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Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 215

Arms And Ammunition

The Antique Firearms Regulations 2021

Made

1st March 2021

Coming into force

22nd March 2021

The Secretary of State makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by section 58(2B)(b), (2C), (2D)(b) and (2F) of the Firearms Act 1968(1).

In accordance with section 58(2G) of that Act, a draft of these Regulations has been laid before and approved by a resolution of each House of Parliament.

Citation, commencement, interpretation, extent and applicationE+W+S

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Antique Firearms Regulations 2021 and come into force on the twenty-first day after the day on which they are made.

(2) In these Regulations “the 1968 Act” means the Firearms Act 1968.

(3) These Regulations extend to England and Wales and Scotland but regulation 3(d) applies only in England and Wales.

Commencement Information

I1Reg. 1 in force at 22.3.2021, see reg. 1(1)

Cartridges specified under section 58(2B)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968E+W+S

2.  The description of cartridges specified for the purposes of section 58(2B)(b) of the 1968 Act are set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

Commencement Information

I2Reg. 2 in force at 22.3.2021, see reg. 1(1)

Firearms’ propulsion systems specified under section 58(2C) of the Firearms Act 1968E+W+S

3.  For the purposes of section 58(2C) of the 1968 Act, the following descriptions of firearms’ propulsion systems are specified—

(a)any propulsion system which involves the use of a loose charge and a separate ball (or other missile) loaded at the muzzle end of the barrel, chamber or cylinder of the firearm and which uses an independent source of ignition;

(b)any propulsion system in a breech-loading cartridge firearm which uses an ignition system other than rim-fire or centre-fire;

(c)any propulsion system which involves the use of rim-fire cartridges (other than .22 (5.58mm), .23 (5.8mm), 6mm or 9mm rim-fire cartridges) in a breech-loading firearm, or

(d)any propulsion system for an air weapon.

Commencement Information

I3Reg. 3 in force at 22.3.2021, see reg. 1(1)

Date of manufacture of a firearm specified under section 58(2D)(b) of the Firearms Act 1968E+W+S

4.  For the purposes of section 58(2D)(b) of the 1968 Act, the firearm must have been manufactured before 1st September 1939.

Commencement Information

I4Reg. 4 in force at 22.3.2021, see reg. 1(1)

Kit Malthouse

Minister of State

Home Office

Regulation 2

SCHEDULEE+W+S

Centre-fire cartridges (imperial): breech-loading longarm firearmsE+W+S

1.  The following descriptions of centre-fire cartridges (imperial)—

Centre-fire cartridges (metric): breech-loading longarm firearmsE+W+S

2.  The following descriptions of centre-fire cartridges (metric)—

Textual Amendments

Commencement Information

I6Sch. para. 2 in force at 22.3.2021, see reg. 1(1)

Centre-fire cartridges (imperial): breech-loading pistolsE+W+S

3.  The following descriptions of centre-fire cartridges (imperial)—

Commencement Information

I7Sch. para. 3 in force at 22.3.2021, see reg. 1(1)

Centre-fire cartridges (metric): breech-loading pistolsE+W+S

4.  The following descriptions of centre-fire cartridges (metric)—

Cartridges for vintage rifles, punt guns or shot gunsE+W+S

5.  The following descriptions of cartridges—

Textual Amendments

Commencement Information

I9Sch. para. 5 in force at 22.3.2021, see reg. 1(1)

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

By virtue of section 58(2) of the Firearms Act 1968 (c. 27) (“the 1968 Act”), antique firearms are exempt from most of the provisions of that Act if they are sold, transferred, purchased, acquired or possessed as a curiosity or ornament. Section 58(2A) of the 1968 Act provides that a firearm is an antique firearm for the purposes of section 58(2) if it meets a number of conditions.

These Regulations make specifications as to those conditions which are set out in section 58(2B), (2C) and (2D) of the 1968 Act.

Regulation 2 together with the Schedule provides a description of those cartridges for which the firearm’s chamber or (as the case may be) each of the firearm’s chambers is designed for use for the purposes of the condition in subsection (2B). These are cartridge types that are obsolete.

Regulation 3 provides a description of firearms’ propulsion systems for the purposes of the condition in subsection (2C).

Regulation 4 specifies as an additional condition for the purposes of subsection (2A)(b), that a firearm must be manufactured before 1 September 1939 in order to be an antique firearm.

A full impact assessment of the effect that these Regulations will have on the costs of business, the voluntary sector and the public sector is available from www.gov.uk. Hard copies can be obtained by writing to the Serious Violence Unit, Home Office, 2 Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF.

(1)

1968 c. 27. Sections 58(2B), (2C), (2D) and (2F) were inserted by section 126 of the Policing and Crime Act 2017 (c. 3).