HOW TO get your Shotgun licence in the UK

[@audreycramond2826]

My husband and I have joined our local shooting ground after having a couple of clay pigeon shooting lessons so now we are in the process of applying for our shotgun licences. I've found this video very helpful.

[@WayneMason1]

Just applied for mine, GP are conscientious objectors and won't do the medical form, the other surgery who will do then charge £100, have used 'Shootcert' and they've been great all electronic and cost was £75 plus vat. Just playing the waiting game now, great video👍

[@helmandtigers]

Kept me waiting nearly 2yrs then refused they didn’t even refund my application cost

[@saml7449]

You mean GP will reject to sign GP proforma ans we need to pay for it? Thanks

[@WayneMason1]

@@saml7449 you have to pay for it regardless either the GP will charge or you need to go private

[@BootneckAlphaKilo]

@@helmandtigersfor what reason?

[@helmandtigers]

@@BootneckAlphaKilo previous convictions 30yrsago 🤷‍♂️

[@supremestleader]

I really appreciate you efforts in putting this video together. I’ve been thinking about it for a while , but the lack of understanding of the law was always something that was stopping me from applying for a gun.

[@grizzlechops9635]

Good content for someone starting out

[@ianyanto123]

great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@14arma]

Great information. American here and gun rights in other countries than mine has always interested me. I'm passing this information along to a few of my friends in the UK. They are really cool, level headed, responsible and mature people that I have known for years that I would love to see become gun owners as civilians in the UK (some are prior military). My only question is could they use me as a reference if they need an extra person to vouch for them? Thank you for the information.

[@UKGuns]

Awesome! I am fairly certain any reference would have to be living in the UK but they would need to check with their FEO! Definitely encourage them to get into it, they will love it! Video coming soon on the process for firearms as well!

[@michaelplank8966]

It's all way over the top it's just a shotgun england allways been anti gun so stupid glad I'm a American now

[@NickBotha]

Thanks UK guns really informative

[@bakerbk3696]

Great info many thanks keep it up

[@Nocturnal-nonsense]

My question has always been. Should I buy the safe before starting the process, or will it be made known by the police that everything is checking out so now would be a good time to purchase one? Obviously, I don't want to buy one simply to be turned down so when is the best time to get one?

[@andrewpatrick6727]

Not got mine yet but heard from a friend he sayed buy it before and if it fails u can either return item or sell on facebook

[@BootneckAlphaKilo]

It's also worth noting that once you obtain your SC or FAC, any infraction whatsoever no matter how insignificant, WILL result in your guns being confiscated at the very least. And depending on the infraction or offence, you may never get them back, with zero compensation.

[@m.aequine7924]

That’s crazy

[@PSUK]

Simply fill in the application form and sent it together with a doctors note. Then wait 3 1/2 years for the certificate. But make sure you constantly phone and email the police before they forget you. Edit: Note, I’m in Dorset

[@BASE-hb1ji]

FYI - Shot Gun Certification only requires 1 reference / Firearms Certification requires 2 references 👍

[@khabeelsalum]

Thank you appreciate good information

[@SirQuacksalotthe1st]

Got a couple questions One im legally not able to drive due to a eye condition can i transport my shotgun via public transport or wil i need to have a friend or family member drive me to the range Two if once i have my own short and certificate and gun safe will i be able to allow my brother to store his shotgun in my safe to allow him to get his own certificate?

[@karlmurray4479]

Spoke to my Gp on phone , said come in for chat, came in for chat 5 mins signed my proforma £60 , done. Now can proceed with online application on MET Police website (SGC by the way) and wait for as long as it takes and carry on shooting with club gun.

[@hydra1687]

Hi have you got a license yet?

[@jaywhitney789]

Great info, Matey 🔫😎

[@rogerrabbit6522]

Good informative video, best not confusing legislation with law though.

[@dalroache]

could i keep the shot gun @ a local gun club?Is that an option?

[@HenryAtkins-tl5ig]

Any advice for a young starter (Just under 15 at the minute so I am aware things will change when I become 15)

[@UKGuns]

Hi mate, best advice would be look into local clubs such as Clay Pigeon Clubs (if that's what you want to do) that way you can get a feel for it, get in person advice and probably some tuition too. You can also speak with your local FEO for any advice regarding your application when the time comes. Hope that helps!

[@garrysnan1210]

Really helpful thanks mate

[@jonathanbardunias1889]

Damnnn.. a simple shotgun permit goes far beyond even the strictest Concealed Carry permits to get in the US. And I thought New Yorks pistol permit was bad…

[@ViktoriiaAndruska]

Hi, do you know if you have to be a British citizen to apply for a shotgun certificate?

