Rifle and Ammunition Storage

Gents,

I currently keep my shotgun and rifle in the Stn Armoury, but am keen to store them at home. I have seen plenty of 4-5 gun cabinets with lockable ammunition storage that seem to start at around £190ish. I have no need for such a sized cabinet; I only require a 2-3 gun cabinet, but can't seem to find one with ammunition storage. Is one able to keep ammunition stored in, say , a lockable cash box or something similar?

Any advise would be most gratefully received.

FF

 

There is actually no requirement for any sort of lockable cabinet in Firearms Law, just that "reasonable security" exists. In past generations, this meant you could just have the shotgun & ammo in a cupboard in your house.

Nowadays, however, the 50-odd separate Police Forces have taken it upon themselves to make up their own rules and requirements over and above the actual Law. For this reason, you need to contact your local Firearms Department, have yourself assigned to a Firearms Enquiry Officer (FEO) who covers your home area, and see what he/she is comfortable with.

Generally you will keep the Police happy if you have a metal gun cabinet secured to a solid wall. Ammo storage need not be in a safe-quality cabinet - often it is sufficient just to have it in a lockable cupboard or container - sometimes even if you have a good hiding place. An FEO just needs to see that you have a security plan/strategy that makes a good effort to provide "reasonable security".

When an FEO visits you, you should outline a "security plan" that covers all aspects of your home - e.g. "my neighbours are always at home/ my front door has a decent lock (p.s. door frame bolts are a cheap DIY addition that the Police just love....)/ the cop shop is just down the road/ I've hidden the cabinet behind a door/ my ammo box is under the insulation in the loft where no burglar will notice it/ etc/ etc".

Good idea to get a cabinet and install it before you invite the FEO to come and have a look: this prevents the need for a second "inspection" trip and places the onus on the Police to accept that you know what you are doing.

There tend to be lots of second hand gun cabinets on eBay, at lower prices than new items. Unless you have no plans to expand your shooting, best advice is always to get the biggest cabinet you can find - they have a tendency to fill up!

 

Don't they just! My collection still hasn't got as out of control as yours but I can see it being inevitable in the long run. I've already passed the "cabinet" stage. I ought to just live in a bunker and have done with it!

 

When I lived in Herts, the FEO came to inspect my premises...he was a total w@nker. I had shown him where I was going to keep the cabinet bolted to a wall in a walk in closet with a strengthened door & frame. He decided it wasn't secure enough as 'someone could break through the wall from the outside'!

FFS, I was on the 12th floor of a tower block!

 

All the more reason to just get it put in place first so they can't argue the toss. I've been on the receiving end of similar nonsense

To answer the original post, for the number of firearms you refer to, fit the following:

Five lever mortice lock to external doors. Frame reinforcing strip if needed.
Hinge Bolts to same. (Modern UPVC multilocking doors eliminate requirement for above)
Window locks to downstairs windows and readily accessible upstairs ones.
Largest cabinet you can fit in - bolted to a masonry wall, preferably an external one and ideally concealed within a built in wardrobe etc.
Separate cabinet for ammunition

An alarm is optional unless you live in a very high crime area in which case you probably have one anyway.

Hope this helps. 4(T)'s advice is bang on too.

 

However...

If you are living in quarters, you need to check station standing orders as to whether you are allowed to keep weapons there. Some camps insist that all firearms are kept in the central armoury...