FAC Questions

[nickredhill]

Variations and Slots question:
I have just got my new FAC, after a 9 month wait, and I have permission to own one 22lr and one moderator. I also asked the FEO during the interview for Full-Bore for 223 plus a moderator. He said he would want me to have the NRA card for Full-Bore first, and my club has said they can do the assessment to obtain that. The FEO did say he would facilitate it on the FAC as soon as I have the NRA card.
How does that equate to a number of slots? I can't see anything on the FAC such as spaces to fill?

[IainWR]

Table 1 of the FAC is where the person supplying you with the firearm will fill in the details. The section headed "Authorised to be Purchased or Acquired", where you see the permission for your .22" and moderator, is where, when your certificate is varied (and a new document issued as part of the variation process), permission for the .223" plus moderator will appear.

By the way, which police force is this? I'm not conceptually keen on the use of NRA SCCs in this way.

[nickredhill]

By the way, which police force is this? I'm not conceptually keen on the use of NRA SCCs in this way.

It's Surrey. It does seem that on the one hand there's the legal requirement and on the other there's additional 'discretion' applied locally.

I was also told that some forces, eg Yorkshire, now only accept the latest design of safe, with roll bars in the locks (like Brattensound)

[IainWR]

I was also told that some forces, eg Yorkshire, now only accept the latest design of safe, with roll bars in the locks (like Brattensound)

As regards gun cabinets (which come under a different British Standard from safes) the Home Office Guide on Firearm Security (freely available online through any decent search engine) is the definitive document. If the police are asking for more than the Guidance sets out, they can be challenged on it.

[nickredhill]

If the police are asking for more than the Guidance sets out, they can be challenged on it.

Thanks for your input ( and the message) but I was only sharing that comment from the FEO rather than needing to challenge it. Challenging the undoubted discretion that an FEO has, or the hurdles put in place by a chief constable, would be much more expensive, time consuming, and ultimately unproductive than just complying with the hurdles to get them out of the way.
I do appreciate your input, but I think it might be better to pick one's battles.

By the way, I heard from a different source in Kent, that the Chief Constable of Kent requires that all grant applications go across his desk to be signed off and that is putting an undue delay on Kent applications. Now that, I think could be something worth asking about under a FOI request.

Thanks again, Nick.

[Pippin89]

Not entirely a problem as your club will sort your SCC. But the FEO should be aware that possession of an SCC that has "fullbore rifle" on it, is not a pre-requisite of shooting a fullbore rifle, even at Bisley. If you are at a club shoot, under the instruction of a club RO, then you can continue to shoot fullbore without an SCC. Of course the club needs to get them for shooters they have deemed competent anyway, but it shouldn't be needed before giving you the slot.