Shotgun certificate: My late father's shotgun certificate has expired!

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My late father's shotgun certificate has expired!

Inherited guns can be signed over to your shotgun certificate.

By David Frost

Monday, 23 April 2012

Some months after my father passed away the police told my mother that because his shotgun certificate had lapsed she should hand his gun to the local gun shop.

They took care of its disposal.

My mother is now about to move and in the attic we found a .410 shotgun, which we believe belonged to my grandfather.

Will we have to hand in this gun, too?

Is it possible to register this gun on my own shotgun certificate and how do I go about it?

SHOTGUN CERTIFICATE
David Frost
There is no problem retaining your grandfather’s gun in the circumstances you describe.

You should enter the details on page three of your shotgun certificate and send a notification to your local police.

Some forces have a special form for this but a letter will do – in either case use recorded delivery.

Alternatively you should now be able to email them the information.

Include a brief explanation of how the gun came to be in your hands.

Similarly you could have kept your father’s gun at the time he died.