Home Office
The possession of firearms and ammunition in Great Britain is regulated mainly by the Firearms Act 1968.
Guidance
You should read the Home Office guide on firearms licensing law alongside the statutory guidance for chief officers of police.
The firearms security handbook provides guidance for police and others on securely storing and moving guns.
The 2023 leaflet air weapons: a brief guide to safetycontains information on the safe handling and storage of air weapons, the different types of air weapons and air weapons and the law.
The specifications for adapting shotgun magazines were revised in 2010.
Apply for a shotgun or firearms certificate
You need a firearms certificate issued by the police to possess, buy or acquire a firearm or shotgun. You must also have a certificate to buy ammunition.
Apply for a shotgun or firearms certificate from your local police force.
Before applying for a certificate, please refer to our Guide on Firearms Licensing Law which contains information about the possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime (section 21 of the Firearms Act 1968).
You can find information about the fees charged for firearms applications on police websites and in our Guide on Firearms Licensing Law.
You should raise any enquiries or complaints about an application directly with the relevant local police force.
Apply for a Home Office firearms licence
You can apply for or manage a:
Find information about the relevant fee in the Home Office Guide on Firearms Licensing Law.
Deactivated firearms
This section sets out the law on deactivated firearms and information on the current deactivation standards. It also includes details of earlier deactivation standards that may still apply in some cases.
Technical specifications
New technical specifications for deactivated weapons came into force on 8 April 2016. The aim was to set common standards which would render deactivated weapons irreversibly inoperable. The reflect the revised standards that came into force from 28 June 2018 following a review of the specifications.
Firearms that fall outside the scope of Implementing Regulation 2018/337 should be deactivated to the requirements of the 2010 Specification - Adapting shotgun magazines and deactivating firearms. Such firearms include, but are not limited to, flare pistols, launchers, mortars and artillery pieces.
Deactivation certificates issued by the Proof Authority before the Regulations came into force are still valid. It is only when the owner of a previously deactivated firearm seeks to transfer it, or to offer to sell or gift the weapon, or sells or gifts the weapon, they will need to comply with the new standards.
Deactivated firearms that fall outside the scope of Implementing Regulation 2018/337 can still be transferred without the need for them to comply with the latest standards; these include flare pistols, launchers, mortars and artillery pieces.
Notifying possession or transfer
Should an owner subsequently wish to sell or transfer their deactivated firearm, the Home Office would need to be notified about the transaction. Details on how to notify possession or transfer of deactivated firearms is contained in Home Office Circular 010/2019: Firearms Regulations 2019 and the Firearms (Amendment) (No.2) Rules 2019.
Forms are available to notify possession, or transfer, of a deactivated firearm. Send completed forms to our dedicated inbox: deactivatedfirearmsnotifications@homeoffice.gov.uk.
Deactivated firearms that fall outside the scope of Implementing Regulation 2018/337 do not need to be notified for either possession or transfer; these include flare pistols, launchers, mortars and artillery pieces.
Deactivated firearms that were deactivated prior to 8 April 2016, do not need to be notified for possession.
If you have any questions please contact public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk
Earlier deactivation standards
The are as specified by the 2018 regulations. Some firearms were legally deactivated to a preceding standard and have remained unaltered in the owners possession.
Deactivation certificates issued by the Proof Authority before the 2018 regulations came into force are still valid. It is only when the owner of a previously deactivated firearm seeks to transfer it, or to offer to sell or gift the weapon, or sells or gifts the weapon, they will need to comply with the new standards.
Details of earlier standards are listed below.
8 April 2016: change in law affecting deactivated firearms
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