firearm laws in the south east end of London?

Question

i live in USA. met a woman on myspace who claims she lives in London and owns a firearm. looking for someone who knows the laws in London and can tell if the following is true. i want to make sure she is in not in Nigeria and is about to ask me to send money to help her father, the king, get millions out of the country.
i thought all firearms had been banned in england.

she said, "I send £40 to the Police every four years along with eight photographs of myself and a form with all my details on it. Then a Policeman (well up to now it's been a man) comes to inspect my gun and make sure it's bolted to the wall in my house."

the way i wrote this question has confused some, let me make the question clear.

the question is, is this statement true,
"I send £40 to the Police every four years along with eight photographs of myself and a form with all my details on it. Then a Policeman (well up to now it's been a man) comes to inspect my gun and make sure it's bolted to the wall in my house."

the reason why i am asking is to make sure she is really living and London, and owns a firearm, and not just telling me this to become friends with me and then run this scam,
ask me to send money to help her father, the king, get millions out of the Nigeria.
or any other scam.
my myspace page says i am an American and i own firearms. pretending to own firearms in the UK, would be a great way to earn my trust.

paranoid people live longer.

i apologize to those i confused, and thank those who probably read it several times before they understood it.

Answer 1

As others have stated, to keep firearms you need a firearms certificate which is issued through an application to your local police. Unless you have firearms approved land (farmer, gamekeeper and the like) you need to be a regular full member at a gun club. On your application, you need references - one of which must be a secretary or official from your club.

You need to supply photographs with the application. On the application, you must state the types and numbers of firearms you wish to hold as well as amount of ammunition you wish to store at home.

The cabinet has to be a kite-marked type and must be passed upon inspection by the police firearms liaisons officer before an FAC is granted. The cabinet must be dead bolted to a major wall (floor is a bonus as well) and should be out of site to visitors (inside a roof space etc.).

If the FAC holder ceases to use the gun-club, is convicted of certain criminal offences or suchlike, then the FAC can be withdrawn and any firearms and ammo ceased.

As someone else has stated, we have not had a King for sometime and it sounds like the story you have been fed is a scam - I have received numerous emails telling me that if I send an amount of money then I will be liable to get hold of a fortune etc.

If I were you my friend I would cease all communications with this person before you do something you regret!

The firearms law is the same for the whole of the UK, but certain legislations and requirements may change from one Police Constabulary to another but they will all meet the same basic legal requirements.


EDIT- ONLY 4-PHOTOS ARE REQUIRED..

The renewal fee is £40.

BE AWARE, THIS INFORMATION IS FREELY AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET OR FROM A POLICE STATION.

Answer 2

It's perfectly possible for her to have a firearm of certain types.

From what she has described she is referring to renewing her firearms certificate every few years and the mandatory Police visit to make sure the firearms have secure storage. The law in the UK states that a private owner can keep shotguns or other firearms (no semi automatic weapons unless they have a max capacity but I don't know what the capacity is anymore) so long as the case they are locked in meets minimum home office standards and is securely fastened to the floor and an outside (or secure) wall of the house.

It doesn't sound to me like she's running a scam.

just so you know, we're not like the USA, cities in the UK don't have different gun laws. So the laws for London would be the same as for Sheffield or Birmingham or a small village somewhere.

I hope this helps.

Oh, and before I forget. My Father is the King of Nigeria and we need you to send $1,000 so we can help him escape the country with our fortune. In exchange we will wire to you the sum of $10,000,000 for your trouble ;o)

Answer 3

Well, she's nearly right. Certificate/licence renewal is every 5 years, not 4, and you only provide 4 photos. It's now very difficult in the UK to obtain a firearms licence unless you can prove your need and that you have a place to shoot. For a pistol or rifle you'll normally only get a licence if it is a target weapon and you are a member of a rifle or pistol club; you won't be allowed any form of automatic weapon. For a shotgun you need to show you have the land or access to land to shoot on safely.

In all cases, on renewal your storage facility is checked to see that it meets security requirements. My weapon is in a locked, bolted down case that meets the standards, the bolt is kept separately in another secured box, and the ammunition in a different place altogether

Whether she's trying to ingratiate herself with you, who knows?

Answer 4

Rifles are allowed and shotguns but you must have a licence. Hand guns and revolvers are not allowed since the Dunblane incident in which a nutcase with a handgun shot children and I think a teacher and himself. It was a classic situation of the system failing due to carelessness, so all legitimate handgun holders paid the price in a hastily drafted law, which was typical of what passes for Blair's government. passing silly laws as a knee jerk reaction.
It is noticeable that more hand guns than ever are used in crime here and I wonder if it is a true corollary

Answer 5

She can own a Section 1 or 2 firearm (rifle / shotgun) & a few other items.
A Firearms Enquiry Officer (part of the police) visit to check you & your home/storage out & you get a licence (for a fee).
Her FAC (Fire Arms Cert) will detail the firearm (serial number etc) & she uses this to both retain the gun & to buy ammunition.
If she wants to visit the EU to shoot she gets a FP (Firearms Passport) again the first step in getting one starts with the police.

Answer 6

Sounds to me like she is talking about a shotgun licence.

Here in the UK we do not have the right to bear arms, and there are many restrictions on what type of guns can be used and where and how they should be stored.

The shotgun gun and ammunition must be kept in a secure place and yes the house is inspected as part of the process

Answer 7

You can own a shotgun in this country if you are a Farmer but you will need a licence and the police certainly do visit you to make sure that everything is in order. I believe that happens every five years. However, the person you are in contact with sounds like a fake to me. Do not send any money or bank details.

Answer 8

It is legal to own a firearm if you have a licence and the police will inspect it in your home to make it is secure

Answer 9

Depends on what firearm she is reffering too, handguns are illegal but rifles and shotguns can be owned but you require a licence from the local police force.

Answer 10

Ignore the firearms bit - someone you do not know is asking you to participate in money-laundering? Please do not be so silly - this is one of the 419 scams. Try searching text from the letter/e-mail on the internet and see how many other people report this. Try the scambusters website or search for 419 fraud