(1)A person may, without holding a firearm or shot gun certificate, purchase a firearm from a registered firearms dealer if—
(a)that person has not been in Great Britain for more than thirty days in the preceding twelve months; and
(b)the firearm is purchased for the purpose only of being exported from Great Britain without first coming into that person’s possession.
[F1(1A)A person shall not be entitled under subsection (1) above to purchase any firearm which falls within category B for the purposes of Annex I to the European weapons directive unless he—
(a)produces to the dealer from whom he purchases it a document which—
(i)has been issued under provisions which, in the member State where he resides, correspond to the provisions of the principal Act for the issue of Article 7 authorities; and
(ii)contains the prior agreement to the purchase of that firearm which is required by Article 7 of the European weapons directive;
(b)shows that he is purchasing the firearm exclusively in connection with the carrying on of activities in respect of which he, or the person on whose behalf he is purchasing the firearm, is recognised, for the purposes of the law of another member State relating to firearms, as a collector of firearms or a body concerned in the cultural or historical aspects of weapons; or
(c)shows that he resides in the United Kingdom or outside the member States.]
(2)A registered firearms dealer who sells a firearm to a person who shows that he is entitled by virtue of subsection (1) above to purchase it without holding a certificate shall within forty-eight hours from the transaction send a notice of the transaction to the chief officer of police in whose register the premises where the transaction took place are entered.
(3)The notice of a transaction under subsection (2) above shall contain the particulars of the transaction which the dealer is required to enter in the register kept by him under section 40 of the principal Act and every such notice shall be sent [F2by permitted means].
(4)In the case of a transaction to which subsection (2) above applies the particulars to be entered in the register kept under section 40 of the principal Act (and accordingly contained in a notice under subsection (3) above) shall include the number and place of issue of the purchaser’s passport, if any [F3and, in a case where the transaction is one for the purposes of which a document such as is mentioned in subsection (1A)(a) above is required to be produced, particulars of the agreement contained in that document.].
[F4(4A) A notice is sent by permitted means for the purposes of subsection (3) if it is sent—
(a)by registered post;
(b)by the recorded delivery service; or
(c)by permitted electronic means (see section 18B).]
(5)It is an offence for a registered firearms dealer to fail to comply with subsection (2) above; and that offence 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.
F5 [( 6 )In the case of any failure to comply with subsection (2) above which is confined to the omission from a notice of the particulars of an agreement contained in a document such as is mentioned in subsection (1A)(a) above, subsection (5) above shall have effect as if for “six months”there were substituted “three months”.]
Textual Amendments
F1S. 18(1A) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/2823, reg. 8(1)
F2Words in s. 18(3) substituted (1.4.2011) by Firearms (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/713), arts. 1(1), 3(2)(a)
F3Words in s. 18(4) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/2823, reg. 8(2)
F4S. 18(4A) inserted (1.4.2011) by Firearms (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 (S.I. 2011/713), arts. 1(1), 3(2)(b)
F5S. 18(6) inserted (1.1.1993) by S.I. 1992/2823, reg. 8(3)