Air Guns
The law about Air Weapons / Guns changed in 2004 because of the steady increase in the number of air weapons and imitation firearms being misused.
Young people have injured themselves by accident and others are carrying these weapons to intimidate others.
In Public
If you have an Air Weapon or anything that looks like a gun in public without a reasonable excuse, then you are probably committing an offence and will be arrested. This would include BB Guns.Under 17
If you are under 17 years old you are NOT allowed to possess any Air Weapon at any time.
Presents & Gifts
If you are under 17 it would also be an offence for someone to give you an Air Weapon or ammunition as a gift.
There are some exceptions to these rules, which relate to your age, being on private property with the owners permission, being supervised and If you belong to a gun club.
Other offences
Boundaries…
It is still an offence to fire any missile (i.e. pellet) beyond the boundary of the private land.
It is an offence to fire any firearm or air gun within 50 feet of the centre of the highway.
This includes roads, bridle-paths or public footpaths. The offence is complete if a member of the public is injured, endangered or even just alarmed by the incident.
Trespassing…
Simply going onto private land without
permission is trespass. If you trespass on any land (including on water), or in any building whilst in possession of a firearm, including an airgun then this is a serious criminal offence. You could face up to 6 months in prison.
Banned
Air weapons that use a self contained gas cartridge (SCGS) are now banned. They cannot be possessed, bought or sold and require a firearm certificate.Possession of firearms in a public place - Section 19 The Firearms Act 1968.
You can also download a PDF copy of this document to use as handouts in a classroom environment or to give to a child (children) in your care, by clicking the link below.