What UK Weapons you can own that comply with the UK Firearms Law
Many UK citizens think that ALL firearms are illegal and therefore unavailable to the UK public – this is not correct.
You have a perfect right to own many firearms, but you must be able to have a good reason to do so.
Please click here for the full UK Home Office Guide on licensing laws for UK firearms.
Below is a general guide to some of the firearms you can legally own –
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The firearms shown here are:
Top to bottom we have: Civilian Hunting Rifle, Semi-Auto Shotgun, AR15, AKM, Anti-Materiel/Sniper Rifle, Long Barrelled Revolver (LBR ..
Shotguns:
As well as the above firearms, you can own a shotgun –
*in general*, shotguns under 3 capacity (2+1) Section 2 only require a Shotgun Cert (SGC).
The list List is by no means exhaustive, there are hundreds of flavours of firearms available in UK.
All these above weapons will require a Firearms Certificate, but, once you have been fully vetted by the police, and have fully satisfied all the legal requirements they are all perfectly legal for a UK citizen to own.
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31 comments
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Ed
October 2, 2017 at 8:32 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hate to piss on your parade, but magazine fed rifles are not legal, magazines can be a maximum of 3 rounds for a shotgun, can’t be pump action and have to have a minimum of 40 inch barrel. There are restrictions around handgun type, calibre and size, as laws were changed after the 1996 Dunblaine massacre.
paul emptage
August 11, 2017 at 6:49 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
hi guys, a word of warning to you. if you are a uk prepper , prepping for civil unrest, nuclear war, or chemical,bio attack or something sinister, forget it. ive just had mine refused because of my stockpile of kit , that officers from the hampshire police saw when they came to my property. apart from your full background checks its very very hard now to convince them that you are not a danger to the public or yourselfs. forget it ,
Dave
July 3, 2017 at 11:26 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Forget owning any weapons in UK. If your White Heterosexual Christian Male don’t come either. We’re moving to US. Hope Trump will keep matters on track there!!!!! this country is finished, owned by a bunch of liberally minded idiots… The other lot shoot us we hold a min silence and throw a party instead of throwing them out….. Weapons should be a right to protect yourself against any armed attackers…
Ed
October 2, 2017 at 8:34 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Surely the gun issues that occur in the US are an example of why not to allow widespread gun ownership? The killing in Vegas today where 60 people died and 500 odd injured is a pristine example of why not to allow widespread gun ownership.
David
October 7, 2017 at 3:35 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Seems a fair reply to make, but the USA is not the only country in the world to have lax gun laws, the problem seems to be with their culture. In some countries the ownership of a gun amongst the male population is almost 100%
Dave
July 3, 2017 at 11:17 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I’m guessing no one has noticed that UK is now occupied by a bunch of liberally minded little girls. I’m ashamed of being English, that’s why I’m leaving. If your white heterosexual christian male your not welcome here anymore…… As for owning any weapons FORGET IT!!!!!! the bad guys have them, and the really bad guys have them, we in the middle are fooked….. (definition) Really bad guys are the LIO, they shoot you just because they can, and you can’t shoot back….
Craig
May 3, 2017 at 3:23 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Craig burgess
ComradeAJ
April 7, 2017 at 5:03 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I feel sorry for you gun guys in the UK. This is a lot of work to get a firearm. Even then, you are only allowed so few. Maybe someday, you can get full freedoms on firearms. I know we are hoping for that here in the US. Fight the good fight guys.
Gabriel Younts
August 8, 2016 at 3:27 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Are all semi auto pistols banned in the UK? I think k this sight is awesome I love hearing from other peppers from around the world.
C.t.
September 17, 2016 at 7:34 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
You can have long barrelled semi automatic .22 pistols, .357 and .44 calibre. All pistols must be long barrelled, the only standard pistol you are legally allowed in the uk is an air pistol.
Steve
July 28, 2016 at 7:41 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Darren, why do you say you can only have a Swiss Army knife in the bush for survival? I’ve had mine in my pocket for nearly 30 years, use it almost daily and never had an issue. I’ve investigated knife crimes in the past and most of them involve household (kitchen) knives.
