Air rifles - Scotland

[gerarddwatts]

Virtually everything that the SNP air weapon legislation makes illegal was already illegal, just not properly enforced.
All the much vaunted 'consultation' said leave it alone.
The SNP, in their drive to be different, and in a pathetic piece of virtue signalling, decided to ignore the consultation and advice...including that from Police Scotland...and made air weapons licensable.
This does not include the thousands in hall cupboards, under beds etc that nobody ever knew about.
Sadly not worth chancing bringing one up even for the commendable purpose of shooting grey squirrels

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

Why would your mate want to kill a squirrel?

Because they are a pest species that have no place here - Plus they are C U N T S

 

[Clifton]

Ok, ok. I just happen to enjoy watching them here playing around under the bird feeder and in the trees. I don't see many fairy diddles (red squirrels) around just gray, and of course chipmunks now that my cat is gone.

 

[dmilne]

If you have an FAC you can take it with you.. More daft laws...

or just see post no 17... D

 

[fatbaldbob]

If you have an FAC you can take it with you.. More daft laws...

or just see post no 17... D

Not sure that’s correct; even if you have an FAC or Shotgun Cert you still require an Air Weapon Cert; to reduce the load on the Police current FAC / shotgun cert holders could getaway with it (in Scotland) and keep an Air Weapon but apply to have it added on their next FAC or Shotgun renewal. The system is ludicrous, no licensing for Crossbows which will do way more damage than a sub 12ftlb air rifle.

I have a Scottish “Air Weapon Cert” and could not believe that on my last renewal the Police actually phoned me and put me through a verbal test asking me about all the laws surrounding their use; access to it, security, backstops, landowners permission, pellets straying off the permission etc. They then went on about justification for use. I told them target shooting, vermin control and shooting live quarry. This led to a further interrogation about shooting what and where. After all that they then said they could still not authorise it until they had spoken to my referees and landowner who gave permission to shoot on their land. They did indeed contact the above to verify I was telling the truth.

After all that I thought I may as well just have gotten a full FAC as it’s the same process and I guess many people have done that.

 

[Clifton]

I dunno, it seems a little much that bureaucrats and police spend time on certificates, interrogation, and permits just for law abiding citizens to own air guns.

 

[Loiq]

I dunno, it seems a little much that bureaucrats and police spend time on certificates, interrogation, and permits just for law abiding citizens to own air guns.

welcome to scotland

can't even buy booze on certain days, bunch of puritanical nonces

 

[Clifton]

can't even buy booze on certain days, bunch puritanical nonces

Well now you mention it, unless they changed it, in WV liquor isn't sold on Sundays. But beer and wine are, the Lord is fine with beer and wine on Sunday.

 

[Loiq]

can't recall for certain. ut I think it's all booze is banned by the fun police... but heroine, skag, brown call it what you like and all the pills are available from any dealer...

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

can't recall for certain. ut I think it's all booze is banned by the fun police... but heroine, skag, brown call it what you like and all the pills are available from any dealer...

I bet you can buy a Wank Mag on a Sunday but not a Bible

 

[Loiq]

I bet you can buy a Wank Mag on a Sunday but not a Bible

you don't say! Well it's not all bad then....?

 

[Jazbee]

Fecking SNP, another stupid law no-one asked for
Along with minimum unit alcohol pricing (no evidence it reduced Scotland's drink problems) and banning "happy hours" and changing the drink drive limit, installing higher taxes - I could go on, but hopefully someone will (now the SNP have thankfully their grasp relinquished) reverse and bring back in-line with UK
SNP's legacy is a travesty

And......you still can't have a glass of wine or beer on the train when off to Edinburgh (or wherever) for the weekend with the missus (brought out during Covid times and retained by the nanny state SNP)

 

[gerarddwatts]

And......you still can't have a glass of wine or beer on the train when off to Edinburgh (or wherever) for the weekend with the missus (brought out during Covid times and retained by the nanny state SNP)

Ban lifted on 2 June 25...they had to really...everyone was ignoring it anyway

 

[Pepsi]

The Grey's that came over from the USA carry a disease that kills the native Red's and Black's and are considered vermin.

