Shotgun grant interview

Bshooter20 · Sep 17, 2024

Hi all,
I have my shotgun grant interview on Thursday this week and am just looking for a general view of the kind if things that are asked and an idea of the interview it's self. How have your experiences been? I know they can very from force to force. My local force is gwent police. Any Insights would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

FESkent · Sep 17, 2024

just be your self, remember for a shotgun certificate it is your legal right to have one without justification (unlike an FAC) so answer any questions honestly and all will be good.

eightlittlebits · Sep 17, 2024

Best of luck with it, mine booked Wednesday next week.

MartynB · Sep 17, 2024

The main point of the interview is to establish your attitude to owning a weapon is solid . All the background checks will have been done . So it’s about you keeping it locked up , keeping the keys secure ( a seperate key safe in a cupboard is liked by the FEOs around these parts ) and generally preventing access to everyone else . Keeping the ammunition in a reasonable place . The doors , locks and windows on the house might be looked at . The cabinet if it’s already installed might be tugged and pulled to ensure it’s really fixed . May be a few questions about who lives in the house with you , what do they think about guns in the house ? In one way or another you will be asked why you want the gun .

Bshooter20 · Sep 17, 2024

Thanks guys! Yea a key lock box in our fitted wardrobe is the way I have gone MartynB. What is considered a reasonable place for ammunition? I was going to put them on the highest shelf of our wardrobe?

SBL · Sep 17, 2024

They're keen on safety in all aspects. If you have CCTV, alarm, security gates etc, tell them.
Keys will be kept away from other householders. Gun remains locked away at all time unless you are using or cleaning it.
I'd say they're a bit more formal than in years gone by but ultimately, decent people. Be nice, smile and say the right things.

SBL · Sep 17, 2024

Bshooter20 said:
Thanks guys! Yea a key lock box in our fitted wardrobe is the way I have gone MartynB. What is considered a reasonable place for ammunition? I was going to put them on the highest shelf of our wardrobe?

I'd say out of sight in a wardrobe will be just fine.

FESkent · Sep 17, 2024

Bshooter20 said:
Thanks guys! Yea a key lock box in our fitted wardrobe is the way I have gone MartynB. What is considered a reasonable place for ammunition? I was going to put them on the highest shelf of our wardrobe?

Cartridges are heavy in slabs of 250, the bottom of the wardrobe or anywhere in the house will do, just keep them away from damp and very cold conditions. Consider that you will likely be buying a 1000 at a time to get the best price.
Look forward to the certificate arriving and buying your gun.

chesterse · Sep 17, 2024

The classic one is that your partner or whoever else is living in the house should not know where the safe keys are kept.
They may ask leading questions just think before you answer.

MartynB · Sep 17, 2024

Bshooter20 said:
Thanks guys! Yea a key lock box in our fitted wardrobe is the way I have gone MartynB. What is considered a reasonable place for ammunition? I was going to put them on the highest shelf of our wardrobe?

The strange thing about shotgun cartridges is that you need a certificate to buy them , but not to possess them . Therefore no one will commit an offence if for example you share a cupboard or wardrobe with a family member . Obviously you need to assess the risk in the house , you would keep them away from storage accessible to children for example . I keep mine on racking In a detached garage which is very secure , no kids , older couple , zero risk . The Firearms guys are very pragmatic and if something falls short they’ll discuss it with you to arrive at a solution .

Richy3333 · Sep 17, 2024

chesterse said:
The classic one is that your partner or whoever else is living in the house should not know where the safe keys are kept.
They may ask leading questions just think before you answer.

I know someone that had their certificate revoked because of this. FEO arrived before the certificate holder. FEO asked the wife if she knew where the keys were so he could check the cabinet. She handed them over. He lost his certificate. On the plus side he gave me a set of Teague chokes he no longer had a use for!

Philip Day · Sep 17, 2024

It's easier if everyone in the house has a certificate. This works for us.

donna · Sep 17, 2024

Philip Day said:
It's easier if everyone in the house has a certificate. This works for us.

Us too!

Keith B · Sep 17, 2024

Bshooter20 said:
Thanks guys! Yea a key lock box in our fitted wardrobe is the way I have gone MartynB. What is considered a reasonable place for ammunition? I was going to put them on the highest shelf of our wardrobe?

