Knowing the Law
As a member of the BASC I acknowledge I know the laws, rules and regulations on owning an air rifle and the laws around using an air rifle. I also acknowledge the laws on criminal damage and trespassing. All permissions will be signed by Land owner and termination of contract also signed for by Land owner.
The Law
The law makes no distinction between air rifles and more powerful guns for which you need a licence – they are all classed as firearms. This means that any offence you commit can carry a very heavy penalty – and there are at least 38 different offences. Following this code will help you to keep on the right side of the law, but, if you have any doubt, seek advice from BASC (www.basc.org.uk) or your local police firearms licensing department.
Air gun security
From February 2011, the Crime and Security Act 2010 makes it an offence for a person in possession of an air gun to fail to take “reasonable precautions” to prevent someone under the age of 18 from gaining unauthorised access to it.
The legal advice contained within this publication remains unchanged e.g. 14-17 year olds may still use air guns unsupervised on private premises where they have permission etc.
For further advice about reasonable precautions for storing for air guns not in use please contact BASC or see www.basc.org.uk for a copy of our fact sheet Young People and Airguns.
