NEWS
Addressingtheconcernsof RFDs inScotland
Sir, Te most recent edition of Tackle&Guns trade magazine (December 2016) contains an article entitled “When is an RFD not an RFD?” In the article, two dealers
complain that RFDs without retail premises are selling firearms and ammunition from their ‘house’.Te complainants say that “guns and ammunition should only ever be bought or sold in a gun shop, in a secure retail environment and not in somebody’s back yard to God knows who!” One of the complainants
suggests that a tier system for RFDs, with restrictions on what can be held, bought or sold, should be introduced. Tere are further complaints
about ‘unfair’dealing and buying at cheap prices without the onus of overheads from non-retail premises. Tere are a number of
responses to these complaints. Firearms Licensing (Police
Scotland in the current article), whose responsibility it is to licence RFDs, is constrained and controlled by firearms legislation. No RFD will ever be
registered unless, and until,
he has been through the compliance process laid down by the Firearms Acts and approved by the Chief Officer of Police in the area in which he wishes to trade. Te accusation that RFDs
might be selling to someone without the necessary certifi cate simply does not hold
water.An RFD selling to an unauthorised person would be caught very rapidly because his statutory register is subject to regular scrutiny by his FEO (Firearms Enquiry Offi cer). Furthermore, if he ever attempted to sell to an unauthorised person he would put his very livelihood at risk. Moving on to RFDs
operating out of domestic, or other ‘home’ premises: the gun trade has a long-standing tradition of ‘outworkers’. In years gone past most
outworkers worked from home or rented space in larger workshops to make the parts (screws, springs, stocks and so on), which were then made up in to the finished shotgun or rifle by the sellers. Nowadays this method is
less prevalent but there are many specialists out there who also work from home and are
genuine
RFDs.To think otherwise shows a lack of knowledge of the trade and does not give the local Firearms Licensing department any credit for knowing its customers. Te question of discounts – and accounts – by wholesalers is really down to the wholesalers and how they wish to conduct their business.Our knowledge of wholesalers tells us that, before an account is offered to an RFD, due diligence is addressed and details such as where prospective account holders deal from are taken into account. Tis is purely a commercial decision and reflects the world of business in the 21st century. A further issue is that of
applying for an RFD for storage and security issues for an estate that handles clients mainly from abroad or without certifi cates.Tis is slightly more complicated but can be resolved quite simply by Firearms Licensing through the application of a ‘reasonable’
UpsetoverGTAreply
Sir, I find it quite upsetting that the GTAdoesn’t seemto see where or what the whole issue is here. Shops put somuch time effort andmoney into their businesses, evenmore so in the 21st century. I just hope they can offermore support for retailers. Firstly, I feel the way forward
is to have categories for RFDs. Should someone in a residential area have the same licence as a shop?Tis needs to be talked about,not ignored. Te question is, should a
full RFDlicence be granted to someone in a house or garage
who wants to have a business as a gunsmith in a residential area when they already have another job and do this part time? As regards RFDs selling to
unauthorised persons, I never suggested anyone was breaking the law in this way.Te accusation is that a firearmdelivered to a house can easily be given to the wrong person;whoever answers the door will be given the parcel. I askedmy Parcelforce driver what he would do if there was no answer?Te parcel could be put in a bin or
shed.Do I need to spell it out anymore?Tis is another
reason why part-time RFDs should be restricted in what they are allowed to do. Go and spend hundreds of
thousands setting up your gun shop and getting your RFDand then see what you think if the police grant one to someone else close by. If you are that keen to be a gun trader then commit to it and open a shop if you want to sell. Tere aremany issues to be
talked about and I think the whole thing is getting lost in small talk. Shops in Scotland have had
no say in the new airgun law and
have seen amassive decrease in the sale of airguns – a drop ofmore than 90 per cent.Ten there’s the scopes, bags, pellets, mounts andmuchmore. So I think it’s only fair to ask
the government to tighten its belt on the amount of licences being issued and that part-time RFDs who do gun repairs should only be allowed to do this. If you want to retail, get a shop!
RobbieMacGregor Anglers’ChoiceTackle&Guns Dundee
www.tandgmagazine.com 07
condition on the RFD, which will limit what he/she can or cannot do. A further complaint is
actually about transport and the possibility of a courier leaving a firearm at an unauthorised person’s address if the official addressee is not present. Te GTA (GunTrade Association) mainly deals with Parcelforce for the collection and delivery of firearms and the company has a very robust system in place to precisely avoid ‘delivery to a neighbour’.
John Batley Director Te GunTrade Association
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