SAFETY POLICY AND AIRGUN LAW.

Remember that you are always responsible for your air rifle.

Airguns can, and do, kill people.

SAFE GUN HANDLING

1. 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.”

2. Do not load your airgun until you are ready to fire it and are sure that the shot will be safe.

3. Never rely on a safety catch to make an airgun 'safe'.

4. Never put a loaded airgun down.

5. Never leave your airgun unattended.

6. On picking up an airgun, first make sure it's unloaded.

7. 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

1. Never store a loaded airgun.
2. Store your airgun and pellets separately.
3. Store your airgun and accessories out of sight.
4. Do not store your airgun anywhere that unauthorised people, especially young children, might gain access to it.
5. Consider whether there's an easy way to render your airgun incapable of being fired.

SPRINGER SAFETY

1. Always keep a firm grip on the cocking lever (either the barrel or a separate lever) while loading a pellet into the breech.
2. Never allow your trigger finger to touch the trigger during loading.
3. Keep the muzzle pointing in a safe direction during loading.
4. Never rely on an 'anti beartrap' mechanism.

PCP SAFETY

1. Never exceed the recommended fill pressure of a PCP.

2. Never fill a PCP with ANY gas other than breathing air.

3. Store your airgun and magazine separately.

4. Store your air bottle securely out of reach of young children.

5. 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.