Deactivated Guns
Selling a deactivated rifle or pistol.
Wilson55 we have a large mailing list of collectors looking to purchase antique and deactivated guns from our auctions. Deactivated weapons are for many the easiest and most readily available method of participating in the interest of collecting military history. UK gun laws are some of the strictest in the world and the process of obtaining a licence to own live-firing guns is for many enthusiasts either too much hassle, expense or is prohibitive for other reasons.
Deactivated Gun Laws
UK deactivation standards have been altered in April and May of 2016 as well as most recently June 2018 as part of a series of changes to bring our standards in line with the new rules set by the European Union. As of January 2021, these new rules remain. This means that should you wish to legally sell, or transfer ownership of any weapon deactivated before 2016 more work will need to be carried out prior to you selling or giving away a gun.
At Wilson55 we can arrange for deactivated firearms to be brought up to current standards allowing you to sell deactivated guns through our auctions without breaking the law. We work with several specialist gunsmiths who will rework the deactivation of a weapon, it is then reinspected at the proof house and issued with a new certificate demonstrating that the gun complies with the current UK laws on deactivation.
How Much Does It Cost To Deactivate A Gun?
The cost of re-deactivating a gun varies from weapon to weapon depending on the processes involved. We will discuss the costs with you at the time of consigning to auction and deduct these costs from the end sale result before transferring the balance to your account following the auction.
If a deactivated gun has lost its deactivation certificate it can still be sold through auction providing it has the deactivated proof house stamps on it. As part of the re-deactivation work, a new certificate is issued negating the need for the older paperwork.
If you are interested in selling antique or deactivated guns at auction please get in touch with us by phone 01270 623878, email chris.large@wilson55.com or by filling out our online valuation form.
