Blank firer bren

[captin2]

hi chaps ,
i want your lots expert opinion ,
i have a deactivated bren gun , do you need a lisence for that FS cap blank ammo ( did i get the ame right ? im on about the blank ammo that you can re use )

my deac bren can still cock and fire as can most deacs but once i accidently filled it with a inhert 303. shell and it manged to rush the head back into the shell when i dry fired it . , so can i put some 303. blank FS cap ammo and still fire my bren with blanks , i know the gun will not fire off a whole mag but i will still be able to cock it and fire singal shots right ?
is this legal ? i have a shot gun licence

[gerolykos]

well the imortant question is,can you do it?

[Richard Fisher]

Captin,

What you describe is not possible. I am surprised that your weapon has been deactivated in such a way that it is still capable of firing a round, albeit a blank one. The firing pin and extractor should have been effected in such a way to prevent this from happening.

I would suggest you review the situation closely and examine your breech block to see whether it has the appropriate deactivation stamps on it. If not then you may well have illegal parts retrofitted to a deactivated gun. If this is the case, you should contact a Registered Firearms Dealer and have it deactivated and re-submitted to a Proof House.

Furthermore, it may be in your interest to notify your firearms authority (i.e. local Police) as should they ever examine the weapon, perhaps as part of a routine inspection for your shotgun certificate, then you could be in some bother.

However, to answer your actual question - you do not need a licence to own blank ammunition.

This is only my opinion and for a legal opinion, you will need to contact a solicitor.

Regards

Richard

[privatefjordy]

For F***s sake don't even try to fire anything in a deactivated gun.

No, not all deacts can fire, in fact none of them should be able to. Yes, the actions may work in regard to being cockable and yes the action may go click when you squeeze the trigger, but this is not the same as firing.

The bolt face 'should' be cut away, and the firing pin 'should' be shortened, without the business end. If it isn't, your Bren may not be a legal deact.

Very few deacts have chambers that are not blocked or pinned in some way, and therefore cannot chamber a round of any description. If the chamber is clear, it may have been altered after being certified as deactivated, if it has been altered, it is most likely now illegal.

The reloadable blanks you mention I guess are the PFC type that are used in certain replica guns. I know very little about them, but trying to use them in a deact is most likely illegal, as you would need to attempt to alter the weapon to chamber, feed and fire them.

Under no circumstance should you try to use a normal .303 blank in a deact, even if it did feed, and did chamber, and you managed to get it to fire, you are risking injury from the explosion.

Apart from which it would be illegal. Jail term, loss of liberty, and all that follows. Don't even consider it.

(This answer applies to the UK, and is my opinion only. Overseas may be different, and I know of a couple of guys in the USA that have blankfiring non-guns built from real Bren parts kits.)

[erikthecat]

admin said:

Furthermore, it may be in your interest to notify your firearms authority (i.e. local Police) as should they ever examine the weapon, perhaps as part of a routine inspection for your shotgun certificate, then you could be in some bother.

are you saying that the police are made aware of deactivated firearms purchased by an individual?

the sellers must advise the police?

i don't understand!

i had the police round yesterday, shotgun renewal, as far as they were aware, all i have are shotguns?

regards

[privatefjordy]

erikthecat

I think you will find that Richards response was specifically aimed (no pun) at the Bren owned by captin2

I think Richard, like myself, read captin2's post and got the impression that the Bren owned by captin2 might not be quite right in regards to its current deactivated state.

In such circumstances, it might be better to speak to his local Firearms officer upfront, rather than have them spot it during a routine inspection and discover for themselves that it was not quite legal.

(Richard will no doubt correct me if I have misunderstood his posting)

The replys by both Richard and myself relate specifically to the original post by captin2, and express our individual opinions based on the information in the post.

[pongo]

Captin,
You may have a shotgun certificate but that means nothing as far as Brens go,and if what you say is true i dont think you will have a shotgun certificate for much longer!,If you touch or alter your Deact in any way you are looking at prison time.NO DEACTIVATED GUN CAN BE LEGALY CONVERTED TO FIRE ANY KIND OF BLANK AT ALL

[Richard Fisher]

erikthecat said:

admin said:

Furthermore, it may be in your interest to notify your firearms authority (i.e. local Police) as should they ever examine the weapon, perhaps as part of a routine inspection for your shotgun certificate, then you could be in some bother.

are you saying that the police are made aware of deactivated firearms purchased by an individual?

the sellers must advise the police?

i don't understand!

i had the police round yesterday, shotgun renewal, as far as they were aware, all i have are shotguns?

regards

Erik,

George has already written the appropriate response and a correct interpretation of my original post, which, as George says, relates only to the specific case of Captin2's Bren and situation.

I have heard of several instances when a Police Officer has asked "Do you have any other weapons in the house?" at which point it is correct to answer yes. While possibly breaching the laws of evidence and trespass (due to no longer being 'invited' into that part of the house) it is very difficult to say "no, you can't look at them" as this would arouse suspicion in the mind of the officer and possibly cause problems now and in the future. However, if in the case of the Bren above, if it was examined as part of a routine inspection by an officer with knowledge of deactivated weapons (numbers of such officers are increasing), he could highlight some problems.

I do not hold any form of Firearm or Shotgun Certificate but have been inspected by both the Police and Customs due to various packages being delivered to me - containing weapons parts.

Regards

Richard