First, I hope this is the right place! I realise this topic has been covered before, but I thought I'd post what I hope is an update on the current situation.
As you may know, there is a certain retailer in the U.K. selling deacs (for want of a better term) with no U.K. proof house certificate/mark, but a self-issued certificate. I don't see a problem with this, but I thought I would try to find out a little more about it from the Home Office.
Here is their reply:
...We do not comment on individual cases. However, I would reiterate that under section 8 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 a firearm has been deemed to have been deactivated if it bears a mark approved by the Secretary of State. By submitting the firearm to one of the two Proof Authorities, the item is inspected, certified and marked as no longer capable of discharging a lethal shot, projectile or missile and that it is not readily convertible.
...By not submitting the item to a Proof House, a person may risk prosecution on the basis of possessing a firearm without a valid certificate. In these circumstances it would be for the court to determine whether the person was guilty of any offence under the relevant Act.
So it looks as if deactivation work that fails to meet current Home Office standards could be legitimate, along with non proof house deactivation certificates. As I mentioned above, I'm not knocking this, I'm just trying to establish what people are doing. I hope the retailer in question sets a precedent (and lowers their prices a bit )
I'd be interested to hear opinions on this...
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