Any UK forumers involved in this?

[Brit plumber]

No, sorry mate, I don't think you did. I apologize if that seems somewhat abrupt, but in cases where the evidence is being twisted, it is a mistake to let yourself be drawn into the twisted definitions of those who appear to have a certain agenda, thus inadvertently accepting their position.

In the photos I have seen*, there is NOT ONE EXAMPLE OF A LIVE ROUND. But plenty of fired cartridge cases, as can be seen by the blackening and riffling in/around the necks, and the firing pin impressions on those few primers that can be seen. A fired case - no live primer, no powder, no projectile, is NOT INERT AMMO, IT IS NOT AMMO AT ALL.

Sorry to shout, but we should be precise about such things, as it seems that impreciseness is being used here by the press (and apparently the police) as a tool to paint a false picture.

*There may, of course, be others that I have not observed.

That is being a little picky. It's like saying deactivated firearm when it has ceased to be a firearm.

[Flying10uk]

An occupational hazard of being a collector of de-activated weapons in the U.K. is that there is always a possibility that some-one will claim them to be live weapons and report you to the Police. The Police will off-course have to investigate the matter and will normally want to inspect the weapons in question. This is why it is important when purchasing a new de-ac weapon to check that the serial number on the weapon matches the serial number on the certificate supplied with the gun. It has happened twice over the years that the wrong certificate has been sent to me when I have purchased a de-ac.

[earlwb]

Well, the poor bloke died just after they found his collection. So I think he died happy and content. In one sense they found the hoard before he died and the criminals had raided the place to get the good stuff. But it is sad that the hoard will very likely be destroyed and other collectors won't have a chance to acquire any of them. yeah I agree the anti-gun media loves to go overboard on things like this.

[Peter Laidler]

The answer to any Police or other unwanted activity relating to your or anyones deactivated collection of deactivated 'things' (Never NEVER refer to them as firearms, they're NOT) is in your capable hands Flying 10. Just don't discuss it/them with you mates or others, even out of interest. Keep schtum. The cops can't inspect them unless....... Anyway, they ain't 'weapons.

The actual certificate is merely a duplication or paper confirmation of the mark on the item. If you haven't got one then it is of no consequence at all.

[Roy W]

In relation to the case being discussed, I am pretty certain that the media were told only select parts of the information, and indeed, shown only certain parts of the haul. In fact I know they were.
Having spoken to people involved only last week, had the case gone to court (if the defendant had lived), then there would have been some very embarrassing information coming out about the source of some of the firearms in his possession. (lets say no more) Also, it didn't help Buckland that the fictitious character in his RFD records (well they never identified him, and nobody proved he existed) had many items from him (Buckland), one of which was is the defendant's collection/hoard. (I wonder where the rest went)

I'm surprised he ended up in Belmarsh, very surprised indeed, but lets face it; Whether the photos on the news showed empty cases, or deacts, there must have been enough unlicensed firearms and assorted items to keep him on remand until his death.

The moral of the story is, if you are going to have a domestic with the wife, make sure your collection of unlicensed firearms are safely locked away in the secret cave you have built in the house, first!

[Peter Laidler]

A policeman told me once that by far the biggest informants to the police about men are wives and girlfriends. There was yet another such case in the UK national newspapers this very week. Hell hath no fury like a woman spermed. Worldwide, whether we like it or not, if an apparent offence is reported, the cops have a duty to investigate

[Roy W]

I would imagine that many a scorned 'lags wife' has been tapped up to become a snout!

[Vincent]

The answer to any Police or other unwanted activity relating to your or anyones deactivated collection of deactivated 'things' (Never NEVER refer to them as firearms, they're NOT) is in your capable hands Flying 10. Just don't discuss it/them with you mates or others, even out of interest. Keep schtum. The cops can't inspect them unless....... Anyway, they ain't 'weapons.

The actual certificate is merely a duplication or paper confirmation of the mark on the item. If you haven't got one then it is of no consequence at all.

I see lots of posts on here where people talk about their Bren, Sten, etc. These are weapons forums and one naturally assumes he’s talking about a real live firearm. Then, sometimes, after a few posts they just happen to mention it’s a Dewat. So I can see how a police officer could think they have a live weapon.

After reading these forums for a while now, I just assume they are all Dewats if the poster is in the UK.