Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988

Firearms dealers and other businesses E+W+S

13 Firearms dealers. E+W+S

(1) In section 33(5) of the principal Act (annual renewal of dealer’s registration certificate) for the words “on or before 1st June in each year” there shall be substituted the words “on or before the expiration of the period of three years from the grant of the certificate of registration for the time being held by him”.

(2) In section 34 of that Act (grounds for refusal of registration) after subsection (1) there shall be inserted—

“(1A) The chief officer of police may refuse to register an applicant unless he is satisfied that the applicant will engage in business as a firearms dealer to a substantial extent or as an essential part of another trade, business or profession.”

(3) In section 38(8) of that Act (dealer to surrender his certificate of registration on being removed from the register) after the words “surrender his certificate of registration” there shall be inserted the words “and the register of transactions kept by him under section 40 of this Act”.

(4) After section 40(3) of that Act (entry of transactions in the register) there shall be inserted—

“(3A) Every person keeping a register in accordance with this section shall (unless required to surrender the register under section 38(8) of this Act) keep it for such a period that each entry made after the coming into force of this subsection will be available for inspection for at least five years from the date on which it was made.”

(5) In the Table in Part I of Schedule 6 to that Act (punishments for offences) in the second column of the entry relating to section 38(8), after the words “certificate of registration” there shall (in consequence of subsection (3) above) be inserted the words “or register of transactions”.

14 Auctioneers, carriers and warehousemen. E+W+S

(1) It is an offence for an auctioneer, carrier or warehouseman—

(a) to fail to take reasonable precautions for the safe custody of any firearm or ammunition which, by virtue of section 9(1) of the principal Act, he or any servant of his has in his possession without holding a certificate; or

(b) to fail to report forthwith to the police the loss or theft of any such firearm or ammunition.

(2) An offence under this section 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.