We have many grey squirrels in our garden and we encourage it. It’s nice to watch them coming in for the food we leave them. They’re only trying to be friendly.

 

[dmilne]

Google says the FAC thing is for FACs issued before 2016? Something to do with Covid? I can't find any other references , but if you wish to read through the SNP madness of the Air WEAPONS act you may find it. I read it some time ago and all I clearly remember was the word WEAPONS in practically every sentence.. THEY ATE NOT WEAPONS THEY ARE SPORTING GUNS. It would be illegal to use them as weapons just like your carving knife , axe , hammer or screwdriver or whatever you have at home.. so don't call 'em weapons... just sayin' ;-{

 

[King Rat]

We have many grey squirrels in our garden and we encourage it. It’s nice to watch them coming in for the food we leave them. They’re only trying to be friendly.

Inadvertently, you are killing the red squirrels in your area. The squirrel pox and adenovirus that the grey squirrels carry, but do not suffer from, is a massive, secret killer of other wildlife. All other small rodents, such as voles, field mice, harvest mice, dormice are devastated by adenovirus. That then has a knock-on effect to those creatures that prey on such small mammals, such as the snake population and smaller birds of prey.

Feeding grey squirrels is such a good thing to do.

 

[Pepsi]

Inadvertently, you are killing the red squirrels in your area. The squirrel pox and adenovirus that the grey squirrels carry, but do not suffer from, is a massive, secret killer of other wildlife. All other small rodents, such as voles, field mice, harvest mice, dormice are devastated by adenovirus. That then has a knock-on effect to those creatures that prey on such small mammals, such as the snake population and smaller birds of prey.

Feeding grey squirrels is such a good thing to do.

We have never had red squirrels where I live, nor do we have voles, field mice, harvest mice, dormice and we certainly don’t have snakes. I live in deepest, darkest Bradford, none of those creatures would venture into Bradford for fear of being eaten by some of our locals.

 

[King Rat]

We have never had red squirrels where I live, nor do we have voles, field mice, harvest mice, dormice and we certainly don’t have snakes. I live in deepest, darkest Bradford, none of those creatures would venture into Bradford for fear of being eaten by some of our locals.

There WERE red squirrels around Bradford, until the greys moved in.

To give you an idea how virulent the squirrel pox is, a friend ran photographic trips to a country hotel, not far from you, in Yorkshire. They had a resident population of red squirrels and each could be identified by ear tuft shape and colourations and other distinguishing marks or features. The hotel put up a feeding station for the guests and the reds came every day, for years they had been coming, each generation learning from their parents. Then one solitary grey was spotted on the feeder - within 3 weeks every red squirrel was dead from the squirrel pox. It is a devastating disease. Well done you for helping it to proliferate. I hope you are very proud of yourself. Ignorance is such bliss.





I doubt you will read it, but here is some information from the Red Squirrel Trust that might be enlightening:

Threats to Red Squirrels - Red Squirrel Survival Trust

www.rsst.org.uk

Disease - British Red Squirrel

Red squirrels can carry a variety of internal and external parasites, including lice, ticks and mites. It is essential to thoroughly clean squirrel feeders to avoid transmitting parasites and disease. Red squirrels are also susceptible to various diseases, some of them being: Squirrel Pox The...

www.britishredsquirrel.org

 

[Nice 'n' Fat]

We have many grey squirrels in our garden and we encourage it. It’s nice to watch them coming in for the food we leave them. They’re only trying to be friendly.

They only thing you should feed to Grey Squirrells is lead

 

[Bem]

I’m off to visit a mate near Perth next week, he’s asked me to bring my air rifle (sub 12 fl lbs) to try and shoot a grey squirrel that’s started visiting.

I’m thinking I may not legally be able to as air arms are licensed in Scotland ?

Can anyone confirm the situation for visiting Scotland with an air rifle?

Thanks
Rich.

Were you planning on stopping at Border Control in order to declare the possession of such an item, rather than just sailing in over the imagined demarcation line installed by the Wee Jimmy Cranky?
I can recall this situation existing between US and Canada in 2017 but no memory of it when I went Up North in 2019 to view Skye and such places.
Maybe somethings have changed.