Firearms (General Provisions) (Amendment) (Jersey) Order 201-
Report for the Minister for Home Affairs
The Firearms (General Provisions) (Jersey) Order 2011 was made on 10 November 2011. It has since emerged that there is a minor error within that Order.
Article 3(4) of the Order, which relates to the requirement for referees, reads:
(4) If the applicant has not been resident in Jersey for the period of 2 years preceding the making of the application and neither of the referees is the secretary of a shooting club, whether in Jersey or elsewhere in the British Islands, the applicant must –
(a) demonstrate, to the Connétable’s satisfaction, that he or she has prior knowledge of firearms; or (my emphasis)
(b) prove, to the Connétable’s satisfaction, that he or she holds or has held a certificate or other authority, issued under the law of a place outside Jersey, to possess firearms and ammunition.
The application form for the grant, renewal or variation of a firearm certificate is set out in Schedule 1 of the Order. However, in Part B of the form, which relates to referees, it reads in the 3rd paragraph of the notes:
If neither of your referees is the secretary of a shooting club, you will be required to demonstrate your prior knowledge of firearms and (my emphasis) that you hold a certificate or other authority, issued in another country, to possess firearms and ammunition.
The policy decision was that those applicants who have not been resident in Jersey for a period of 2 years preceding the making of an application and who didn’t have a secretary of a shooting club as a referee would either have to demonstrate prior knowledge of firearms OR demonstrate that they hold a firearms certificate.
This Amendment Order will correct the wording in Part B of Schedule 1, so that it reads:
If neither of your referees is the secretary of a shooting club, you will be required to demonstrate your prior knowledge of firearms or that you hold a certificate or other authority, issued in another country, to possess firearms and ammunition.
Recommendation
It is recommended that the Minister makes the Firearms (General Provisions) (Amendment) (Jersey) Order 201- and requests the Greffier of the States to place the Order before the States.
Executive Officer, Home Affairs
15 February 2012