Shotguns on public transport

[PhilS]

Extract from s19 the 1968 Act: 

19  Carrying firearm in a public place.

A person commits an offence if, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse (the proof whereof lies on him) he has with him in a public place

[a loaded shot gun,

an air weapon (whether loaded or not),

any other firearm (whether loaded or not) together with ammunition suitable for use in that firearm, or

an imitation firearm.]

I'm not a legal expert, but have a pretty decent understanding of the Law.

Dealing with the obvious first - It's clear the OP would have "reasonable excuse" given the plan to use the Guns at a shoot. And clearly it's illegal to carry a loaded shotgun in a Public Place (ie a place not authorised) 

So, for me the important words here (in the context of the question being asked) are "loaded" and "without lawful authority" 

But I would say "lawful authority" in this context means having your  Shotgun Certificate with you. But it could also be deemed to mean having the permission of the (in this case) train operator. 

However, if you check if the train operator has a list of items banned from being carried, and if Shotguns/Firearms do not appear on that list, then I would argue that you are ok to carry a shotgun provided it's covered; you have no ammunition with you and are carrying your Shotgun Cert. 

However, I'd agree that it would better if it was carried in such a way so as not to draw attention to it. 

Having said all that, here's what the Home Office advise:

"If firearms are transported on public transport they
should be covered in a suitable slip/case and
remain with the holder at all times, except when
carried on an aircraft, for example." 
 
Helpful? 

For those worried about carrying the shotgun on public (cased) the key is the wording of s19 of the Act that Finners kindly provided.

The applicable bit (for shotguns) reads A person commits an offence if, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse (the proof whereof lies on him) he has with him in a public place a loaded shot gun,......

So, so long as the gun is not loaded, and is cased/slipped, you are doing nothing wrong.  You  may be asked to show a valid certificate, so carry it with you, but that is all.  

If a friendly Officer of the Lieur wants to do anything different, then politely request the presence of his Duty Sergeant/Inspector and ask under what authority they are operating.  Their actions have to be reasonable and proportionate.

As for the hotel, I agree with the "say nowt and get on with it" view.  If asked tell them its a new Browning/Beretta/Perazzi/CG (or whatever name is on the case) Clarinet.  If they ask you to play it, decline politely and feign embarrassment  :crazy:

 

[Aris]

If a friendly Officer of the Lieur wants to do anything different, then politely request the presence of his Duty Sergeant/Inspector and ask under what authority they are operating.  Their actions have to be reasonable and proportionate. :haha:

Good luck with that one