Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997
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| Long title | An Act to extend the class of prohibited weapons under the Firearms Act 1968 to include small-calibre pistols. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 1997 c. 64 |
| Introduced by | Jack Straw[1] |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales; Scotland |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 27 November 1997 |
| Commencement |
17 December 1997, 1 February 1998[2] |
| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | Firearms Act 1968, Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Text of the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk | |
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The Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 was the second of two Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1997 that amended the regulation of firearms within the United Kingdom. It was introduced by the newly elected Labour government of Tony Blair. The other Act was the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997.
Background
The act was created in response to the Snowdrop Petition following the Dunblane Massacre. The previous Conservative government had followed the recommendations of the Cullen Report on the massacre and introduced the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 that banned "high calibre" handguns, greater than .22 calibre (5.6 mm). This new (No. 2) act further banned the private possession of all cartridge ammunition handguns, regardless of calibre.
The only handguns still allowed following the ban were:
- Antique and muzzle-loading black-powder guns
- Guns of historic interest whose ammunition is no longer available ("Section 7.1" weapons)
- Guns of historic interest with current calibres ("Section 7.3" weapons)[note 1]
- Air pistols[note 2]
- Guns which fall outside the Home Office definition of "handguns".[note 3]
- Pistols used by hunters for humane dispatch
- Pistols for use as personal protection weapons, mainly in Northern Ireland by retired police or prison officers, but also prominent figures who were considered at risk
- Notes
- ↑ Guns of historic interest, are ones that were typically manufactured before the year 1919. Since so-called "Section 7.3" historic weapons use currently available ammunition, they must be kept at a secure designated site such as the Bisley Camp, in Surrey.
- ↑ Air pistols are legally required not to exceed a muzzle energy of 6 ft·lbf (8.1 J).
- ↑ Weapons not treated as "handguns". This exception allows National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA) "long arms" and long-barreled handguns of both small- and full-bore. Larger firearms, whose barrel length or overall firearm length exceeds that of a handgun are treated as rifles for legal purposes.
See also
References
- ↑ "Hansard, Vol 294 Col 851". 1997-05-22. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
- ↑ "The Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 (Commencement) Order 1997 (No. 3114 (c.116))". 1997-12-17. Retrieved 2008-05-28.
External links
- Text of the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk