How to legally dispose of an Air Rifle in Scotland 2024

[YEOLDOAK]

Currently sitting in storage amongst household items which needs to be cleared are a couple of Pre-charged pneumatic sub 12ft Airguns,
Air Arms S410 carbine 10 shot from 2006 and a Titan Bearcat from around 1996, these have been sitting forgotton for the best part
of 15 yrs, covered and oiled prior to storage, things have changed in the law of ownership in Scotland since then
so its a case of how to go about there disposal.
Am of the mind to perhaps aproach a shooting shop in person without the Airguns to see if there is a procedure to sell to the gunshop ?
or is it a case of just let the police dispose of them ?
There is of course some value in them whense my thoughts on approaching a gun shop, ideally if someone with a valid licence,
permit purchased them for a discount sum, but unless its a face to face sale, as posting seems out of the question due to
carriers rules not to mention the law on such item, its difficult to know how to go about it, whense my asking.

I would very much appreciate some advice, insight on how best to go about things.
Thanks

 

[Broch]

It's perfectly legal to ship sub12ft-lbs air rifles in the UK

Or you can use a shop sales service.

Both discussed here:

Posting Of Airguns - The Simple Rules - MK Guns

When sending an air gun in the post within the UK, you must adhere to specific rules and regulations to ensure that the shipment is legal and safe.

mkguns.co.uk

 

[YEOLDOAK]

I dont hold any Air Gun certificate in Scotland, no BASC insurance
or shooting permission, all lapsed many years ago, that puts me in a spot
whereby I shouldnt have these ? under Scotlands law so how could I post
when technically its ilegal as is for me to have ? unless I'm mistaken ?

 

[Broch]

Ah, sorry, missed the Scotland bit

A visitors permit is only £20 so, if you have a friend over the border, they could get a visitors permit, come and pick the airguns up from you legally, then sell them in England for you.

I suppose it depends how far south you are in the country.

You could probably do the same with a gun shop though too. Perhaps a bit dodgy taking them there and you won't get full value.

 

[scruff]

I know someone who might be interested in the Titan Bearcat.

You can do a shop transfer generally known as (although technically through an) RFD (Registered Firearms Dealer).

 

[Herman30]

Air Gun certificate in Scotland, no BASC insurance
or shooting permission

Can´t you even own and shoot airrifles without some certificate?!

 

[YEOLDOAK]

A visitors permit thats an interesting thought,
Yes someone coming to my door with a ticket would be ideal, they could
have the lot including the dive tank : ) though I'm in the Inverness area which
doesnt help.
If I walk into a gunshop with said items, I technically would not be allowed
to leave the shop with them ? meaning I would have to accept any offer if
a gunshop was to buy, or not buy and then where would I be ?

 

[YEOLDOAK]

"Can´t you even own and shoot airrifles without some certificate?!"

The ball ache to get the certificate for a sub 12ft, you have to apply and give reasons
as to why to the Police, written consent with details of your shooting permision
amongsts others, and then it can still get rejected.

 

[hughtrimble]

meaning I would have to accept any offer if
a gunshop was to buy, or not buy and then where would I be ?

I don't not be telling the shop if you have a licence or not, if that's the case. Offer to them, get the price you're happy with, or if they don't offer what you're after, move onto another shop. Not sure why they need to know if you have a licence or not until after you've completed the sale, by which point you've agreed a price.

 

[Nice65]

I’d be phoning the shops for advice, not visiting.

 

[richy3333]

Did you manage to dispose of these? I'm north of Inverness and might be interested. I have an 'air weapon licence'.

 

[YEOLDOAK]

@Nice65
"I’d be phoning the shops for advice, not visiting."
Yeh I think a phone call is probably best to get a taste of things initially.

@richy3333 "Did you manage to dispose of these?"
No I still have them, am going through a hoard of outdoor gear the mo,
it seems some of the knives I have are on the naughty list of this zombie thing,
namely some sawback 80s stuff, so just trying to determine whats ok and not
then go from there with everything.
However, am happy to discuss things in a pm.

Things have changed so much this past few yrs, I purchased an opinel folder from an industrial supplies shop some months back and the shops policy was to show photo ID, then they pulled out a log book listing all there bladed sales of which they then
asked for my address to add to this log book, I asked whats it for, they
told me the police visit them to look at these sales logs.