[@TheBrettMizer]

And I think with a shotgun you can only use buckshot you will need a firearm certificate for Slugs but then again you can buy a musket under a shotgun certificate and just shoot a single round ball and no one would know the difference

[@glenncaukill1320]

Well explained

[@chrisjones1896]

Applied last November (2023)… chased a few times but keep being told there’s a huge backlog……..when I applied the website said to expect up to 3 months. It’s a very very long process.

[@hydra1687]

How’s it going?

[@chrisjones1896]

@ still nothing …… frustrating!

[@hydra1687]

@@chrisjones1896 how annoying! I’ve got friends of which it’s take 3 years to get. I’ve got my gp report just got to apply online now. I forgot that I used to have anxiety which is on the record worries it may get turned away

[@JohnDoe-pe9ew]

Thanks for the videos! I just have a question about the medical history. I have had depression & anxiety & spoken to my GB in the past about this but nothing in over 1-2 years. I am also diagnosed with Autism & ADHD, not sure if that would count as a mental disorder within these parameters? Am all fine now as far as the depression & anxiety and have been for ages. Would this be a problem or would it be clear now because it was so long ago? And if so, is there any way i can go about clearing things up or trying to “improve” my medical record so to speak.

[@BootneckAlphaKilo]

Doubtful. A history of Mental illness is the one certain bar to obtaining firearms in the UK, apart from a criminal history or a crime resulting in a custodial sentence, and for good reason.

[@hydra1687]

I have the same worry

[@ZFGFZDGDFG]

I have been to my gp for anxiety and take medication for it would this affect me getting the form filled out by my gp

[@carl4391]

No a GP will fill the form out regardless. However if you have a history of mental health concerns and are taking medication for it there's a good chance that your firearms officer will refuse the licence.

[@chrischristofis8501]

Yes definately

[@BootneckAlphaKilo]

No chance. It's not in the 'public interest' to have the mentally fragile owning firearms, for obvious reasons.

[@karlj1717]

Not necessarily be a flat out no, but it will be taken into consideration, if the doctor sees you as stable and not a risk to yourself or others then there is no reason you shouldn’t be granted a certificate, but it’s a massive grey area, lots of people out there with certificates who are unstable who just haven’t been to the doctors before.

[@mapcmichael646]

Can a pump action shotgun be purchased on section 2 certificate/ license?Thanks.

[@UKGuns]

@mapcmichael646 yes, so long as it is limited to 2+1 (max of 2 cartridges in the magazine tube)

[@LlewellynApGruffedd]

Yes, but they are rubbish.

[@BootneckAlphaKilo]

@@LlewellynApGruffedd😂 why would you need more than 3 shells at a time, even a seasoned goose shooter isn't going to hit, or need to hit, more than three birds in a flight.

[@andrewgarcia5546]

It sucks you can’t have semi automatic 4 bore rifles in the UK. It’d be really nice to see those exist there.

[@bigrack6668]

Would be interesting to see them exist anywhere, assuming you actually mean rifle and not shotgun. It would be perfectly legal as a shotgun if barrel at least 24" as the bore size is under 2", but no bugger would buy one anyway cos they're useless for everything apart from making KZbin videos about pointlessly large caliber firearms.

[@andrewgarcia5546]

@@bigrack6668 I was talking about semi autos chambered in 5.56/.223. And yes lol I did mean rifle and not shotgun. Yes it would most definitely be interesting to see then exist anywhere. While I understand the restrictions of some countries banning these particular firearms, it think it’s worth a shot for them to make a reappearance in some countries.

[@TheBrettMizer]

I know self-defense is not a reason but what would happen if you were home alone in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere and your shotgun was the only way to ward off a home intruder who was armed with a knife or similar

[@J.Quayle1]

That would be a crime & you would get your guns taken off you & would get charged for firearms offences - it could never be justifiable

[@TheBrettMizer]

@@J.Quayle1 so you cannot protect your home in your property or your life I would rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6 if you get a sympathetic jury you might get a nullification

[@J.Quayle1]

@@TheBrettMizernope ! I know so stupid - the only way that harming or killing an intruder in a home invasion scenario would be looked at differently is if the act of harm was committed in a spontaneous manor right there and then . It would never be justifiable to discharge a firearm at someone threatening your property because. The action wouldn’t be spontaneous - it would involve pre-meditation : thinking about it , finding keys for safe , unlocking safe , loading shotgun , walking to intruder & pulling the trigger . No sympathy would be given because a shotgun should be kept in a safe at all times & there would be no excuse to why it was out in the first place . This would be murder in the 1st degree & would be 27 years imprisonment .

