Firearms licensing

To own or use a firearm, you must have a firearms licence granted by the police in the area in which you live. We risk assess everyone who applies for the private possession of firearms in the county. We also assess any premises where weapons or ammunition is stored, manufactured or used.

How to apply

A new online digital platform for firearms licensing was launched in November 2017.

With 20,000 licence holders in Lincolnshire each needing renewal every five years it is important to ensure this is carried out in a timely and efficient way. This new IT based system is now online and will reduce the waiting time for renewal of licences.

It is the first system of its kind to be introduced in England and Wales and has other benefits including:

Easier management of licence holders records
Improved interaction with policing systems
Reduced risk in administering firearms licences
A more convenient way for you to manage your records.

To access Firearms Licensing Online, the minimum system requirements are as follows:

Operating System

Mac 10.9 or higher
Windows 7 or higher

Internet Browser

Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
Firefox 50 or newer
Google Chrome 53 or newer
Apple Safari 10 or newer

If you would like to submit for renewal of a licence, a new grant application, a change of address, a variation on an existing certificate or to notify us of a transfer of a gun, please use Firearms Licensing Online.

Apply on Firearms Licensing Online

For general information on Firearms Licensing, such as prices, please go to Firearms Licensing Online.

Paper applications

We continue to receive a small number of paper applications that been downloaded from a variety of internet sites. Unfortunately a number of issues have been identified with some of these forms being either an obsolete forms or incorrectly completed. This causes significant delays in processing your application. If you wish to obtain and submit a paper application for a Grant/Renewal of a certificate, you must contact the Lincolnshire Police Firearms Licensing Department where we can assist you with your application.

Visiting us at HQ

We can accommodate certificate holders and applicants at Lincolnshire Police HQ to aid your applications or answer your queries.

We strictly only accept visitors who have a pre-booked appointment with us.

You can book a visit either by contacting the department between the hours of 13:00-16:00 (Monday to Friday) on 01522 558533 or email us on fal@lincs.pnn.police.uk

Unannounced arrivals requesting to speak to a member of Firearms Licensing may result in a significantly long wait.

Other transactions

For all other transactions, please see forms listed below:

Land authority

You should complete a Nominated Land/Club Form with applications for firearm certificates or for extra land upon which you have authority to shoot.

Explosives certificates

All explosives certificates are issued in accordance with the Explosives Regulations (ER) 2014.

The two main types of explosive certificate are:

Acquire Only (EXA)

This allows you to acquire a defined amount of explosives (e.g. 1 kilogram) from an approved supplier and use it on that day. Any unused explosive must either be returned to the supplier or destroyed in an approved manner.

Acquire & Keep (EXK)

This allows you to store explosives at a location for the duration of the certificate. The maximum amount of explosives that may be stored will depend on the nature of the explosives and the construction of the store. A Registered Competent Authority document (RCA) allowing you to transport the explosives is issued as part of the explosive certificate.

If you are applying for the grant of a certificate you should use one of the following forms:

Form ER 2

This form should be used for applications to store between 15kg and 2000kg of explosives.

In certain circumstances, depending on the hazard type and the amount of explosives to be kept, it may be necessary for the store to be either registered or licensed.

If you know this to be a case, please download the form below. If you are not sure, please contact the unit for advice. A fee is normally charged for registered or licensed stores.

If you wish to store more than 2000kg of explosives, you should make your application to the Health and Safety Executive.

Form ER 4

This form should be used by:

a) Clubs, Societies or any body corporate; or
b) The explosives are not used in firearms or shotguns;
c) Individuals who are not covered by the criteria for a ER 4A

Form ER 4A

This form should be used by individuals for:

a) their own use in their Firearms or Shotguns; or
b) the possession of blackpowder/gunpowder at re-enactment events.

Form ER 4B

If you are renewing an explosives certificate, either Acquire Only (EXA) or an Acquire & Keep (EXK) and AT THE SAME TIME renewing a firearm or shotgun certificate or renewing a registered firearms dealership you may use a ER 4B.

This form CANNOT be used to change explosive certificate type from an EXA to and EXK (or vice versa).

Visitors permit

Complete Form 107 to apply for a visitor's permit (for firearms or shotguns). The form should be completed by a person who is resident in Great Britain on behalf of the visitor(s).

Registered firearms dealers

Complete Form 116 for the grant or renewal of registration as a firearms dealer.

