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Firearms Act 1968
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Version Superseded: 28/07/2010
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22 Acquisition and possession of firearms by minors.E+W+S
[F1(1)It is an offence—
(a)for a person under the age of eighteen to purchase or hire an air weapon or ammunition for an air weapon;
(b)for a person under the age of seventeen to purchase or hire a firearm or ammunition of any other description.]
[F2(1A)Where a person under the age of eighteen is entitled, as the holder of a certificate under this Act, to have a firearm in his possession, it is an offence for that person to use that firearm for a purpose not authorised by the European weapons directive.]
(2)It is an offence for a person under the age of fourteen to have in his possession any firearm or ammunition to which section 1 of this Act applies, except in circumstances where under section 11(1), (3) or (4) of this Act [F3or section 15 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988] he is entitled to have possession of it without holding a firearm certificate.
(3)It is an offence for a person under the age of fifteen to have with him an assembled shot gun except while under the supervision of a person of or over the age of twenty-one, or while the shot gun is so covered with a securely fastened gun cover that it cannot be fired.
(4)Subject to section 23 below, it is an offence for a person under the age of [F4eighteen] to have with him an air weapon or ammunition for an air weapon.
(5)F5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Textual Amendments
F1S. 22(1) substituted (1.10.2007) by Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (c. 38), ss. 33(2), s. 66(2); S.I. 2007/2180, art. 3(c)
F2S. 22(1A) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/2823, reg. 4(1)
F3S. 22(2): Words inserted by Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 (c. 45, SIF 51:1), s. 23(4) [Editorial Note: the amending section provides that the insertion is to be made after the words "of this Act". Those words appear twice in s. 22(2), but the sense of the subsection as amended seems to require that the insertion should be made after the second occurrence of those words.]
F4Word substituted (1.10.2007) by Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (c. 38), ss. 33(3), 66(2); S.I. 2007/2180, art. 3(c)
F5S. 22(5) repealed (20.1.2004) by Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (2003 c. 38), ss. 38(2)(b), 93, Sch. 3: S.I. 2003/3300, art. 2(c)(ii)
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