Firearms Law

This department is led by Laura Saunsbury, an experienced criminal solicitor, whose personal interest in shooting has led her to specialise in firearms and to establish strong links with the leading barristers and expert witnesses in this field. Our expertise in firearms includes:

  • Advising and representing registered firearms dealers and individual certificate holders in connection with all aspects of firearms and shotgun licensing including grant, refusal, renewal or revocation of certificates
  • Negotiations with firearms licensing authorities and the Proof Houses
  • Advising firearms dealers and gunsmiths on the sale and manufacture of all types of firearms
  • Advice and representation in relation to the sale, purchase and ownership of firearms, deactivated weapons, knives, batons and associated articles
  • Representation in court proceedings for those accused of serious criminal offences relating to the possession or use of firearms and weapons
  • Advice and representation at police stations for those being detained under investigation in relation to such matters.

Taking legal advice at an early stage can sometimes avoid a license holder having their certificate revoked or not renewed. Even where revocation has already taken place, we may through written negotiation with the police be able to persuade them to reconsider their decision, thereby avoiding the costly and stressful process of an appeal to the Crown Court. Where a full appeal is necessary, we have considerable experience, and success, in handling them. It should be noted that Legal Aid is not available for advice and representation in connection with firearms licensing matters and therefore such cases will need to be privately funded, either by the individual, or where available, through an appropriate insurance scheme.

The other area of our expertise concerns criminal offences involving firearms and other weapons. The banning of pistols under the Firearms Act 1997, the reclassification of Brocock-type air weapons, and the introduction of draconian penalties for the possession of prohibited weapons, have done little to reduce violent gun crime in the UK. However, it has made the law as to the classification and status of firearms extremely complex and inaccessible for the lay person. Increasingly, we find ourselves representing entirely respectable members of society who might be dealers in or collectors of antique firearms, militaria, deactivated and replica weapons, who, having made a genuine mistake as to the legal status of a particular item, are faced with the prospect of a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment. We have had an extremely good success rate in avoiding a prison sentence on behalf of clients in such cases. Legal Aid is available for criminal investigations and prosecutions, subject to meeting the relevant eligibility criteria.

Read Laura Saunsbury’s article in the August 2011 Pull! magazine here.

For further information please contact: enquiries or Laura Saunsbury, Nick Wragg.