cliff
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Does anyone know if Flare guns are classed as firearms in the UK.
Are they hence illegal to carry on board?
[/ QUOTE ]I have just gone down that road and the procedure / requirements are as follows:
One needs a firearms permit - there are no exceptions and they are not easily acquired now days even for verey pistols.
In the U.K. the flare cartridges have to be purchased from a licensed dealer / supplier. Your local gunsmith will not stock them and will be reluctant to supply due to the hassle he will have in getting them. Due to the nature of the shell they cannot be sent by ordinary mail or courier (they are both explosive and incendiary)
The law changed and merchant ships are no longer required to carry verey pistols hence there is very little demand for them or the cartridges now in the U.K. although I was given the names of TWO sources where I could obtain replacement shells - one on the south coast and one in Aberdeen.
The firearms permit issue was void in my case as I already hold such and it would have been an amendment only but the availability and COST of shells was the decider for me - it is cheaper to use rocket parachute flares unless you intend to fire of lots of white flares for collision avoidance purposes and even then the cost is damnable.
A further point is not all 1" pistols will take all 1" shells you may need to stick with the pistol maker's shells.
If you want one for "repelling boarders" a rocket propelled parachute flare fired horizontally is as good as any and burns longer! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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Does anyone know if Flare guns are classed as firearms in the UK.
Are they hence illegal to carry on board?
[/ QUOTE ]I have just gone down that road and the procedure / requirements are as follows:
One needs a firearms permit - there are no exceptions and they are not easily acquired now days even for verey pistols.
In the U.K. the flare cartridges have to be purchased from a licensed dealer / supplier. Your local gunsmith will not stock them and will be reluctant to supply due to the hassle he will have in getting them. Due to the nature of the shell they cannot be sent by ordinary mail or courier (they are both explosive and incendiary)
The law changed and merchant ships are no longer required to carry verey pistols hence there is very little demand for them or the cartridges now in the U.K. although I was given the names of TWO sources where I could obtain replacement shells - one on the south coast and one in Aberdeen.
The firearms permit issue was void in my case as I already hold such and it would have been an amendment only but the availability and COST of shells was the decider for me - it is cheaper to use rocket parachute flares unless you intend to fire of lots of white flares for collision avoidance purposes and even then the cost is damnable.
A further point is not all 1" pistols will take all 1" shells you may need to stick with the pistol maker's shells.
If you want one for "repelling boarders" a rocket propelled parachute flare fired horizontally is as good as any and burns longer! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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