Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997

Infobox UK Legislation
short_title=Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997
parliament=United Kingdom Parliament
long_title=An Act to extend the class of prohibited weapons under the Firearms Act 1968 to include small-calibre pistols.
statute_book_chapter=1997 c. 64
introduced_by=Jack Strawcite web
url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmhansrd/vo970522/debtext/70522-09.htm
title=Hansard, Vol 294 Col 851 |date=1997-05-22 |accessdate=2008-05-29]
territorial_extent=England and Wales; Scotland
royal_assent=27 November 1997
commencement=17 December 1997, 1 February 1998cite web |url=http://www.statutelaw.gov.uk/content.aspx?activeTextDocId=2863335 |title=The Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 (Commencement) Order 1997 (No. 3114 (c.116)) |date=1997-12-17 |accessdate=2008-05-28]
repeal_date=
amendments=
related_legislation=Firearms Act 1968, Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997
repealing_legislation=
status=Current
original_text=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970064_en_1
activeTextDocId=1432124
legislation_history=|

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. The other Act was the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997. It was introduced by the new Labour government of Tony Blair.

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" (sic) handguns, greater than .22 calibre (5.6 mm). This new (No. 2) act further banned the private ownership 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)fn|1
* Air pistols
* Guns which fall outside the Home Office definition of "handguns"fn|2

fnb|1 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.

fnb|2 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, .

Reaction to the Ban

The pistol ban makes very few exceptions for people to own a cartridge handgun legally. This has resulted in the complete cessation of recreational and competitive target shooting with handguns in Great BritainFact|date=September 2008, requiring Britons seek these pursuits in Northern Ireland or abroad in countries such as Belgium, France, Switzerland, the USA and the Isle of Man, where gun ownership is less restrictiveFact|date=September 2008. A recentwhen agreement has been made whereby the short-listed British Olympic pistol team for the 2012 Olympics was to be granted short-term Section 5 exceptions and be allowed to import their pistols and store them at a certain, secure site for the duration of the games.Fact|date=April 2008

ee also

*Gun politics in the United Kingdom

References

External links

*UK-SLD|1432124