Small arms on a yacht?

Champagne Murphy

Champagne Murphy

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 Jun 2011
Messages
5,799
Location
Suffolk
Visit site
Talking to a fella the other day who has an ocean going yacht. Not sure if he has used it in anger, as it were, but he says he has a firearms permit for stuff not normally permitted in the UK as he would need protection on a long distance trip.
I'd never heard of this, does anyone know if he full story?
 
If he did have a permit,I would think it is only valid in the country it was issue in, I think he is full of crap, ask to see it.
 
Champagne Murphy said:
Talking to a fella the other day who has an ocean going yacht. Not sure if he has used it in anger, as it were, but he says he has a firearms permit for stuff not normally permitted in the UK as he would need protection on a long distance trip.
I'd never heard of this, does anyone know if he full story?
Click to expand...

The yacht or the firearms permit?
 
AFAIK a UK firearms certificate allows the holder to import a UK registered firearm into another country. Thus, if you hold the correct paperwork you can have a firearm on board, declare it to the customs on entry and you can retain the weapon. However that's only half the story. As a private citizen in UK you cannot own a pistol, only rifles and shotguns (and Very pistols). So, if the person in question is claiming to own a pistol, he's telling porkies, unless he resident in some country outside of UK. A rifle or shotgun is a possibility but not if much use as a personal protection weapon, as they're just too big for that role.
As to the advisability of owning a weapon, unless you're prepared to shoot first and accept the consequences, they're pretty much nothing more than expensive, troublesome bits of engineering. In addition, unless you have the time and money to spend keeping in practice with them the chances of actually hitting anything with a pistol, rifle or shotgun at less than about 5 feet is minimal. Much better to stay away from trouble in the first place.
 
Carrying a gun on a cruising yacht is far more trouble than it's worth. You have to declare them everywhere you go, and usually this results in having to surrender them for the duration of your stay in country and collecting them on departure.

If you choose not to declare it then you risk a long prison sentence in an unpleasant part of the world.

I'd be wary of anyone who insists on the need for a weapon when cruising, and equally wary of their claims to unusual permits.
 
My understanding is that you can carry firearms and ammunition on a ship as ship's equipment without holding a firearms certificate. A ship is defined as an ocean going vessel and therefore most larger yachts could fall in this category. The firearms cannot be taken ashore from the ship without permission of a police officer which permission can only be given in very specific circumstances. Only pointing out the law and not whether it is a good idea!
 
In Novaya Zemlya, its a requirement for visiting craft to carry a rifle as protection against piratical polar bears... allegedly!
 
mainsail1 said:
My understanding is that you can carry firearms and ammunition on a ship as ship's equipment without holding a firearms certificate. A ship is defined as an ocean going vessel and therefore most larger yachts could fall in this category. The firearms cannot be taken ashore from the ship without permission of a police officer which permission can only be given in very specific circumstances. Only pointing out the law and not whether it is a good idea!
Click to expand...
I think that only counts if you can prove it to be safety equipment. A very pistol falls under that category, you'd have a hard time convincing the police of anything else.
 
Firearms onboard the problems, check into to a foreign non euro port the authorities are perfectly entitled to insist you deposit firearms ashore and the hassle that entails. Should you hold a European firearms pass you may keep them onboard though that begs the question why? Firing a rifle from a yacht is to say the least difficult that leaves either an automatic /pump action shotgun legal to hold if you have a valid reason(known as a section five) sailing around the deep blue is not a valid reason. A pistol is has previously been mentioned restricted to police military and certain authorised persons, that leaves the very pistol devastating at ten feet and you have one shot! He's telling porkies , it's much easier to sail in nice places and keep our eyes open!
 
JVL said:
Firing a rifle from a yacht is to say the least difficult that leaves either an automatic /pump action shotgun legal to hold if you have a valid reason(known as a section five) .. He's telling porkies , it's much easier to sail in nice places and keep our eyes open!
Click to expand...

In the UK, semi-auto shotguns (up to three cartridges) are covered under standard shotgun rules (section 2); pump action and semi-auto shotguns that can hold more than three cartridges are covered by section 1 (along with rifles and the like). Section 5 covers full auto and the esoteric stuff.

