UK legislation and law is a complicated thing and a lot revolves around interpreting the way it is written. Relatively recent innovations in the UK firearms industry such as Southern Gun Company’s Lever Release and the VZ68 MARS have shown that it is possible to bring new ideas to market that improve the range of firearms available to us as UK shooters, even if only for a short time until legislation is updated.
The Falcon FCS has been specifically designed to comply with UK legislation from the outset. We have taken advice from industry leaders in forensic firearms analysis and consulted with other specialists in UK firearms law, including those that have led groups such as FELWG and been a part of founding organisations such as NABIS.
Detailed reports on the function of the system and the reasons we believe it does not fall foul of Section 5(1) or the definitions under Section 57(2A) of the 1968 Act as amended were sent to all major UK institutions that have a say on firearms legislation in April 2021. These included FELWG, NABIS, the Home Office and our local licensing department. They were invited to pass comments or objections to our design. None were received.
Those of you that understand how our legal system works will realise that this doesn’t mean it has been approved, but it also doesn’t mean it’s hasn’t. The only way to have something legally accepted under our current legislation is for the Court of Appeal to pass a ruling and thus set a precedent. For this to happen, we would first need to be challenged in Crown Court and then the outcome would need to be appealed.
As a company run by shooters who abide by all firearms legislation but would like to see it less restrictive, and with the advice we've received from specialists in this area that have indicated we would be successful if challenged we felt compelled to bring our Forward Charging System to market.
It might not have any specific advantages over other rifles, it might not even be that beneficial in certain disciplines or uses, but we think it’s cool and it’s super fun to shoot!