 

[Chris]

Things have changed so much this past few yrs, I purchased an opinel folder from an industrial supplies shop some months back and the shops policy was to show photo ID, then they pulled out a log book listing all there bladed sales of which they then
asked for my address to add to this log book, I asked whats it for, they
told me the police visit them to look at these sales logs.

That is utter madness. There is no law or regulation stating that they need to do that as far as I am aware?

I’d be tempted to send a Data Deletion GDPR request to them as they likely don’t have a legitimate reason to hold that data for that purpose.

 

[YEOLDOAK]

Absolutely its madness, its overreaching, the guy himself said
"this is the bit you make things up" words to that effect, I gave him something of an
address : ) as far as I can tell it stops at just showing photo ID, even then
for an ugly bearded old fart like me seems more than needed.

 

[Herman30]

UK is more and more becoming a police state. As if 1984 was not a warning but a blue print for the powers that be.

 

[Laurentius]

If an Englishman were to buy it from you in a private sale, and you were to hand it over to him and he were to take it down south over the border, would either of you have committed an offence in Scotland or in England?

 

[C_Claycomb]

@Herman30,
That last post wasn't really helpful. You don't live here, so you don't have that as an excuse for venting your opinions. Please remember that we like to keep politics off the forum. There is a thin fuzzy line for topics like this where folk that have to live with the laws get leeway to grumble about them, but your comments were crossing the line of the allowable.

 

[Herman30]

OK. Sorry, no excuse other than sometimes my emotions take over and spill over to keyboard

 

[YEOLDOAK]

@Laurentius
"If an Englishman were to buy it from you in a private sale, and you were to hand it over to him and he were to take it down south over the border, would either of you have committed an offence in Scotland or in England?"

Broch, mentions above a visitors permit, so someone from England could collect them ?
though unsure how this works exactly. An air weapon certificate is £72 for 5 years and is a requirement or a visitors permit.

Quoted from BASC site,
"visiting Scotland with an airgun you may need to apply for a visitor’s permit. These will be issued by Police Scotland and may enable those granted a permit to possess, acquire, use, or purchase an airgun during the qualifying period, without holding an actual air weapon certificate"

 

[Protopict]

@Laurentius
"If an Englishman were to buy it from you in a private sale, and you were to hand it over to him and he were to take it down south over the border, would either of you have committed an offence in Scotland or in England?"

Broch, mentions above a visitors permit, so someone from England could collect them ?
though unsure how this works exactly. An air weapon certificate is £72 for 5 years and is a requirement or a visitors permit.

Quoted from BASC site,
"visiting Scotland with an airgun you may need to apply for a visitor’s permit. These will be issued by Police Scotland and may enable those granted a permit to possess, acquire, use, or purchase an airgun during the qualifying period, without holding an actual air weapon certificate"

The book says:

The Air Weapon and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 was introduced on the 31 December 2016.

If you wish to purchase or acquire any air weapon in Scotland after that date you must now obtain an Air Weapon Certificate or Air Weapon Permit.

Possession of an air weapon without lawful authority is now an offence under Section 2(1) of the Air Weapon and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015.

Access full guidance on the Air Weapon and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015, including exemptions to the Act.

There must be thousands of Air Rifles still in attics and sheds in Scotland, despite several poorly advertised campaigns to get them handed in before the licensing policy came into effect - (active shooters were more aware of the changes than the general public).

As I understand it - nobody can purchase these now unlicensed firearms unless you are an Air Weapons Licence holder and the purchaser is too (or an RFD) - as, without a licence, you should not be in possession of any air rifles in Scotland.

I am sure some leniency will be afforded to those who discover an old air rifle in the attic - as long as it goes straight into a Police Station for destruction along with samurai swords and zombie knives. The trouble starts if an unlicensed holder gets burgled and the weapon is then used in a criminal act - I can see that being a real problem to resolve.

If someone holding an Air Weapons Licence took them off your hands they may later be asked to provide evidence of where they obtained them? - this may be a red-herring concern as the AWL does not specifically record individual weapons, many of which have no serial numbers anyway. An AWL holder can theoretically have as many air rifles as they like - like golf clubs for different conditions - without individual weapon records on Licence it does seem rather strange - but the higher authority is the AWL to possess, not past ownership.

If you have spoken to RFD's on the telephone it would be interesting to know what they have said.

IMO placing the weapons in the hands of an AWL holder is preferable to attic / shed finds going astray.

As the Police Scotland Amnesty(s) have long gone and offered no compensation anyway for weapons handed in - the intrinsic value is academic and arguably far outweighed by downside risks.

I hope you find a solution.