Northern Ireland Office

Museum Firearms Licences

Article 14  and Schedule 2  of the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 permit a museum to apply to the Secretary of State for a museum firearms licence that permits the management of the museum and their employees to purchase, acquire and possess firearms and ammunition for the museum's purposes. Each person who has to have access to the firearms and ammunition would otherwise be required to have his own firearm certificate, issued by the Chief Constable, authorising them to purchase, acquire and possess them and the Secretary of State's authorisation to hold prohibited weapons and prohibited ammunition if the museum wanted them. The Secretary of State will only issue such a licence if he is satisfied that doing so does not endanger public safety or the peace and he can attach conditions to the licence.

Guidance on Northern Ireland Firearm Controls provides further information.

The museum firearms licence may also permit the museum to purchase, acquire and possess prohibited weapons and prohibited ammunition without also having the Secretary of State's authorisation under Article 45 of the Order.  

Applications

The application would take the form of a letter addressed to the Northern Ireland Office's Firearms and Explosives Branch confirming –

(i) the nature of the museum's interest in firearms and ammunition or prohibited weapons and prohibited ammunition,

(ii) details of the firearms and ammunition or prohibited weapons and prohibited ammunition held or to be acquired,

(iii) the security precautions in place, and

(iv) that the majority of the museum's funding comes from central or local government and whether or not the museum is readily accessible to the public.

The Secretary of State will consult the Chief Constable and any other body or person he considers necessary about the application and will have to be convinced that doing so does not endanger public safety or the peace.