Applying for shotgun license with criminal conviction

[Tyla 3,179]

3 hours ago, Meece said:

How are they going to help ?  Basic have absolutely no sway whatsoever .  As indicated by the hunting ban marches back when.  If they had any influence whatsoever people wouldn't have been waiting anything up to a year for renewal  of a cert.  Plod was just messing people about issuing section 7s one after the other.   It is a total disgrace and these orgs should have been on the case day and night threatening to take them to court .... anything.  But nothing.   Any  mention of basic is like a red reg to a buĺl to me.  They are brought into the mix by shooters as if what they say has any bearing.  All the time that the shooting comunity  even considers  this org it is another Nail in the box for shooting because  all their interested in doing is self gratification and self promotion. They were  trying to get shooters to pay to go to pigeon shooting seminars  to get a certificate that they'd been on a basic course. To show farmers !  What next a 15 yard swiming cert in case the shooter fell in a puddle. Its no good saying how their the leading voice ect but unless they play hard and get results for those who pay the subscriptions their about as effective as the girl guides. 

I agree with you but, as i said, some help is better than no help. I use SACS who I think are marginally better but still not great. Until someone else starts offering legal help as part of their subscription though they are all we've got.

[Sausagedog 7,381]

4 minutes ago, Tyla said:

I agree with you but, as i said, some help is better than no help. I use SACS who I think are marginally better but still not great. Until someone else starts offering legal help as part of their subscription though they are all we've got.

You'd be better of calling in a solicitor on the high street mate!

[Tyla 3,179]

15 minutes ago, Sausagedog said:

You'd be better of calling in a solicitor on the high street 

I've never had to use them so wouldn't know. I still maintain its better than nothing though

[ianm 2,594]

15 hours ago, Sausagedog said:

You'd be better of calling in a solicitor on the high street mate!

Trouble is with that route, an appeal against a decision by plod can cost 10k easily. Plod know it and take the chance people can't afford it.

[Meece 1,957]

5 hours ago, ianm said:

Trouble is with that route, an appeal against a decision by plod can cost 10k easily. Plod know it and take the chance people can't afford it.

Exactly. Mind you plod cant afford it out of their budget eithèr if their bluff is called. I knew a bloke who plod was going to do for a firearms offence. They all presented at the magistrates court and plod turned up with spotty boy duty solicitor.  The magistrate asked who was representing the defendant and when the £500 an hour barrister declared himself,  the magistrate said that the case was too serious for them to hear and that it would be referred to the crown court.  The case was dropped and cited that it wasn't in the public Interest.   They realised that yeah he might get a slap on the wrist but it was going to cost a fortune to achieve this and it wasn't worth it.

This is why the orgs should be aggressively engaging with those in goverment and not bothering with plod. the orgs way that they have meeting with plod to discuss policy issues is hardly playing hard. If you have no degree of control over a process, then all you have is a begging bowl to hold out for an odd scrap thrown on the ground.  Basic should spend for the benifit of the members and they should investigate crowd funding or funding from any source to challenge situations that just go unopposed.  I think that it is wrong for plod to spend public money with no risk to their pocket

Edited March 4, 2020 by Meece

[Sausagedog 7,381]

1 hour ago, ianm said:

Trouble is with that route, an appeal against a decision by plod can cost 10k easily. Plod know it and take the chance people can't afford it.

I meant in principle mate as in basic is next to useless. It would be equally prohibited going down the high street solicitors. 

[Meece 1,957]

An issue of this is one of finding any solicitor who would be able to tackle this.  I needed the services of a solicitor in regard to a building problem and it was very difficult to find one that take work like that on.  All the majority do is, probate, wills, conveyancing,  deeds of oath. To actually find one that is going in like a terrier and rag them about is difficult.   I chose the wrong profession. I would do it for the amusement of it. I suppose that it is the combat of it and the killer instinct.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Meece

[Alsone 789]

The big problem is funding. Apart from your own costs, lose and you could be liable for the Police's and they will almost certainly employ a Barrister. Often costs come in around £10K if you lose. If you're not rich or unemployed with no assets, it's a big risk.

You will need a specialist firearms Solicitor. You're average Solicitor isn't going to have a clue as it's a very specialist area. They do exist. Apart from the organisations that will know some, you can go to the Law Societies web site and search for a Solicitor by speciality. It should then list all the Solicitors with that expertise in your area:

https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk

Note I just checked, firearms licensing currently isn't listed in the specialities - you may to to telephone them for a the details of someone local.

Edited March 7, 2020 by Alsone

[Alsone 789]

On 03/03/2020 at 16:13, Meece said:

How are they going to help ?  Basic have absolutely no sway whatsoever .  As indicated by the hunting ban marches back when.  If they had any influence whatsoever people wouldn't have been waiting anything up to a year for renewal  of a cert.  Plod was just messing people about issuing section 7s one after the other.   It is a total disgrace and these orgs should have been on the case day and night threatening to take them to court .... anything.  But nothing.   Any  mention of basic is like a red reg to a buĺl to me.  They are brought into the mix by shooters as if what they say has any bearing.  All the time that the shooting comunity  even considers  this org it is another Nail in the box for shooting because  all their interested in doing is self gratification and self promotion. They were  trying to get shooters to pay to go to pigeon shooting seminars  to get a certificate that they'd been on a basic course. To show farmers !  What next a 15 yard swiming cert in case the shooter fell in a puddle. Its no good saying how their the leading voice ect but unless they play hard and get results for those who pay the subscriptions their about as effective as the girl guides. 

