ACTIn ForceAct
Firearms Act 1996
227Offence—unlawful acquisition of firearms
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 227
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Firearms Act 1996.
227 Offence—unlawful acquisition of firearms
(1) A person (the acquirer) must not acquire, or take part in the
acquisition of, a firearm from someone else (the disposer) unless—
(a) the acquirer and disposer are each authorised by a licence or
permit to possess the firearm; and
(b) the disposer’s licence or permit has been produced to, and
inspected by, the acquirer; and
(c) if neither the acquirer nor disposer is a licensed firearms
dealer—the acquisition has been arranged through a licensed
firearms dealer as prescribed by regulation.
(a) if the firearm is a prohibited firearm—imprisonment for
10 years; or
(b) in any other case—imprisonment for 5 years.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply in relation to—
(a) the surrender of a firearm to a police officer; or
(b) a person who inherits a firearm and disposes of it to a licensed
Note See s 238 (Offence—disposal of inherited firearms).
takes part—a person takes part in the acquisition of a firearm if the
process of the acquisition; or