Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988

15 Rifle and pistol clubs

(1) A member of a rifle club, miniature rifle club or pistol club approved by the Secretary of State may, without holding a firearm certificate, have in his possession a firearm and ammunition when engaged as a member of the club in, or in connection with, target practice.

(2) Any approval under this section may be limited so as to apply to target practice with only such types of rifles or pistols as are specified in the approval.

(3) An approval under this section shall, unless withdrawn, continue in force for six years from the date on which it is granted but may be renewed for further periods of six years at a time.

(4) There shall be payable on the grant or renewal of an approval under this section a fee of £33 but this subsection shall be included in the provisions that may be amended by an order under section 43 of the principal Act.

(5) A constable duly authorised in writing in that behalf by a chief officer of police may, on producing if required his authority, enter any premises occupied or used by a club approved under this section and inspect those premises, and anything on them, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the provisions of this section and any limitations in the approval are being complied with.

(6) It is an offence for a person intentionally to obstruct a constable in the exercise of his powers under subsection (5) above; and that offence shall be punishable on summary conviction with a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

(7) In section 11(3) of the principal Act (which, as respects rifle clubs and miniature rifle clubs, is superseded by this section) the words “rifle club or miniature rifle club or” and “club or” (in the second place) shall be omitted.

(8) In section 32(2) of that Act (exemption from fee for firearm certificate for responsible officer of a rifle club or miniature rifle club) after the words “miniature rifle club” there shall be inserted the words “pistol club” and at the end there shall be added the words “but in the case of a club whose approval is limited to target practice with specified types of rifles or pistols this subsection shall apply only to a certificate in respect of rifles or pistols of those types”.

(9) Any approval of a rifle or miniature rifle club under section 11(3) of the principal Act shall have effect as if it were an approval under this section except that (without prejudice to renewal) it shall expire at the end of the period of three years beginning with the day on which this section comes into force.