For anyone who holds a firearm or shotgun certificate, home security is a licence condition rather than a matter of choice. The Home Office publishes the Firearms Security Handbook 2020 as guidance for police and others on how those conditions are usually met, and it doubles as a detailed account of what a well-protected home looks like. This article summarises the handbook and the statutory guidance for chief officers of police on firearms licensing. The statutory guidance states that it applies to England, Scotland and Wales, and this article is limited to Great Britain. Northern Ireland has separate firearms legislation and is not covered. It is general information, not legal advice; the handbook itself says it is not a statement of the law.
The legal condition behind the guidance
The handbook explains that it is a condition of a firearm certificate that the guns must be stored securely at all times, except in certain circumstances, so as to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, access to them by unauthorised persons. Here “unauthorised persons” means anyone without a certificate allowing them to possess the holder’s guns. Shotgun ammunition is not covered by the condition, although the handbook says it is advisable to store it safely.
The police statutory guidance adds that a home visit must be carried out before a certificate is granted to a first-time applicant, that it must include inspection of the security arrangements, and that a certificate should not be granted where there is doubt about whether the applicant will keep firearms secure at all times. The handbook is the reference document for those inspections.
The cabinet itself
For most homes the handbook expects a purpose-made cabinet. New cabinets should conform to BS 7558, and an older cabinet that is satisfactory need not be replaced. Where only one rifle or shotgun is held in a low-risk situation, a gun clamp or similar device fixed to the building can be reasonable. The cabinet should be fixed to the structure and sited to frustrate attack and to avoid being identified by visitors, ideally out of view from both inside and outside the building. Wardrobes, cupboards, lofts and cellars are given as examples, with a caution that damp or condensation can damage firearms and corrode the fixings.
Ammunition and easily removable parts such as rifle bolts may be stored separately as an extra layer. Section 1 ammunition must be kept secure, and the handbook suggests its own lockable compartment in the cabinet.
Fixings, weight and walls
The handbook is specific about anchorage. Fastening to timber stud walls should be avoided unless extra anchorage is provided, while floor or roof joists are acceptable, and brick, concrete or masonry walls are usually best if the correct fixing is used. Breeze and thermal block walls are noted as poorly suited to ordinary fixings. For a floor fixing, it gives an example of coach screws at least 3/8 inch (8 mm) in diameter and 2.5 inches (63 mm) long, driven into joists rather than floorboards. It also warns that a large steel cabinet can exceed typical suspended-floor loading and that lofts may have lighter joists, so structural advice should be taken where in doubt.
Three levels of security
The handbook describes proportionate levels rather than fixed rules. Level 1 is the normal standard: a cabinet, good final exit doors (ideally to PAS 24) and suitable locks on ground-floor and patio windows. Level 2 applies where factors such as repeat victimisation, a high-crime area, a regularly unoccupied building or a substantial number of guns are present. It adds final exit door locks to BS 3621 (2016) or equivalent, secure window locking and an audible intruder alarm. Level 3 covers a higher assessed risk, and the handbook suggests dividing the guns between separate cabinets, additional target hardening or a gun room, and an alarm to BS 4737 3.30:2015 or equivalent, ideally monitored by an NSI monitoring centre. Section 5 firearms held in a dwelling call for Level 3.
The guide gives rough numbers, treating six to ten guns as the lower end of Level 2 and more than twelve as a “larger” number, but stresses that number alone is not enough and that type of firearm and other risks matter.
Garages and outbuildings
The handbook prefers storage in the occupied part of the dwelling. Detached buildings and garages with only external access should not be used unless they meet the standard, and if used they should be protected by an intruder alarm linked to the household to BS EN 50131. For an integral garage it recommends external walls built to the same standard as the house, a vehicle door rated to LPS 1175 Security Rating 1 or above (or equivalent listed standards), other doors specified like a main entrance door, and the cabinet positioned away from the vehicle door and screened from view.
Fire escape and safety
The handbook says no security requirement can prevent the immediate and unobstructed use of a window or opening provided as an emergency escape, and that any conflict with safety regulations should be resolved with the agency responsible. Ammunition should not be kept in an area exposed to fire risk or on an escape route. For garage doors more generally, see the site’s article on garage doors and the door into the house.
Keys and access
Security includes managing who can open the storage, not only the hardware. The handbook says access control, including the security of keys, is important, especially where children live in the household.
The bottom line
The Home Office handbook treats gun storage as a layered, proportionate system: a fixed cabinet to BS 7558, sound doors and windows, alarms as risk rises and careful key control, with emergency escape routes kept clear. It applies to certificate holders in Great Britain under the Firearms Act 1968 regime. Anyone holding or applying for a certificate should take the exact requirements for their home from their police firearms licensing team.