E
June 22, 2016 at 10:08 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Wow. Not that I know if the UK would ever even accept me as an immigrant but reading all of this, being from the United States, makes me question if Id even want to relinquish some of my freedoms so readily. Great Britain is beautiful, full of history, and my ancestral home but unfortunately it appears that either people are so afraid they voted away many of their rights OR the government used propaganda to further its own authority and reduced eveeyones rights. Because lets face it, jumping through hoops is for people who follow the law in the first place, not criminals who plan on hsingtweapons illegally in the first place…And even still, under the freedoms crushing legislation of the UK, the criminally motivated could theoretically obtain a firearm just as easily as your average range shooter. Its all nonsense based purely on control. Id still like to come though God forbid I accidentally have my “deadly” lockback knife in my pocket….thanks for sharing the legal end of things here, and honestly i mean no disrespect, im merely surprised to see how strict things are in a place Ive always wanted to go.
Russil Alden
July 14, 2016 at 8:08 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I am preparing to visit England, the land of my birth, from Canada, where I have lived for many years. I usually carry some kind of knife here, sometimes with a locking blade, but my brother warned me that it was a crime in England and to look it up on the internet. When he told me, I jokingly asked me if they were going to ban knives and forks. I could not believe it when I read that it is illegal to sell cutlery to someone under 18!!! Talk about trading freedom for security (illusory). Has not anyone noticed that there are forces trying to disarm those in all lands of European ancestry. When some armed thug, who cares nothing for gun laws, assaults you it is pretty sad when the only recourse is to shine a light in his eyes. I thought our gun laws were draconian in Canada! When I was a kid here we used to go to the ravine with our pellet guns and 22s. Nobody ever shot anyone. Now our laws have changed that. We need to be vigilant in resisting the move to disarm us in the face of rising crime, and governments ever more unresponsive to the will of the people. I agree with Es analysis totally. Also, the same forces are at work in the US trying to gut and eventually overturn the 2nd Amendment. I think they should be resisted at all costs. After all, as history teaches, dictators love a disarmed population. In the upcoming US election there is only one candidate who has pointed out the threat that the 2nd amendment is under and who has vowed to do something about it. That is one of the reasons he is so hated and lied about.
Victor
July 15, 2017 at 10:15 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
tbh there’s not really a need for guns in the UK. There’s not much crime and only serious criminals or idiots in gangs carry weapons around. As someone who’s half-American and half-British I hear so much about gun crime in America or fatal accidents with children & guns. I think is sad that people feel so unsafe in their own country that they actually have to walk around armed, clearly it shows there’s something seriously wrong in their law enforcement and justice systems…
Shevchenko
January 30, 2017 at 2:30 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Yet we have so little gun & knife crime here. It’s really quite peaceful. Personally (and I appreciate that this is ONLY my view), I’d rather be in a country where people can’t arm them with a small country’s arsenal without any checks on their background.
I only need to defend me and mine (family, possessions, etc) so I don’t need the things that re not legal. Anyone who wants to carry a short barreled pistol wants to hide it. If the SH “really” HF then I don’t want to hide anything – I want people to leave me well alone!
paul emptage
August 11, 2017 at 5:15 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
yes sir, things are really strict in the uk, watch this space knifes and forks will be banned next, then lighters try and buy one from waitrose , no shit they will ask your age LOL ive got grey hair, well whos to blame? just take a look in the mirror???? watch v for vendetta great stuff.
Gary
January 9, 2016 at 2:46 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
If you go for a FAC, (which you will get unless you are < 18 or have a violent criminal police record), you will need to join a local club and shoot targets regularly (once a week or so). There is a fee to the club, both yearly and range fee's every week.
They take a register of how often you go, which gets submitted to the local Firearms Officer to ensure you are using the firearm regularly.
You would also need to store the guns in an approved cabinet – unloaded, and hidden, and not readily accessible – this is inspected before your FAC is accepted.
Sebastian
March 15, 2016 at 10:38 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Not exactly true,
I’ve had an FAC (before moving house) i was not the member of a club (not rifle, shotgun only)
The only reason i was issued a licence was due to the amount of land i had permission to shoot on, there was no regular checks other than the normal inspections and i didnt have to show i was using the rifle on a regular basis.
If you are a member of a gun club, it does make the application proccess a lot faster though!
LAURENTIU
November 1, 2015 at 1:13 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
I WAS JUST WONDERING HOW D I APPLY FOR THE WRIGHT TO OWN A AIR RIFLE IN LONDON UK, CAN ANY BODY HELP
UK Prepper
November 2, 2015 at 8:27 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Anyone over 18 can buy an air rifle with valid id.
There are restrictions on the power of the rifle though, see my article here for more info:
Air Gun Laws
Darren Anthony Tynan
September 23, 2015 at 8:05 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Pepper spray can be dangerous around children, but can save you life in emergency situations such as walking alone at night, the best self defence to have and I have studied this is a Torch with 220 Lumens with strobe affect this will help you to get away from the aggressive person whom is attacking you, and as a trainee Police Support Volunteer, I would recommend the Ansmann 5 Torch with strobe affect for self defence.
