Home Office - Recording Rifle Serial Numbers

[HALODIN]

A quick question - We've been informed our members must now record their rifle's serial number next to each visit as of 1st August 2016. Of those clubs that weren't recording the serial number, are the remainder now acting on this information?

"NOTES ON THE CRITERIA" Point 6 on Page 6 states -

6. An attendance register should be kept of all members. In the case of a firearm held on a member’s firearm certificate, the register will record the calibre, type and serial number of the firearm(s) used and the date.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... Final_.pdf

I find the wording confusing. I'm of the opinion that "guidance" was just that, i.e. not law but a preference. The page below uses both guidance and "must meet" in the same paragraph. Just curious how this is being interpreted by other clubs.

"Guidance on approval of rifle and muzzle-loading pistol clubs and how clubs can apply for it," but below that it states - "The guidance also explains the criteria and conditions which clubs must meet in order to obtain approval and remain approved."

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... stol-clubs

[Rockhopper]

Wasn't this idea withdrawn a few weeks after it was circulated?

[HALODIN]

I can't find anything to suggest that's true -

https://www.gov.uk/search?q=pistol+club ... ome-office

[Rockhopper]

Looks like its found its way back in....

[Blackstuff]

What an abject waste of time. If they want that level of information each and every time you use the guns you should get a stamp issued to you with all the details on when you have your FAC renewed!!

[FredB]

Some of my guns don't have serial numbers.
Fred

[Mezzer]

A club I am a member of has implemented this and we now record the last 3 digits of the firearm serial number (along with the make, model and calibre). It's no bother but I can't really see what the powers-that-be hope to gain from it. Hopefully it will just go away eventually.

Mezzer

[25Pdr]

On our six monthly Police checks the only thing mentioned was Members not logging Firearm serial numbers, I argued that unless a Member owned more than one similar type of Firearm it would not matter.

This went on for a couple of years when eventually I was called for a meeting at Police HQ where it was suggested that the Police could object to our upcoming club approval renewal if we didn't comply.

We now record serial numbers.

This was Strathclyde Scotland.

[breacher]

I only have one of each calibre so the firearm used is easily confirmed by calibre alone.

[HALODIN]

Thanks for the replies. Yes this was the general consensus at our committee meeting last night. It's beyond guidance, it's a formal request from the Home Office. The idea is you have to prove you'e actively using 2 or more rifles of the same calibre.

Now do you think it matters if you record an abstraction of your serial number rather than the serial number itself? I work with data all the time and I'm very careful with it. Whenever I post a picture of a rifle on the web, I always use Photoshop to obscure the serial number, so it makes sense to me to do the same when signing in to shoot. As long as I have an index of which serial number relates to rifle A, as long as I record rifle A next to my visit, I'd say it protects my data and still fulfils the HO's requirement. When we discussed this last night, the rest of the committee took the HO's request very literally and thought only the serial number would suffice. Does anyone have an opinion on this?