They gave me good advice and backed me with letters and phone calls. However, you'd have to check the terms and conditions of the insurance policy now as I'm not sure it covers licensing appeals.
 

 

[Meece 1,957]

4 hours ago, Alsone said:

They gave me good advice and backed me with letters and phone calls. However, you'd have to check the terms and conditions of the insurance policy now as I'm not sure it covers licensing appeals.
 

 

I have personally known of three others who contacted the org for simple advice and support and didn't get any support at all.   I was told not to rock the boat with the firearms dept and wait six months and then reapply for a variation.  It was a simple variatioñ !  I had held a cert for many years.  No problems but the foe was a total nob. He said  "22 centefire, ;;;  um is that one of those hornet things".?????  I ignored that stupid advice  and applied anyway.  No prob cert came straight through.    As for insurance cover,   Unless there is greater than a 51% chance of you winning they won't even consider the mission. No insurance will fight a case.  All they are there for is to shift the blame somewhere else and Chase a third party.  I paid extra for legal cover for  advise on my house policy. ( large well known company)  When I rang up the insurers legal company they said "our advice to you is to seek the advice of a good solicitor.  When I pointed out the fact that that's what I paid them for they replied that I wasn't covered under the 5 heads of cover ??  What ??  If you think that you are covered for something you'd better have read the small print. I now ignore basic and get my shooting/hunting/equipment Insurance  from ccc3.   £32.  You can call them and speak to someone who isn't a spotty school leaver and a person who knows what the score is and gives solid advice.  This is a big active shooting hunting site.  When did anyone from basic come on here and state what's happening and what they are ACTIVELY doing . And I don't mean having a nice cup of tea and a friendly chat about the weather once every six months.

Edited March 7, 2020 by Meece

[Alsone 789]

I got a lot of assistance from the BASC with my application a few years ago despite not being a member until after the issue started. I got hundreds of hours of advice, faxes, letter and telephone calls on my behalf over about a 6 month period from several people there including an ex Police FEO. Although I was in the right and they knew I'd win any case, they did make it quite clear there would be no assistance with any Court action I brought as I wasn't a member at the time, which was fair enough. I can't complain about that. As for cc3, if they cover licensing issues then go for it. It's not for me to tell you who to insure with. However, as you discovered with your Home Insurance, always read the small print. Be aware, that most Solicitors and insurers will not take on a case unless there's a reasonable prospect of winning it. I doubt CC3 will be different. To do so would be irresponsible and from an insurance point of view, suicide. How long do you think any representative body / insurance company would last if they had hundreds of people a year running up £10K bills on cases they were unlikely to win? They simply wouldn't have enough in membership / insurance premium to cover their costs.

[Liverpool1996 2]

On 02/03/2020 at 19:06, Meece said:

I'd  just apply,  I  wouldn't ask the opinion of any feo.   Most of them dont know the pointy  end from  The blunt end and they just come out with any old sort of tripe as do most plod, retired or serving.  I'd just fill in the form TRUTHFULLY and let the office staff in the department sort the bones out of that lot. About three  things will happen.  They'll  grant it.  They'll reject  it.  Or they'll ask questions.  I've known people who were totally unfit to have any sort of gun and that Includes a kid's spud gun. There was a bloke who came to our rifle club wjo was a complete slob.  From the start off he was aggressive and said about beating his neighbour up and going home to give the woman a backhander and putting her in her place.  He was a complete c**t.  The club Secretary and the chairman of the club had a word in the department's ear saying that in no way would they endorse any application.   Eventually he stopped coming to our club and jumped through several other clubs who all knew the officials in these other clubs and all of these clubs concured  that he was a serious risk and notified the department accordingly . this bloke just kept applying and much to everyone's surprise they gave him both a sgc and a fac. Right or wrong ?  Just apply.

Had my interview today, it was a police officer who done it went well gave all the information he needed, showed him the cabinet he was happy with it. Waiting game now, he couldnt tell me much if I would get it or not decision is down to whoever signs it off 

[Meece 1,957]

20 hours ago, Liverpool1996 said:

Had my interview today, it was a police officer who done it went well gave all the information he needed, showed him the cabinet he was happy with it. Waiting game now, he couldnt tell me much if I would get it or not decision is down to whoever signs it off 

Well there you go.   As far as the knowledge of the foe or plod their just a waste of time. They could have sent the postman or anyone out to se if you had a cabinet that was secured to the house.  My internal or external  secunity hasn't been been physically checked for the last fifteen + years. And now they ask a doctor  who doesn't know me from Adam to tick a load of boxes about me. And charge me 30 quid for the privilege.   Then they get the wording on the cert wrong and it has to be sent back. All you got to do now is wait and see. Then if you get issued be a good person or else the time and money will be gone up the wall.

Edited October 29, 2020 by Meece