Mental health problems

[walesdave]

Hi All,

Not wanting to get into too many personal details but I've had a condition added to my FAC that I can't store my guns at home due to the mental health problems someone else in the house is suffering (and currently seeking help for).

This came to the attention of my local force as I had to call them for help one evening to locate the family member who had gone missing (and was later found but in a very distressed state).

There's no way the family member can access my cabinets, and there's no suggstion that I am suffering any problems or contributing to my family members problems.

FYI: I was allowed to store my guns at a local RFD and I can acccess them at any time (that the RFD is open) to go shooting but I can't store them at home even if the RFD has closed while I'm out shooting.

The FEO and his boss have been very empathetic and I can see their concerns, but my cabinets are secure and I don't see why I have to RFD my guns at a cost of 60 quid a month for the foreseeeable future. I'm also not shooting at all at the moment as I'm worried if I remove my guns from the RFD I might not get them back in time before he closes for the day.

I've ben told by the FEO office lady that I should give it a few months and ring the head FEO to see if he'll let me have my guns at home again.

Anyone else been in a similar situation? Should I start complaining to the FEO or wait a few months?

Cheers

[Webley]

Sorry to hear that someone close to you is going through a rough time. I hope they recover soon and the toll on you and those around you is not to great.

Are you a member of BASC? If so their legal team will be able to give you advice on what to do regarding your FAC and home storage. They may advise you to wait for a bit or help you fight for it to return to normal. I hope you get it sorted.

Does your range have storage options so there is not the pressure to have them back by a set time at the RFD?

Would the FEO allow you to store your guns at a fellow club members house with their guns for a set period? At £60 a month you could buy a second hand cabinet that your friend gets to keep when you are able to have your guns back.

Matt

[greenshoots]

what force area?

greenshoots

[Blackstuff]

I've never been in that situation so I can't offer any first hand advice, sorry. I hope the person involved gets the help they need and wish them a speedy recovery, if possible.

My only suggestion would be if you had a willing family member or friend nearby that would let you fit a cabinet in their house and store your guns there for now. There are plenty of people who have that arrangement such as students living away from home, people who have moved out of one house but the original house remains in their parents/partners ownership etc.

[Christel]

As mentioned before, whereabouts are you?

[Pete]

This sounds way over the top if the required security criteria have been met.

Pete

[walesdave]

Hi All
Thanks for the replies.
yes - my family member is getting the help needed, I hope we're over the worst. Appriciate your kind words.
Unfortunately my club doesn't have its' own premises, we just rent range time on an open range and I don't have any options to store at friends or familiy.
I come under Gwent Police, recently had a lot of contact with them due to problems with my GP not engaging with my renewal process - that got sorted, then my family member had their melt down! While I've had several disagreements with the FEO and his boss, at all times I've found them professional and empathetic, and while I don't agree with their approach, I do believe they are well intentioned and genuinely believe they are doing best for the public safety and also for the safety of my family member.

I think I'll just wait it out for a few months and see, as I've ben led to believe, that if we don't have any more recorded 'incidents' then I should be able to bring my guns home.

Cheers all......just needed to get it off my chest.......

[Chapuis]

It's an approach or policy that Gwent have consistently applied over a good number of years. While not quite the same but in a similar vein I personally know of two instances where the FAC holder was told that his certificate would be suspended or revoked if certain members of the family continued to reside in the family home. In the one case the person concerned was heavily involved with drugs and in the second instance the family member was severely disturbed and there were issues of extremely aggressive or disruptive behaviour.

[Alan D]

It's certainly an unfortunate position to be in. The advise to check in with whatever shooting organisation you are a member of is absolutely correct and be guided by their advice.

While it's tough on you, I can see the reasoning behind the policy.

We have seen a tight focus on mental health regarding our shooting over recent years and I think that's absolutely correct.

Anything that reduces the possibility of any potential incident can only be a good thing.

[Sim G]

I believe the only position you can take at the moment is to comply with the requests that have been made. Only time will tell how the poorly person responds to treatment. Ultimately you have someone living with you who is emotionally very unpredictable. They perhaps present a threat to themselves or others and given the way the police are criticised at every turn when stuff goes “wrong” I’m not surprised they’ve imposed these conditions.

In the big scheme of things, a few months is not long....