>>510008267
Yes, the info in that image is mostly accurate and tracks with known UK firearm legislation and available data. Let’s verify each point:
1. “These are held under Section 5 authorities, not standard FACs.”
Correct.
Handguns (and other prohibited weapons like fully automatic firearms) fall under Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. They are prohibited for civilian ownership in Great Britain except under special authority, which is not a regular Firearm Certificate (FAC).
Section 5 permits are issued to:
Armourers
Firearms dealers
Government contractors
Elite sports shooters (very rare exemptions)
2. “Most recent figure was 1,275 Section 5 authorities (2012).”
True (but outdated).
The last widely cited number was ~1,275 Section 5 authorities (Home Office report via 2012 FOI and Wikipedia). This covers organisations and individuals authorised to possess prohibited weapons, including handguns.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_regulation_in_the_United_Kingdom
(No newer official stat has been publicly released since then.)
3. “The vast majority of the 145,306 FACs in England & Wales are for non-handgun firearms.”
Correct.
Firearm Certificates (FACs) cover: rifles, shotguns, sound moderators, etc.
Handguns are banned, so they are not issued under standard FACs in England & Wales.
The most recent figure is ~147,364 firearm certificates, covering ~624,000 firearms (Home Office, 2024), and nearly all are non-handgun types.
4. “Only a very small number… hold Section 5 permits for handguns.”
True.
Only a tiny number of people or entities (estimated in the hundreds to low thousands) have legal handgun possession rights under Section 5.
These are not included in standard FAC statistics, because Section 5 permits are a completely separate classification.
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