Personally, my reply was that I buy ammunition at the range. There are no stipulations as far as I am aware of, but if you say you intend to buy shells, clearly they will smile upon you if you can show a separate secure box or safe for the ammunition (preferably in a different place to your shotgun cabinet). Otherwise buy a gun safe with incorporated ammo compartment.

Keith B · Sep 17, 2024

donna said:
Us too!

PS - opening your wardrobe door and pointing to the floor inside it is not recommended!

jasper · Sep 17, 2024

So the key safe is a good idea. Was recommended by my west mercia fella. Aside from your medical records they now check much more . Including finances etc. Be truthful. Ours was very reasonable and was not looking to bust balls. Be aware that if you repeatedly speed, are a drunken lout or the like your are likely to be refused or recinded. As not being a responsible person.
Told my feo the cartridges were under the bed.

He said fine, no problem. There are no minors in the house. No one else has access. And we are both licence holders.
He did also say that in the current review that some stipulations may be added to cartridge storage. But none at present.

Bshooter20 · Sep 18, 2024

Yea I have a key safe for the cabinet keys that only I know the combination to, no obvious combination aswell like important dates etc. So that's okay. I do have a little one, just turned one so that's why I was thinking on top of out wardrobe well out of his reach. But would it be advisable to just talk to the FEO about where to store the cartridges? I have no issue getting a smaller safe for the cartridges if I need too. Buy would that then mean another visit to check I have it ? Or would they take my word for it, then check on my renuel?

Robden · Sep 18, 2024

At my friend's visit, they asked the normal questions and tugged on the gun cabinet, but were more concerned about his wife's conviction for "drunk driving" 5 years previous. "Does she drink now? How much? Is she violent etc? By the way, they knew about it before he could tell them.
She was only a tad over the limit, but enough to fail the test. Now, neither of them drink any alcohol whatsoever when driving. Anyway, he was granted his SGC.

MartynB · Sep 18, 2024

Never had a problem in my last house with 12 slabs inside a built in wardrobe . The Section 1 stuff had to have a seperate safe , but as shotgun ammunition tends to be very bulky and heavy there is no mandate for steel storage boxes . I’m not a big fan of storing any ammunition in the same cabinet as gun , anyone who can pop a gun safe open will have an interior ammo box open in seconds .

Bshooter20 said:
Yea I have a key safe for the cabinet keys that only I know the combination to, no obvious combination aswell like important dates etc. So that's okay. I do have a little one, just turned one so that's why I was thinking on top of out wardrobe well out of his reach. But would it be advisable to just talk to the FEO about where to store the cartridges? I have no issue getting a smaller safe for the cartridges if I need too. Buy would that then mean another visit to check I have it ? Or would they take my word for it, then check on my renuel?

As above you don’t need a safe for the cartridges . Just diligence in where to keep them . There’s two things here , first meeting the requirements of storing cartridges at home , which you will do , and the second is stopping little ( and not so little ) kiddies playing with them ) the second can be accomplished in many ways without bolting another steel monstrosity to the wall . Out of interest how many cartridges are you thinking of storing?

Bshooter20 · Sep 18, 2024

Robden said:
At my friend's visit, they asked the normal questions and tugged on the gun cabinet, but were more concerned about his wife's conviction for "drunk driving" 5 years previous. "Does she drink now? How much? Is she violent etc? By the way, they knew about it before he could tell them.
She was only a tad over the limit, but enough to fail the test. Now, neither of them drink any alcohol whatsoever when driving. Anyway, he was granted his SGC.

Did they know all the details of her arrest? Or just that she had been arrested of drink driving ?

MartynB said:
Never had a problem in my last house with 12 slabs inside a built in wardrobe . The Section 1 stuff had to have a seperate safe , but as shotgun ammunition tends to be very bulky and heavy there is no mandate for steel storage boxes . I’m not a big fan of storing any ammunition in the same cabinet as gun , anyone who can pop a gun safe open will have an interior ammo box open in seconds .

As above you don’t need a safe for the cartridges . Just diligence in where to keep them . There’s two things here , first meeting the requirements of storing cartridges at home , which you will do , and the second is stopping little ( and not so little ) kiddies playing with them ) the second can be accomplished in many ways without bolting another steel monstrosity to the wall . Out of interest how many cartridges are you thinking of storing?

Yea I've been advised not to keep them in the gun safe as anyone who gets access to the safe has gun and ammo together.

I'll probably only buy a 1k slab at a time

Shotgun grant interview

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