UK Prepper
September 24, 2015 at 12:10 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hi Darren,
You are quite right – I personally carry both.!
The criminal defence identifiers spray and a high lumen strobe torch.
I have articles and video reviews of both on this site:
Defence strobe torch:
Strobe Torch For Defence
Pepper Sray Alternative For Defence:
UK Legal Pepper Spray Alternative
happy prepping,
Steve
Darren Anthony Tynan
October 6, 2015 at 1:20 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Hi Steve thank you for getting back to me I appreciate this very much, I do have The Criminal Identifier spray that I got from Crime Prevention and the self defence torch I got from Amazon. These work better than guns as in America the other day people got shot for no reason. I do use a Swiss army knife but only for horse stables work and the need to cut bails of Hay.
keka
September 4, 2015 at 12:06 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
how are these, and crossbows legal but small knives and pepper spray not?
JC Denton
July 16, 2016 at 11:03 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
It comes down to the reason for owning them and how easy they’d be to commit a crime with.
To own a gun you either need to be a full member of a target shooting club who regularly shoots (which means shooting under the supervision of an instructor until you’re eligible for full membership and then paying monthly fees) or need to regularly kill animals as part of your job.
The restrictions on which guns are legal to own largely revolves around how easy to conceal they’d be (you’ll notice that the revolver pictured has an unusually long barrel) and how many times they can be fired before needing to be reloaded
If you have a good reason (you’re going hunting or fishing for example) then you can carry larger knives and as long as the blade isn’t capable of locking in place, you can have a knife up to three inches long on you at any time except in airports, nightclubs and schools.
The reason “self defence” isn’t an acceptable reason for carrying a weapon is that (as this website notes on multiple pages) the best way to defend yourself is to attack preemptively and if the guy you stab/shoot preemptively says he wasn’t going to attack you then it’s basically your word against his on whether you were acting in self defence or just attacking some guy.
Personally I think the restriction on balisongs and locking knives less than three inches long are totally unnecessary, but overall I’m pretty happy with our knife laws and given the tiny number of shootings that happen here, I’m very happy with our firearm laws.
Steve
July 28, 2016 at 7:35 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
“To own a gun you either need to be a full member of a target shooting club who regularly shoots (which means shooting under the supervision of an instructor until you’re eligible for full membership and then paying monthly fees) or need to regularly kill animals as part of your job.”
Almost right, you just need to show good reason. I’m neither a club member, or need to kill animals as part of my job but I have a certificate for my semi-automatic rifle with moderator and 10 shot pump 12 bore. Pump is used for large flocks of pigeons and the rifle for bunnies at a friends farm.
Overall, I’m happy with how tight the gun laws are as they keep us relatively safe.
Merica
August 25, 2015 at 7:36 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
How misleading. They’re perfectly legal to own as long as big mommy government gives you a permission slip. It must stink having to ask pretty-please to own a AR-15 squirrel gun.
Darren Anthony Tynan Dip Pi (UKPIN)
August 5, 2015 at 10:43 am (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Air Pistols should not be made for children to own even at 18 years old because they are dangerous, even plastic BB’s can be deadly and would be best to avoid this situation. I advise not to carry any knife in the UK even the Swiss Army knife type, you can only have the Swiss Army knife out in the bush for survival. I only carry a pocket torch with me for emergency and Farm Stables duties.
Phil...
November 11, 2015 at 6:31 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Darren. Your opinions on guns for children are yours to follow, But stating that “even plastic BB’s can be deadly” is complete and utter nonsense. Unless you are advocating eating several kilos of the things? Please do a few seconds research before making such claims. Phil…
chris
April 9, 2016 at 8:34 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
Darren….you are a joking right ? Air pistols have are max 400 fps in uk …more kids get hurt with skateboards than airguns….. and BB’s deadly ?? lol but your best piece of nonsense advice is regarding swiss army knives.. only allowed if you’re in the bush !! what ? anyone is allowed to carry a non fixed blade less than 3inchs so stop the pathetic nanny state bull
JC Denton
July 16, 2016 at 11:12 pm (UTC 1) Link to this comment
It sounds stupid but kids do occasionally die from being hit with BBs. It’s most commonly babies as their skulls are soft until they hit a certain age. Stories of being blinded in one eye are really common too though I agree that in the grand scheme of things they account for a tiny number of deaths when compared with any potentially dangerous object.