It is reasonable that the character referred to in the OP might have an appropriate licence from US allowing, for example, concealed carry (handgun) ... but as long as no weapons were held on board in the UK then it's a great story for bragging rights at the bar without any comeback from the authorities.
 
mainsail1 said:
My understanding is that you can carry firearms and ammunition on a ship as ship's equipment without holding a firearms certificate. A ship is defined as an ocean going vessel and therefore most larger yachts could fall in this category. The firearms cannot be taken ashore from the ship without permission of a police officer which permission can only be given in very specific circumstances. Only pointing out the law and not whether it is a good idea!
Click to expand...
No you can't. You must have a firearms certificate even for a Very pistol.
 
Maybe some people should read the firearms act, this an excerpt and also applies to Very pistols -

Ship and hovercraft equipment
6.51 No certificate is necessary to authorise the possession of firearms and ammunition subject
to section 1 of the 1968 Act on board ship as part of the ship’s equipment (section 13(1)(a)
of the 1968 Act). A certificate is, however, required to acquire. Under section 13(1)(c) of the
1968 Act a police officer may issue a permit (form 115) authorising the removal of a firearm
to which section 1 of the 1968 Act applies (but not ammunition), to or from a ship for any
purpose specified in the permit. A permit granted by a police officer does not permit the
possession of prohibited weapons subject to section 5 of the 1968 Act.
 
I have always suspected that those Russian owned "Super Yachts" have an armoury on board and I have always wondered what happens when they arrive here. Perhaps they are covered by the above act.

Interestingly, a few years ago (Less than 5) a motorcade of Russians arrived at my wifes school (A teacher) to look around and one of the body guards was clearly see to be wearing a holstered pistol. None of the teachers nor the head called the police top inform them.
 
It's a frequent topic for discussion on here. Some pro-NRA types think it's a good idea to be armed but there are too many factors against for me to consider it.

1. On arrival in foreign ports you are usually required to hand over your weapons for the duration of your stay yet it is when anchored off the shore that you are most likely to be boarded by criminals.

2. You may be all gung-ho and 'I'll slot the bad guys' but when it comes down to it, how soon do you start shooting? And if you hesitate, there's a good chance you'll get shot with your own weapons.

3. Producing a firearm immediately escalates a conflict. If the boarders are armed they'll almost certainly shoot first.

4. If you mis-read the situation and open fire you could end up in jail for life in a 3rd world country. I have been boarded at night by men in black; it's a very alarming experience. In my case it was Spanish police; imagine where I'd have been if I'd drawn a gun!

5. In the case of pirates, you are likely to be seriously out-gunned and a fibreglass hull is no protection.
 
GrahamM376 said:
Maybe some people should read the firearms act, this an excerpt and also applies to Very pistols -

Ship and hovercraft equipment
6.51 No certificate is necessary to authorise the possession of firearms and ammunition subject
to section 1 of the 1968 Act on board ship as part of the ship’s equipment (section 13(1)(a)
of the 1968 Act). A certificate is, however, required to acquire. Under section 13(1)(c) of the
1968 Act a police officer may issue a permit (form 115) authorising the removal of a firearm
to which section 1 of the 1968 Act applies (but not ammunition), to or from a ship for any
purpose specified in the permit. A permit granted by a police officer does not permit the
possession of prohibited weapons subject to section 5 of the 1968 Act.
Click to expand...
Several years ago I had a Very pistol on my boat and had to get a Firearms Cert which I held for several years just for that purpose. The police informed me that if I did not get a Firearms cert the pistol must be destroyed or surrendered to the police.
 
Last edited:
I have read the fire arms legislation and I think people are getting confused. So long as a firearm is part of a ship's equipment and does not leave the ship I still believe what I said above is correct. I think Graham M376 has even quoted the appropriate section of the 'overview issued by the Home Office.

To clarify, IMHO, if you want to buy the guns that are to be ship's equipment in the UK you would need to either have a relevant firearms certificate or ask the provider who will have a firearms licence, to bring the items to the ship.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top