Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988

17 Visitors’ permits. E+W+S

(1) The holder of a visitor’s firearm permit may, without holding a firearm certificate, have in his possession any firearm, and have in his possession, purchase or acquire any ammunition, to which section 1 of the principal Act applies; and [F1 (subject to subsection (1A) below)] the holder of a visitor’s shot gun permit may, without holding a shot gun certificate, have shot guns in his possession and purchase or acquire shot guns.

[F2 (1A) A visitor’s shot gun permit shall not authorise the purchase or acquisition by any person of any shot gun with a magazine except where—

(a) that person is for the time being the holder of a licence granted, for the purposes of any order made under section 1 of the Import, Export and Customs Powers (Defence) Act 1939, in respect of the exportation of that shot gun;

(b) the shot gun is to be exported from Great Britain to a place outside the member States without first being taken to another member State;

(c) the shot gun is acquired on terms which restrict that person’s posession of the gun to the whole or a part of the period of his visit to Great Britain and preclude the removal of the gun from Great Britain; or

(d) the shot gun is purchased or acquired by that person exclusively in connection with the carrying on of activities in respect of which—

(i) that person; or

(ii) the person on whose behalf he makes the purchase or acquisition,

is recognised, for the purposes of the law of another member State relating to firearms, as a collector of firearms or a body concerned in the cultural or historical aspects of weapons.]

(2) The chief officer of police for an area may, on an application in the prescribed form made by a person resident in that area on behalf of a person specified in the application, grant a permit under this section to the specified person if satisfied that he is visiting or intending to visit Great Britain and—

(a) in the case of a visitor’s firearm permit, that he has a good reason for having each firearm and the ammunition to which the permit relates in his possession, or, as respects ammunition, for purchasing or acquiring it, while he is a visitor to Great Britain;

(b) in the case of a visitor’s shot gun permit, that he has a good reason for having each shot gun to which the permit relates in his possession, or for purchasing or acquiring it, while he is such a visitor.

(3) No permit shall be granted under this section to a person if the chief officer of police has reason to believe—

(a) that his possession of the weapons or ammunition in question would represent a danger to the public safety or to the peace; or

(b) that he is prohibited by the principal Act from possessing them.

[F3 (3A) No permit shall be granted under this section as respects any firearm unless—

(a) there is produced to the chief officer of police a document[F4 or a copy of the same] which—

(i) has been issued in another member State under provisions correspond ing to the provisions of the principal Act for the issue of European firearms passes;

(ii) identifies that firearm as a firearm to which it relates; and

(iii) is for the time being valid;

(b) the applicant shows that the person specified in the application is a person who, by reason of his place of residence or any other circumstances, is not entitled to be issued with such a document in any of the other member States; or

(c) the applicant shows that the person specified in the application requires the permit exclusively in connection with the carrying on of activities in respect of which—

(i) that person; or

(ii) the person on whose behalf he is proposing to make use of the authorisation conferred by the permit,

is recognised, for the purposes of the law of another member State relating to firearms, as a collector of firearms or a body concerned in the cultural or historical aspects of weapons;

and a chief officer of police who grants a permit under this section in a case where a document[F5 or copy] has been produced to him in pursuance of paragraph (a) above shall endorse on the document[F6 or, where a copy has been produced, on the copy] a statement which identifies the permit and the firearm to which it relates and briefly describes the effect of the permit.]

(4) A permit under this section shall be in the prescribed form, shall specify the conditions subject to which it is held and—

(a) in the case of a visitor’s firearm permit, shall specify the number and description of the firearms to which it relates, including their identification numbers, and, as respects ammunition, the quantities authorised to be purchased or acquired and to be held at any one time;

(b) in the case of a visitor’s shot gun permit, shall specify the number and description of the shot guns to which it relates, including, if known, their identification numbers.

(5) The chief officer of police by whom a permit under this section is granted may by notice in writing to the holder vary the conditions subject to which the permit is held but, in the case of a visitor’s shot gun permit, no condition shall be imposed or varied so as to restrict the premises where the shot gun or guns to which the permit relates may be used.

(6) A permit under this section shall come into force on such date as is specified in it and continue in force for such period, not exceeding twelve months, as is so specified.

(7) A single application (a “group application”) may be made under this section for the grant of not more than twenty permits to persons specified in the application if it is shown to the satisfaction of the chief officer of police that their purpose in having the weapons in question in their possession while visiting Great Britain is—

(a) using them for sporting purposes on the same private premises during the same period; or

(b) participating in the same competition or other event or the same series of competitions or other events.

(8) There shall be payable on the grant of a permit under this section a fee of [F7 £20] except that where six or more permits are granted on a group application the fee shall be [F8 £100] in respect of those permits taken together.

(9) Subsection (8) above shall be included in the provisions that may be amended by an order under section 43 of the principal Act.

(10) It is an offence for a person—

(a) [F9 knowingly or recklessly to make a statement false in any material particular] for the purpose of procuring the grant of a permit under this section; or

(b) to fail to comply with a condition subject to which such a permit is held by him;

and each of those offences shall be punishable on summary conviction with imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or both.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 17(1) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/2823, reg. 6(1)

F2 S. 17(1A) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/2823, reg. 6(1)

F3 S. 17(3A) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/2823, reg. 7(1)

F4 Words in s. 17(3A)(a) inserted (1.10.2011) by The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2175), regs. 1(1), 2(a)

F5 Words in s. 17(3A) inserted (1.10.2011) by The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2175), regs. 1(1), 2(b)

F6 Words in s. 17(3A) inserted (1.10.2011) by The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/2175), regs. 1(1), 2(c)

F7 Word in s. 17(8) substituted (6.4.2015) by The Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/611), arts. 1(1), 5(2)

F8 Word in s. 17(8) substituted (6.4.2015) by The Firearms (Variation of Fees) Order 2015 (S.I. 2015/611), arts. 1(1), 5(3)

F9 Words in s. 17(10) substituted (1.7.1997) by 1997 c. 5, s. 52(1), Sch. 2 para. 19; S.I. 1997/1535, art. 3(b), Sch. Pt. I