Retail & Consumer Goods UK-wide

Sell firearms, shotguns and air weapons

Dealing in firearms, shotguns or ammunition by way of trade requires registration as a firearms dealer with the police, a transaction register, secure premises, and certificate checks on every sale. Air weapons need a certificate check for Scottish buyers, and realistic imitation firearms carry their own restrictions.

Guide summary

You must register as a firearms dealer with the police before you start selling, transferring or repairing firearms or ammunition. Check every buyer holds a valid certificate before you sell any shotgun or air weapon. Selling without the right checks or registration is a crime.

  • Register as a firearms dealer with the police before you trade
  • Keep a register of every sale, repair and transfer of firearms and ammunition
  • Check the buyer holds a valid shotgun or firearms certificate before every sale
  • Sell air weapons face to face only — no unsupervised mail order
  • Age 18 minimum for buying or having an air weapon
  • In Scotland, the buyer must show an air weapon certificate since 31 Dec 2016
  • Do not sell realistic imitation firearms to the public
  • Renew your registration every 3 years — fee is £480 from 4 June 2026
  • Selling without registration or correct checks is a criminal offence
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Firearms dealing is one of the few retail activities where the police are your registration authority. The Firearms Act 1968 governs Great Britain; in Northern Ireland, dealing is regulated by the PSNI under the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 — check that regime separately if you operate there.

Register as a firearms dealer

Verify certificates on every sale

Air weapons in Scotland

Since 31 December 2016 anyone in Scotland needs an air weapon certificate to buy, possess or use an air weapon (Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015). At the point of sale the buyer must produce the certificate — selling to an uncertificated person is an offence. There is no equivalent certificate requirement in England and Wales for low-powered air weapons, but the age-18 minimum and face-to-face sale rules still apply.

Imitation firearms and the shop side

Realistic imitation firearms may not be sold to the public except under the defences in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 (such as re-enactment and theatrical use), and imitation firearms may not be sold to under-18s. The ordinary retail spine — consumer rights, pricing, premises and people duties — applies to the shop side; if you also deal in knives, follow "Selling knives and bladed articles", including the ban on delivering bladed products to home addresses.

Fees and renewal

Registration is renewed every 3 years. Home Office firearms fees were uplifted in February 2025 and are now reviewed regularly — registration and renewal are each £480 from 4 June 2026 — so check the current fee with your police force when you apply.

Official sources

Authoritative guidance for firearms dealers.