If you hold an existing dealers registration in the county and wish to apply for additional place of business, complete Form 116A.

The Firearms (Amendment) Rules 2019 – Registered Firearms Dealers (RFD)

As of 10 June 2019, arrangements have been made to amend the Firearms Rules 1998 to require RFD applicants to complete a medical declaration and to provide details of their ‘servants’ at each place of business so that relevant background checks can be completed by the police. If you are an existing RFD you will also be required to provide details of your ‘servants’ when notifying the police of a new place of business. To reflect this change, the application forms have been updated. Please note, all previous versions of this application form will not be received following 10 June 2019.

If you have completed medical declarations as part of your personal firearm or shotgun certificate application you will not be required to undergo medical checks a second time if a medical report from less than six months ago is on file or unless your medical circumstances have changed since the firearm or shotgun certificate was granted. In these circumstances, you will only be required to provide details about the certificate.

Clubs

Following the successful pilot project for online shooting clubs, all applications for approval (new or renewal) should be submitted directly to the Home Office via the web portal from Monday 11 June. This applies to all clubs in England and Wales. Applications will only be accepted by the Home Office, and should no longer be sent directly to the police.

Once your application has been submitted, the Home Office we will review it to determine if it is valid and, if so, pass it to the police force, who will then make necessary enquiries before sending the application back to the Home Office for consideration. If you do not provide sufficient information and supporting evidence your application is likely to be rejected as invalid and will need to be resubmitted.

Before applying you must ensure that you fulfil the criteria as set out in the Home Office Clubs’ Criteria leaflet. The cost is £84 and the certificates are valid for 6 years. You should apply to renew your approval at least 3 months before it’s due to expire.

Apply on the Home Office website.

Section 11(6) Exemption Permit – Clay Pigeon Shoots

To organise a Clay Pigeon Shoot you must apply for a Section 11(6) of the Firearms Act 1968 Exemption Permit.

Applications should be made using the Application for an Exemption under Section 11(6) of the Firearms Act 1968 form.

A Firearms Enquiry Officer will visit the organiser to assess the suitability of the venue. There is no fee for a Section 11(6).

Medical records checks

Our Firearms Licensing is currently one of the most effective Firearms Licensing Departments in the UK. We have changed many of our processes and made the application process faster and more effective. To further improve performance we have changed the way we handle the medical declaration you make on a Firearm or Shotgun Licensing application. This process is simple and make turnaround times faster than they already are.

You will need to request your own GP verification report before submitting your application as no applications can be accepted without the GP verification report. The GP verification request letter is attached to your reminder letter but you can also download it below.

Once you have confirmation that Firearms Licensing have the report, you will still complete the application form as normal via the online portal ( https://flo.lincs.police.uk/ ), ensuring you have made the correct declarations (both medical and criminal) and indicate whether you have ever been diagnosed with a relevant medical condition (Home Office Guidance on Firearms Licensing Law April 2016 Para 12.26 – 12.28).

We have introduced this measure as a result of the changes introduced by the Home Office in April 2016. These changes resulted in better communication between Firearms Licensing and GPs and they revealed that some certificate holders have been untruthful in making false declarations about medical conditions.

This is obviously an offence, but it is also a breach of trust, and foolish. It has resulted in the immediate refusal or revocation of certificates. It is also unnecessary as the existence of a medical condition is not an automatic bar to the holding a firearms or shotgun certificate.

The majority of individuals who lost their certificates through dishonesty would have been issued with a certificate if they had been truthful. Visiting your GP and having a condition treated, with medication is a mature and sensible step, acting responsibly along with the severity of the condition will be taken into account by the decision makers.

We have many shooters who have or have had medical conditions, and who still continue to shoot. We will continue to work with shooters and doctors to allow this to continue.

We will now ensure that the medical information that you provide to us is verified by your GP to help check that all you are safe to be entrusted with a gun. We are hopeful this measure will protect the public, particularly members of our shooting community.

We are hopeful that we are introducing a simple and easily understood process for you to follow and we are optimistic it will speed up the application process.

Some GPs will charge for verifying your medical information, but the decision to charge is a matter for your GP. You may have been told that the information was to be provided for free but GPs were not consulted and GPs are now imposing varying charges across England and Wales.

We are aware of concerns regarding inconsistent fee levels and we have been working closely with the Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee. We have asked that if a surgery is charging a fee, that the fee charged be considered reasonable and a level of consistency be applied across the whole of our county.