[@DRob-gq3ki]

@J.Quayle1 thats pretty wild the people writing those laws don't care they are surrounded by armed security 24/7. UK citizens are basically just serfs.

[@Senseigainz]

Question - Do you need to join a club or have permission to shoot on someones land PRIOR to applying?

[@UKGuns]

Yes that is one of the prerequisites

[@Senseigainz]

@@UKGuns thank you. Im in Scotland so shooting is quite popular. I just need to find my local club/pigeon range.

[@UKGuns]

@Senseigainz sorry I didn't look at which video this was on, I assumed you were asking about a Firearms licence. For a shotgun certificate TECHNICALLY you dont need "good reason" and thus you do not need to be a member of a club or have land to shoot on. BUT bear in mind the Police WILL want to know WHY you want to obtain shotguns. However if you simply explained that you know where your local clay ranges are and plan to attend them regularly (it helps if you have already gone along) there are plenty of clay grounds where you can shoot without being a member. This SHOULD be enough. But the more you can do to show you are serious the better it will be for you.

[@Senseigainz]

@@UKGuns thank you.

[@TheBrettMizer]

If you don't have safe storage can you store it at a range or at a friend's house

[@Tino_prime]

No, you can't store it at a friends house without having them have the gun on their licences, same for ranges Depending on if you get a rifle on a later date, you would be required to have a second cabinet for your firearm and can store upto 3 in this cabinet so I am lead to believe law about how many you can have in cabinet may have changed I do not fully know. Hope this helps

[@UKGuns]

The only way you could store it at a friends house is by essentially "giving" them the shotgun whereby it is removed from your licence and added to theirs but it is essentially "their" gun meaning you couldn't use it without them present. You can "loan" guns to friends where it still stays on your licence (they must still hold a relevant section 2 licence though) but that is only for short term. I think it's a maximum of 7 days but I would need to check that as never done it. As for storing at a range depending on the type of licence they hold, certain ranges, clubs and gunshops can and do offer storage for your guns but this is almost always at a cost and can be expensive if it is on a long term or permanent basis. You do not need a second cabinet for firearms, firearms and shotguns can be stored in the same cabinet and you are not limited to how many the cabinet says it can hold, so long as the cabinet locks securely you can store as many guns as you like in a 3 gun cabinet. Providing they fit ofcourse which often they will especially in the case of shotguns which don't take up a lot of room.

[@Tino_prime]

@UKGuns if you have a rifle like a .22, then you would've need separate gun safes, and more than one person can be licenced to the gun.

[@UKGuns]

There are certain times two people can have a gun on their licence yes but I dont know what you mean about needing another safe? I think the point the original commenter was making was if he didn't have a safe and thus it would just be stored in either a friends or RFDs safe. In which case it wouldnt not be gun sharing. If he had a safe of his own he wouldn't have the issue he is describing

[@TheBrettMizer]

@@UKGuns I guess you can store it at a shop I'm in the states in the range by me has a place where you can store stuff if you want it to be stored there

[@khabeelsalum]

How mach das cost for short gan

[@PaddyFromPaddistan]

🥴😂

[@hodlup1470]

Great video to all new people do not use Medcert

[@carl4391]

Are medcert not one of the companies that are supported by the basc?

[@briansolomon6153]

co terminus certs £90

[@UKGuns]

Thanks! I think that has gone up, I'll heart comment so others can see (can only have one pinned comment)

[@Newyork535]

Have you talk 20 min . I don't understand anything

[@JohnDoe-pe9ew]

Thanks for the videos! I just have a question about the medical history. I have had depression & anxiety & spoken to my GB in the past about this but nothing in over 1-2 years. I am also diagnosed with Autism & ADHD, not sure if that would count as a mental disorder within these parameters? Am all fine now as far as the depression & anxiety and have been for ages. Would this be a problem or would it be clear now because it was so long ago? And if so, is there any way i can go about clearing things up or trying to “improve” my medical record so to speak.

[@daveseemerollin6357]

Don't waste your time. I'm afraid not

[@JohnDoe-pe9ew]

@@daveseemerollin6357 okay no woreies, thank you for the response

[@TheBrettMizer]

That's why the NHS is bad you have no medical privacy as long as you are not committed you would be legally allowed to own in the states or you could have a family member owned and you just use