Police Advice Following Firearm Robbery

A recent firearm robbery at knife-point has prompted the Metropolitan Police to advise on selling firearms safely. The National Rifle Association have been in contact with the Metropolitan Police and the following information has been publicly circulated to inform firearm owners.

‘On Saturday 5th September 2020 a firearm certificate holder advertised a gun for sale on GunStar, one of the well-known sites for sales of lawfully owned guns. The advert was answered by two men and the holder arranged for a meeting at his home address. He invited the potential “buyers” into his home where he showed the gun and his certificate. Sadly what happened next would have been a shock to any person. The “buyers” were in fact criminals who proceeded to hold the certificate holder at knife point, tie him and his wife up and then instruct him to load the gun for them. They then left the household, leaving the holder bound.’

Whilst these events are rare, the police have issued advice for firearms owners. Please note, these are suggestions rather than regulations for reducing the risk of such an incident occurring again.

• Try to check certificates prior to any meeting. A genuine buyer should not object to, for instance, sending an electronic image of their certificate.  That includes a photograph of the holder which can be compared with the person at the door, before any entry is allowed into the home.
• Try to complete a sale away from your home. At home, a criminal has access to the entire contents of your safe; a better location may be at your local shooting club as more people will be present. This may be the deterrent needed to prevent the criminal brazen behaviour.
• Advertise locally within your club environment rather than online.
• Ideally use an RFD as a conduit for sale. This is by far the safest option, and while the cost is understood, the risk to holder is entirely negated.

We encourage all firearm owners to follow the advice above if they intend to sell a firearm.