The government has reminded owners of certain old firearms that they will need to obtain a licence following a change in the law, which comes fully into effect on September 22.
Earlier this year, the government changed the law to introduce, for the first time, a legal definition of an antique firearm. Some collectable old guns now fall outside of the definition.
The government took the steps due to concerns over the misuse of antique firearms by criminals. According to the National Ballistics Intelligence Service, there had been a sharp rise in the number of antique guns being seized from crime scenes in recent years.