Shotgun certificates
You can get copies of the shotgun certificate application forms by contacting Leicestershire Constabulary’s Firearms and Explosives Licensing department. Forms can also be downloaded or printed from this website.
Form 103 should be filled in and returned along with payment to the Firearms and Explosives Licensing department.
How much does it cost?
The grant of a shotgun certificate is £50.00. A cheque or postal order made payable to ‘Leicestershire Constabulary Police Authority’ should be returned with a completed Form 103 to
Firearms and Explosives Licensing Department Leicestershire Constabulary Mansfield House 74 Belgrave Gate Leicester LE1 3GG
Cash should not be send through the post.
Coterminous certificates
If you are applying for the grant or renewal of a shotgun certificate and you already possess a firearm certificate, you can request that both certificates expire on the same day by making them coterminous.
This can save the certificate-holder money because coterminous renewals are less expensive than separate firearm and shotgun renewals.
For more information contact Leicestershire Constabulary’s Firearms and Explosives Licensing department.
Counter-signatories
Form 103 should be counter-signed at part D. Counter-signatories should be someone who has known the applicant personally for at least the last two years and be a Member of Parliament, Justice of the Peace, minister of religion, doctor, lawyer, established civil servant, bank officer or person of similar standing.
A person of ‘similar standing’ can include members of professional bodies, for example architects, accountants, surveyors etc. Also acceptable is a person who has, or has held a post in Her Majesty’s Forces and also qualified teachers from recognised schools.
Serving police officers, police employees and registered firearms dealers cannot act as counter-signatories.
Photographs
Four identical photographs of the applicant are required with the application. The photographs should show the applicant full face and without a hat and must bear a current likeness. The size of the photographs should be 45mm x 35mm and printed on normal thin photographic paper. They should be un-mounted.
One photograph must be signed by the applicant in ink on the back with your usual signature and a second photograph endorsed on the back in ink by the counter-signatory using the words given in the notes in part D of the application form.
Security
Firearms and shotguns should be stored as to prevent access by unauthorised persons which include other members of an applicants household.
All guns should be stored out of sight and under lock and key. Gun cabinets, gun clamps and gun rooms are the best forms of secure storage.
Gun cabinets should be:
- made of steel at least 2mm thick and conform to BS 7558 (1992).
- have two five lever locks fitted inside the cabinet.
- secured to the fabric of the house in a protected area (i.e. not a garage or an outhouse).
- be out of sight from casual visitors.
Ammunition should, if possible, be stored in a separate, lockable compartment and may form part of the gun cabinet. Ammunition boxes should remain ventilated.
Transporting shotguns
When transporting shotguns
- Always keep your shotgun in its case or cover whilst transporting it.
- Never transport a loaded shotgun.
- If staying away from home overnight, your shotgun should be stored preferably with a registered firearms dealer or in a secure cabinet of another certificate holder.
- If it is necessary to leave your shotgun in a vehicle, it must be stored out of sight preferably in a locked boot. Consideration should be given as to removing the bolt, trigger and/or fore-end of the shotgun, and always ensure that you lock the vehicle securely.
- If it is necessary to leave the shotgun in a vehicle on regular occasions, consider having a lockable metal storage case secured to the structure of the vehicle.