dates
Royal assent	30 May 1968
Commencement	1 August 1968
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Firearms Act 1937 Air Guns and Shot Guns, etc. Act 1962 Firearms Act 1965
Amended by	Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997
Status: Amended
Text of the Firearms Act 1968 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

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]

Since 1968, the act has been extensively amended. Following the Hungerford massacre, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 extended the class of prohibited weapons. Following the Dunblane school massacre, two acts were passed, the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 and, after the general election that year, the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997, which in effect banned almost all handguns. The Policing and Crime Act 2017 brought clarity to aspects of the act, following a recommendation from the Law Commission.

Prohibited firearms and ammunition

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 30 centimetres or is shorter than 60 centimetres 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 5.6 mm rim-fire cartridges and has a barrel shorter than 60 cm or shorter than 100 cm overall;
• Is a smooth-bore revolver gun except chambered for 9 mm 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.

For ammunition it is prohibited if it:^[3]

• 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]

See also

• Firearms regulation in the United Kingdom