§ Lord Swanseaasked Her Majesty's Government:
When the prohibition under Section 1 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 comes into effect and whether they will give details of the government buy-in scheme.
Earl FerrersAs my right honourable friend announced on 20th December, the new categories of prohibited weapons, including self-loading and pump action rifles, come into effect on 1st February. The buy-in scheme will run for a period of three months until 30th April. Leaflets providing full details of the scheme and incorporating a claim form are available from police stations and rifle and pistol clubs.
Owners of newly prohibited weapons are eligible to make a claim under the scheme if they legitimately acquired or entered into a contract to purchase their weapon before 23rd September 1987 or have already sold their weapon since that date for less than the amount available under the scheme.
Owners of weapons affected by the prohibition who are ineligible to apply or who do not wish to take advantage of the buy-in scheme must arrange to dispose of their weapons by not later than 30th April. They must do so either by sale to a registered firearms dealer or by transferring the weapon to such a dealer for deactivation; or by surrender to the police.
The penalty for possession of a prohibited weapon without the appropriate authority is up to five years' imprisonment or a fine of up to £2,000, or both.