Proof House storage: what the new service means for the shooting sector
The London Proof House has opened a secure, climate-controlled armoury to certificate holders, gunmakers and dealers, proof master David Miles has told Gun Trade Insider. The sector reading for visitors and exhibitors, and where to find the full story
Credit: Chris Lawrence Images/Shutterstock
The London Proof House, which has proved the capital’s guns since the Worshipful Company of Gunmakers was chartered in 1637, has opened a secure firearms storage service to certificate holders, gunmakers and registered firearms dealers (RFDs), proof master David Miles has told Gun Trade Insider. For the show community it is a sector story in miniature: a 389-year-old institution adding a consumer service to fund its trade work, and a new storage option for visitors and exhibitors alike.
What has the Proof House launched?
A previously unused armoury at the Proof House’s Commercial Road premises in London now holds firearms for private owners and the trade. Proofing and deactivation inspection remain the core business, Miles said, but storage offers a business-to-consumer service alongside the established trade work, and the income could help fund investment in proofing facilities and equipment without increasing proof charges to the trade. The Proof House holds an RFD registration issued by the Metropolitan Police for the armoury and storage business; proofing continues under the Royal Charter and a Firearms Act exemption.
“The Armoury itself has all the security requirements of an RFD, but within the Proof House which itself has high security,” he said.
Who is using it?
Individual owners have so far accounted for most of the firearms placed in storage, Miles told Gun Trade Insider. Customers have used or asked about it while moving house, travelling abroad, on holiday or awaiting certificate renewals, and it offers a route for people in rented accommodation who cannot fit a cabinet or who prefer not to keep firearms at home. Dealers have enquired when relocating, refurbishing or short of capacity, and Miles said it could suit businesses approaching the quantity or value limits of their insurance cover.
“We have offered our storage space to the trade, who are welcome to use it if they are running out of guns storage space themselves,” he said.
Why does it matter to the sector?
Three reasons. First, capacity: an exhibitor refitting a shop, moving premises or carrying more stock than its insurance allows now has a registered, high-security overflow in London, with repair work for storage customers able to flow back to the trade. Second, the climate: temperature and humidity in the armoury are monitored and controlled to prevent corrosion and mould, and the space is protected from ultraviolet light and pests, which matters to anyone holding valuable stock or a collection. “We don’t just see security as an issue. The climate in the Armoury is also very important,” Miles said. Third, the audience: Miles said new storage customers often ask about proof marks and whether their guns remain in proof, so a service aimed at the public is bringing proofing itself, the sector’s oldest quality mark, to people who had never thought about it.
How does it work in practice?
Customers arrange a time to drop off or collect, and new users sign a storage agreement. With notice, firearms can be shipped around the country, including transfers to another RFD, and the Proof House can use Parcelforce to send guns to a local dealer or one near the owner’s shooting ground. Access to the armoury is limited to selected staff, and Miles said the service is insured and confidential. No charge is quoted in Gun Trade Insider’s interview; terms are agreed with the Proof House directly. The Proof House can hold single guns or collections, though Miles said it would not be practical to take the whole inventory of its largest trade customers, whose stocks run to tens of thousands of guns.
What happens next
The service is live at Commercial Road. “The Proof House is a trusted brand and secure building; we have been here for nearly 400 years and, God willing, we will be here for 400 years more to come,” Miles said. The full interview with the proof master, including the trade detail on insurance limits and dealer stock, is on Gun Trade Insider; the link is first in Useful links below.
Useful links
Read the full story on Gun Trade Insider: Proof House storage service opens new route for certificate holders and the trade – the original feature in Gun Trade Insider, with David Miles’s full interview
London Proof House – the Proof House’s own site, with its history of gun proof and services
Frequently asked questions
What is the London Proof House storage service?
A secure, climate-controlled firearms store in a previously unused armoury at the Proof House’s Commercial Road premises, open to certificate holders, gunmakers and registered firearms dealers, held under an RFD registration issued by the Metropolitan Police.
Can a dealer or exhibitor store stock at the Proof House?
Yes. Dealers have already asked about holding stock or work in progress when relocating, refurbishing, short of space or approaching the limits of their insurance cover, proof master David Miles told Gun Trade Insider.
When was the London Proof House founded?
The Worshipful Company of Gunmakers was chartered by Charles I in 1637 to regulate the proof of firearms in London, and its Proof House on Commercial Road is one of two in the UK, with Birmingham.
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