Sound moderator deregulation: the new rules across every discipline
Moderators are out of firearms licensing control, and the British Shooting Sports Council's legal guidance sets out who may now buy one without a certificate. A sector overview for stalkers, game and clay shooters and airgunners alike
The biggest licensing simplification in years is now in force, and it reaches across the whole of shooting sport. Sound moderators were removed from firearms licensing control in England, Wales and Scotland on 29 June, under Section 44 of the Crime and Policing Act 2026, and the British Shooting Sports Council (BSSC) has published legal guidance setting out what the change means in practice. For the show community it is a change every visitor will meet, whether at a dealer’s counter this summer or at the exhibition stands next February.
What has changed for moderator owners?
A moderator is no longer a firearm in law. It no longer needs to be listed on a firearm certificate, no variation is needed to acquire one, and moderators are no longer entered on the National Firearms Licensing Management System. Existing certificate entries simply fall away at renewal. The guidance, prepared with the council’s legal adviser Nick Doherty, is blunt: “For existing certificate holders, there is nothing that needs to be done.” The BSSC said the reform “removes an unnecessary administrative burden on both certificate holders and police firearms licensing departments”, and thanked its president, Lord Brady of Altrincham, for tabling the House of Lords amendment that helped secure the change.
Who may buy a moderator without a certificate?
One offence remains. A moderator intended for use with a Section 1 firearm may only be possessed by the holder of a current firearm or shotgun certificate; unlawful possession is a summary offence carrying a fine of up to level 3. Intended use is judged objectively, so technical compatibility with other firearms does not matter. Moderators intended solely for shotguns, or for air rifles that need no certificate, may be bought by anyone, and moderators fitted to airsoft, paintball or deactivated guns are unrestricted. The guidance’s references to moderators include flash hiders, and sound moderators for air guns remain subject to separate licensing requirements in Scotland, a point Scottish airgun shooters should check before buying.
What should buyers and sellers check at the counter?
For anyone buying or selling, the guidance is clear about where responsibility sits. Sellers are not obliged to check a buyer’s authority before completing a sale: “The onus to have authority to hold a sound moderator lies with possessor,” it notes.
What happens next
Certificate holders can carry on exactly as before, with moderator entries disappearing at renewal and nothing to send back to their force. The guidance in full is available through the BSSC, with a summary published by the Countryside Alliance, and the full story is on ShootingUK, linked below.
Useful links
BSSC guidance explains the new sound moderator rules (ShootingUK, the full story)