Avon and Somerset Constabulary - Firearms and the law

Firearms and the law


If you are convicted of:	The penalty is:
Possession of a prohibited weapon or ammunition.	Up to 10 years in prison.
Possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.	Life imprisonment.
Shortening a shot gun or conversion of a firearm.	Up to seven years in prison.
Possession of a firearm (including replicas) with intent to cause fear of violence.	Up to 10 years in prison.
Carrying a firearm or imitation firearm, including BB guns, in a public place.	Up to seven years in prison.
Possession of an air weapon by a person under 14 years of age.	£1000 fine.
Trespassing with a firearm on land.	Up to three months in prison.
Possession of an air weapon in a public place by a person under 17 years of age	£1000 fine.
Failure to hand over a firearm or ammunition when asked by a police officer	Up to three months in prison.
Possession of a shot gun without a certificate.	Up to five years in prison.

Changes to the law

Getting someone to hide or carry a dangerous weapon is now a criminal offence under new laws introduced by the Government.

Offenders could face up to ten years behind bars if they are convicted of using another person to look after a gun and adults using a child to conceal a weapon could receive an even tougher penalty.

Teachers now have the power to search pupils if they believe someone has a dangerous weapon on them.

As part of the same strict measures to clamp down on violent crime, a minimum five years in prison has been introduced for some gun offences.

These include

setting out to use a firearm to injure someone;
setting out to use a firearm to scare others;
using a firearm to resist arrest;
carrying a firearm to commit a crime;
carrying a firearm in a public place and,
trespassing with a firearm.

To find out more about the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, see part two of www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/20060038.htm