We will not accept any applications until your GP has issued a GP Report and we can verify the medical declaration that you as the applicant have made. This process came into effect on 7 January 2019 for grants and 15 April 2019 for renewals that expire on or after this date.

The process that we have developed with the Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee is as follows:

Contact your GP surgery with the request template to ensure they will release the medical information to verify your declaration. Some surgeries will charge for the release of this information.
Once we have received the report, complete your application as normal and ensure you have correctly filled in the medical declaration with regards to the relevant conditions listed.
When your declaration has been verified against your GP Report, we will begin processing your application.

Transfer Ins: If you are moving into Lincolnshire from another Force, you will be required to produce a GP Verification Report before a Lincolnshire Certificate is issued. Once we have received your records from your previous Force, we will send the template request letter for you to present to your GP in order to obtain this report. No certificates will be issued without this report. If you can produce a GP Report no more than 6 months old from your old Force, we will accept this in lieu of a new report.

Please Note: If you have declared a relevant medical condition, please ensure your application contains as much information about the condition as possible in order to assist us. Information such as; reasoning for medical condition, duration of medical condition, details of medication prescribed and how long for and any further presentations of the condition.

Please Also Note: No applications will be processed without your GP Verification Report at the time of submission. Applications submitted without a GP Verification Report will not be able to be progressed and will ultimately be withdrawn.

Important: Dishonest medical declarations

Please ensure that you are truthful regarding your medical declaration. We refuse applications from people who have made dishonest declarations regarding health. In many of these instances the condition identified would not have been a reason for refusal.

A dishonest declaration is a criminal offence and will result in your application being refused whereas the existence of a condition may not necessarily result in a refusal.

Particular attention should be paid to the question on your application form “Have you ever been diagnosed with or treated for any of the relevant medical conditions?”

Fees

Prohibited weapons

A firearm or shotgun certificate does not authorise the possession of any of the following, unless the certificate has a condition authorising possession for a specified purpose or as part of a collection:

Firearms disguised as other objects.
Incendiary ammunition for military use.
Armour piercing ammunition for military use.
Expanding ammunition.
Fully Automatic Weapons.
Hand Guns.

Contact the Firearms Licensing Department for more information or consult the Home Office Guide to Firearms Licensing Law.

Ban on self-contained gas cartridge or tandem air cartridge firearms

It is an offence to manufacture, sell, purchase, transfer or acquire any air weapon using a self-contained gas cartridge system.

It is also an offence to possess a self-contained gas cartridge weapon without a firearm certificate. This is punishable by a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 10 years imprisonment.

What is banned?

The self-contained gas cartridge has the appearance of a centre-fire pistol cartridge. It is made of brass but charged with air/gas rather than powder. The air/gas is held in the cartridge by small 'O' rings, forming a seal. When the firing pin strikes the centre of the cartridge, instead of igniting a charge, it releases the air/gas allowing it to drive the pellet forward. The pellet is held in a nose cone screwed to the front of the cartridge, thus creating a self-contained, rechargeable cartridge.

The ban applies to any air rifle, air gun or air pistol that uses, or is designed or adapted for use with, a self-contained gas cartridge system. Manufacturers include Brocock, Saxby & Palmer, Umarex and Uberti.

The ban does not apply to weapons that use a CO2 bulb system because they do not contain a projectile and are so not completely self-contained. This does not affect other types of air weapon.

The ban is defined by Parliament in sections of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003, which received Royal Assent on 20 November 2003. The government decided to ban the weapons because some have been illegally converted by criminals, to fire live ammunition and used in crime.

Read the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.

Young people and firearms

More help and support

Contact the Firearms Licensing Department

Firearms Licensing Department
PO Box 999
Lincoln
LN5 7PH
01522 558533 (Lines open between 1pm and 4pm)

Email: FAL@lincs.pnn.police.uk

Firearms licensing

How to apply

Operating System

Internet Browser

Paper applications

Visiting us at HQ

Other transactions

Land authority

Explosives certificates

Visitors permit

Registered firearms dealers

Clubs

Section 11(6) Exemption Permit – Clay Pigeon Shoots

Medical records checks

Important: Dishonest medical declarations

Explosives certificates

Dealer registration (valid for 3 years)

Visitors permits

Ban on self-contained gas cartridge or tandem air cartridge firearms

What is banned?

More help and support

Related Documents & Further Reading

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