doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com UK laws

Has anyone who frequents this site ever gone to the UK, bought a gun there, went shooting with it there and then exported it to the USA? This is something I've always wanted to do. Finding a guide to go pidgeon shooting with isn't very difficult, nor is buying the gun, presuming you have the do ra me, but what about all the rest? I know about getting a dealer here to do the paperwork for an ocasional import, it's the stuff in the UK that's a mystery to me.
nialmac

My sole experience with buying a gun in the UK says you need an export dealer to do the job there. Mine went from the individual to the UK dealer to Briley to my local dealer. I think it was Dennis Potter Country Sports there and Briley has a constant flow coming to them so they are very good.
bill

First, you will need to get a UK shotgun certificate in order to shoot a gun at all. One type entitles you to carry, one to acquire. Someone will need to get a UK export license for the gun. This is granted for a specific gun and requires submission of the US import permit for that gun plus a wonderful undertaking that the gun has no CBN capabilities and that you will not transmit the gun to anyone on the embargo list like Iraq, where they were badly in need of Purdeys last time I looked. The easiest thing is to have the gun exported by someone with an open UK license. The exporter ships to your importer and, a few customs and shipping fees later, you've got your gun. Simplest thing to do is buy the gun from someone who does export all the time. They'll already have the mechanisms in place.

That will be Chris Potter Country Sports, in Tunbridge Wells, England. They have the export licence to ship to your US FFL dealer.
Mike

Chris Potter:
http://www.gun.co.uk/?p1=8&p2=38
UK Gun Laws:
http://www.gun.co.uk/?p1=8&p2=40

GunRunner:
http://www.gunrunner.cc/exporting_firearms.htm
http://www.gunrunner.cc/usa_import_export.htm

Pete

Leo,
What you write regarding import/export is good advice.

If I may slightly correct & expand on your first line though: There aren’t two types of UK shotgun certificate – the single type enables the holder to both carry & acquire shotguns.

Also a visitor to something like a shooting school, clay pigeon club or organised game shoot (for instance) can shoot a shotgun without themselves holding a certificate if accompanied by the landowner, their agent or an instructor (who must hold a certificate & provide the shotgun).

Visitors to the UK who wish to arrange their own unaccompanied shooting can apply for a ‘Visitors Shotgun Permit’ (here’s a quote from a police website):

“The holder of a visitor's shotgun permit may have in his possession, purchase or acquire shotguns”.

So in a nutshell – it’s quite possible for a visitor from the USA to get a permit in advance; come to the UK & buy a shotgun; use it for a while & then (preferably through a dealer) ship it back to the US (a wise buyer would purchase from a dealer who could also arrange the export as part of the deal).

Regards
Russell

Russel,
Thanks for the clarification. What I meant was that the Visitor's Permits I get each year have two separate sections. Page one allows you to possess specific guns, usually the ones you bring with you. Page two gives you authority to purchase guns (seemingly specific) guns and has another section to note guns actually acquired. Since I have never requested the right to purchase (although I also never explicitly declined that right), these sections have been delivered with a neat line drawn through them, invalidating them. I suspect that there is some more paperwork involved if one wishes the p.2 forms to be operative.

Leo,
As far as I'm aware (from reading the Home Office guidelines) there's no extra paperwork involved as regards getting your permit - should you state you wish to purchase something.

So.... there's no excuse not to shop at Purdey's!!!

Regards
Russell

Russel,
Can one get an open permit, do you think, so that one could buy whichever Purdey catches ones eye? The special of the day, perhaps. Or does one have to pre-determine when applying? The former possibility could well keep my sons out of college.
Leo