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Note: All questions must be answered or clearly marked "not applicable". It will help to avoid unecessary delay if the application is completed clearly in black pen and in capitals. Please note that it is a criminal offence to knowingly provide false information on an application under the Firearms Acts.

Part A

Questions I to 12
These are self-explanatory and merely require you to provide your personal details.

Question 13
Here you must include any address where you have resided in the past five years (other than that mentioned at question 6) and which may only have been temporary.

Question 14
You must provide details of any conviction you have received for any offence including Conditional and Absolute Discharges and those for motoring of any description. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply to Firearms Applications.

Question 15a
Enter here details of any ongoing medical condition or disability. Please note that a "disability" is not in itself a matter that would affect the application unless it is of a nature that may present a danger to others when you are handling firearms.

Question 15b
You must declare if you currently suffer from or have had epilepsy but, once again, this is not necessarily a bar to the granting of a certificate. Each case is considered on its merits and occasionally we may request a Doctor's report to ensure the condition is under control.

Question 15c
The same applies to declaring treatment for depression or any other kind of mental or nervous disorder. Each case will be considered on its merits and occasionally a Doctor's report will be requested; most probably when the illness is recent or prolonged.

Question 16
This is where you provide details of your family doctor and agree to the police requesting "factual" details of your medical history should this be required. It is appreciated that this may be a matter of concern to some but the police are only concerned with a factual response indicating whether the doctor does or does not support the application on medical grounds. Firearms of any description are lethal weapons and the licensing authority - the Chief Constable - has a statutory responsibility to grant certificates only to persons who may possess firearms without presenting a danger to themselves or to the public.

PART B

Question 17
Although it is not necessary to have security arrangements in place before the grant of a shotgun certificate, you should indicate here what arrangements you propose and details of any other person sharing the facility. Note that any person sharing the facility will require a shotgun certificate and all persons with access are, from a legal point of view, constructively in possession of the shotguns. The police will automatically visit to check your security arrangements when you notify the Firearms Licensing Office of your first acquisition of a shotgun.

Question 18
Any shotguns currently in your possession should be entered here. This will generally only apply to persons renewing their certificates.

PART C

Questions 19 to 22 inclusive. These are administrative questions to identify you as a past or existing firearm or shotgun certificate holder or applicant. You may apply for a coterminous certificate, the meaning of which is explained at 21b on the application form. However the phrase sometimes causes confusion and simply means that you may arrange for your shotgun certificate to run alongside your firearm certificate (if you have one) and both will expire at the same time. This method is cheaper in the long term and is easier to administer for all concerned.

PART D

This is where a shotgun certificate application is fundamentally different to that for a firearm. Whereas you are required to provide two references for a firearm certificate, a shotgun certificate grant or renewal requires a "countersignatory" who must be a person of some professional standing, as indicated by the notes to this section of the application form.

PART E

As in applying for a firearm certificate, you must sign the declaration on the shotgun application form to the effect that the information you have provided is correct to the best of your knowledge. Making a false declaration is a criminal offence.