BRITAIN’S ONLY MONTHLY SHOOTING & FISHING TRADE PUBLICATION
Should all RFDs be able to sell guns? Some dealers say not.
RFDrowheats up asaccusations fly
RFDs andmembers of the shooting trade after Dundee shop owner RobbieMacGregor called for a tightening of RFDapprovals (December 2016). Robbie,who runsAngler’sChoice fishing
A
and shooting shop, claimed there were 600 RFDs in Scotland yet nomore than 60 shops, butmanymore sell guns as a sideline. His stance was backed up by PaulDevlin,
managing director of two of the biggest shops in theUK,GlasgowAnglingCentre and Glasgow Fieldsports. Butmany told T&Gthat such flexibility was
key to the future of the gun trade and that the existing systemworked well enough. RFDRichard Pope at Swift Precision Rifles
in Bromsgrove told T&G: “I ammore of a gunsmith andmanufacturer than someone
row over claims by a Scottish retailer that RFDs are being approved too easily with some gunsmiths and repairers selling firearms has intensified.
T&Gwas contacted by dozens of angry
who sells guns but I firmly believe wemust have that facility because of the nature of our work. “We need to be able to buy and sell new
guns – although people only come tome by appointment, it’s not like I amconstantly trading! “If it wasn’t for these ‘independent’RFDs
working fromhome,we would not have a gun trade in theUK.” John Batley,director of theGunTrade
Association, took issue withmany ofMr MacGregor’s assumptions and said the existing systemwas robust enough. “No RFDwill ever be registered unless, and
until,he has been through the compliance process laid down by the FirearmsActs and approved by theChiefOfficer of Police. “Te accusation that RFDsmight be selling
to someone without the necessary certificate simply does not hold
water.An RFDselling to an unauthorised person would be caught very rapidly because his statutory register is subject to regular scrutiny by his FEO(Firearms
EnquiryOfficer).” Robbie told T&G: “I have now spoken to
myMP about this and he is looking into it. I amnot going to drop this – I just don’t see why people should be selling firearms fromtheir houses, especially if it is just a sideline to their main business. “We need a bit of common sense with this
– for some of these people it’s a third or even a fourth job.We have nomore 50 gun shops in Scotland yet there are 600 RFDs – it doesn’t make sense. “Sure, if we are talking about theHighlands
where theremay not be a gun shop for 30 or 40miles, then thatmakes sense for someone to be able to supply such an area,but when there are five people selling guns within amile or two but only one with a shop…it’s crazy.”
❱❱ T&Ghas received dozens of calls and letters regarding this thorny subject.Turn to pages 6 and 7 for some of the responses.
➲ Continued on page 6
www.tandgmagazine.com 03
FEBRUARY 2017
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