Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997

Supplementary

29 Regulations

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations—

(a) prescribe requirements in relation to licensed pistol clubs, the operation of such clubs and the licensed premises of such clubs;

(b) impose obligations on the responsible officer or the persons responsible for the management of a licensed pistol club;

(c) impose obligations on persons who are authorised under section 27(2) above to have a small-calibre pistol in their possession on licensed premises of licensed pistol clubs without holding firearm certificates.

(2) The regulations may provide for breach of any provision made under subsection (1)(b) or (c) above to be an offence punishable on summary conviction with—

(a) imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale or both; or

(b) such lesser penalty as may be prescribed in the regulations.

(3) The regulations may provide that in any proceedings against a person for an offence under the regulations, it is a defence for him to prove that he took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid the commission of the offence.

(4) The power to make regulations under this section shall be exercisable by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

30 Powers of entry and inspection

(1) A constable or civilian officer duly authorised in writing in that behalf by the chief officer of police for the area in which any licensed premises of a licensed pistol club are situated may, on producing if required his authority—

(a) enter those premises, and

(b) inspect those premises, and anything on them,

for the purpose of ascertaining whether the provisions of this Part, any regulations under section 29 above, and any limitations or conditions contained in the licence of the club are being complied with.

(2) The power of a constable or civilian officer under subsection (1) above to inspect anything on licensed premises includes power to require any information which is kept by means of a computer and is accessible from the premises to be made available for inspection in a visible and legible form.

(3) It is an offence for any person intentionally to obstruct a constable or civilian officer in the exercise of his powers under subsection (1) above.

(4) An offence under subsection (3) above is punishable on summary conviction with a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.

31 Penalty for false statements

(1) It is an offence for a person knowingly or recklessly to make a statement false in any material particular for the purpose of procuring the grant, renewal or variation of a licence or the release of a small-calibre pistol from police custody under section 26 above.

(2) An offence under subsection (1) above is 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.