SAFETY POLICY AND AIRGUN LAW.
Remember that you are always responsible for your air rifle.
Airguns can, and do, kill people.
SAFE GUN HANDLING
- Always treat an airgun as though it were loaded, develop an awareness of where the barrel is pointing, and ensure that it is always pointing in a safe direction (toward the ground). Be especially careful with pistols, as they are short and light, it's easy to 'wave them about.'
- Do not load your airgun until you are ready to fire it and are sure that the shot will be safe.
- Never rely on a safety catch to make an airgun 'safe'.
- Never put a loaded airgun down.
- Never leave your airgun unattended.
- On picking up an airgun, first make sure it's unloaded.
- Before pulling the trigger, consider where the pellet might travel if you miss the target - don't shoot unless the shot is perfectly safe.
SAFE GUN STORAGE
- Never store a loaded airgun.
- Store your airgun and pellets separately.
- Store your airgun and accessories out of sight.
- Do not store your airgun anywhere that unauthorised people, especially young children, might gain access to it.
- Consider whether there's an easy way to render your airgun incapable of being fired.
SPRINGER SAFETY
- Always keep a firm grip on the cocking lever (either the barrel or a separate lever) while loading a pellet into the breech.
- Never allow your trigger finger to touch the trigger during loading.
- Keep the muzzle pointing in a safe direction during loading.
- Never rely on an 'anti beartrap' mechanism.
PCP SAFETY
- Never exceed the recommended fill pressure of a PCP.
- Never fill a PCP with ANY gas other than breathing air.
- Store your airgun and magazine separately.
- Store your air bottle securely out of reach of young children.
- Don't ever squirt high pressure air from a bottle at anyone.
Airguns and the law.
- If you are under 14 years old, you have to be supervised by an adult, (over 21.)
- You cannot legally own an air rifle, or buy pellets until you are 18.
- You can shoot in your garden, as long as pellets do not leave the boundaries of the property, so don't shoot high.
Think of your neighbours. Fit a silencer, and use a soft backstop, such as old carpet in front of a solid backstop to reduce noise. Never shoot from the bottom of your garden towards the house. Never shoot from a bedroom window. If you rent your property, check your lease, as many landlords do not allow shooting.
- You cannot shoot within 50 feet of the centre of a road, or footpath, where walkers may object.
- From 14 to 18, you can shoot at a club, or over a farmer's land, as long as you have permission. (It's a good idea to get third party insurance, and written permission from the land owner; dog walkers or hikers may see you, and report you to the police.) Our club insurance covers you to shoot at any recognised target club.
- The legal power limit for air rifles is 12 foot pounds, (an old measurement,) or 16 joules. For a pistol it's 6 fpe, or 8J. The club has a chronograph to test the power of your rifle. If it's over the limit, you have to take it to a gunsmith to make it legal.
- When transporting your rifle, keep it in a gunslip, or case. If it's in a car, keep in the boot, out of sight. Never leave a magazine in your rifle, even if it's empty. It's a good idea to keep pellets separately from the rifle.
From 14 to 18, when transporting an air rifle in a public place, you have to be supervised by an adult, over 21.
- Section 21 of the Firearms Act 1968, says that anyone who has served a prison sentence of up to three months is banned from owning an air rifle for 5 years. For more serious offences, there may be a lifetime ban.