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Firearm certificate gun cabinet requirements in the UK

Updated: 16 October 2026

You hold a firearm or shotgun certificate, or you are about to apply. Firearm certificate gun cabinet requirements in the handbook are not a Grade 0 badge. The condition is secure storage so far as is reasonably practicable. The usual new cabinet is BS 7558:1992, fixed and discreet. The five boxes on our [grade 0 gun safe comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/grade-0-gun-safe) do not settle a force’s visit. The Products Compared editorial team used the handbook, statutory guidance, the 31 July 2023 air-weapons material, and the PSNI page. This is not legal advice. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You hold a firearm or shotgun certificate, or you are about to apply. Firearm certificate gun cabinet requirements in the handbook are not a Grade 0 badge.

Our top picks

Genie Hand Genie Hand W90

Best overall

Genie Hand Genie Hand W90
4.1/10about £280
View offer
BILLCONCH BILLCONCH BG-J11

Rank 2

BILLCONCH BILLCONCH BG-J11
8.2/10about £134.43
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TOPMEDA TOPMEDA GS202

Best value

TOPMEDA TOPMEDA GS202
6.3/10about £133.98
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On this page
  1. 1.The condition on the certificate
  2. 2.The cabinet the handbook describes
  3. 3.Ammunition and air weapons
  4. 4.What is not police approval

The condition on the certificate

Secure storage so far as is reasonably practicable is judged in your house, on your certificate. If security is in doubt, the remedy is whatever that force requires. The handbook does not name EN 1143-1 Grade 0 as the house standard. A force can accept a graded safe in a particular case. Nothing here says Grade 0 satisfies every force. If the standards are mixed, use the buying guide before you spend.

The cabinet the handbook describes

Paragraph 2.1 says new cabinets should meet BS 7558:1992, be fixed, and be sited out of easy view. A security cable is a snatch delay. The difference is on the anchoring page. A hidden pistol box that is not BS 7558 has missed the construction line. In a mobile home or caravan, paragraphs 2.25 to 2.28 point to a BS 7558 cabinet or EN 1143-1 Grade 1, 2 or 3, and a floor-load check. Grade 0 is not in that list. The two tests are on the Grade 0 versus cabinet page.
Genie Hand Genie Hand W90

Testsieger

Genie Hand Genie Hand W90
4.1/10about £280
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Ammunition and air weapons

Section 1 ammunition must be kept secure, and best practice is to keep it separate from the firearms. Shotgun cartridges are not under that statutory lock-up line. Air weapons split by nation: England and Wales from 31 July 2023, a possible Scottish air weapon certificate, and in Northern Ireland a PSNI firearm certificate for airguns over 1 joule with a BS 7558 cabinet secured to the building. If you live in one nation and shoot in another, ask the force that issued the certificate.

What is not police approval

Gun Safes rank, a fingerprint, a German weapons-law sentence, and a dealer’s £6,000 or £60,000 line are not police approval. The TOPMEDA, BILLCONCH, TOPINCN, KEhtu and Genie Hand listings do not cite EN 1143-1 or BS 7558. They sit between £133.98 and £280. Phone firearms licensing before you buy for a certificate.

Common questions

What should a new cabinet meet for a certificate at home?
The Firearms Security Handbook 2020 says a new cabinet should meet BS 7558:1992, be fixed to the building, and be sited out of easy view. That is the usual line for a dwelling. It is not a Grade 0 requirement. Your force still visits and can ask for more if security is in doubt. Buy against paragraph 2.1, then confirm with licensing before you treat the purchase as accepted.
How should section 1 ammunition be kept?
Section 1 ammunition must be kept secure, and best practice is to keep it separate from the firearms. Shotgun cartridges are not under that statutory lock-up line. Locking them is still advised where children live. A trigger lock on the gun does not lock the ammunition, and it does not meet the cabinet line on its own.
What changed for air weapons in England and Wales on 31 July 2023?
From that date, an air weapon in England and Wales should be kept secure and out of sight, and separate from compatible ammunition when it is not in use. A trigger lock on its own is not enough. That circular is not the Scottish air weapon certificate, and it is not the Northern Ireland rule. If you live in England or Wales, use this line. If you live elsewhere in the UK, use the rule for that nation.
Is an air rifle in Scotland under the same rule?
Scotland may require an air weapon certificate. That is a separate regime from the England and Wales storage circular of 31 July 2023. Do not assume a leaflet written for England covers a Scottish certificate, or the reverse. Ask Police Scotland, or the guidance published for air weapon certificates, before you copy an English arrangement and call it compliant.
What does the PSNI page say about a cabinet and airguns over 1 joule?
In Northern Ireland, airguns over 1 joule need a firearm certificate from the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The PSNI page says a BS 7558 cabinet secured to the building. That is a cabinet fixed to the structure, not a portable pistol box with a cable. The 1 joule line is the Northern Ireland threshold in the material we used. It is not the England and Wales rule, and it is not a Grade 0 requirement.
Who do you ask before you buy for a certificate?
Ask the firearms licensing unit that issued your certificate, or that will issue it, what they expect to see on the visit. The handbook is the published guide. It is not a substitute for the officer who can say the fixing is short. If security is already in doubt, follow the written requirement from that visit. A star rating on amazon.co.uk will not close the condition.

Related pages

Grade 1 gun safe comparison

Grade 0 gun safe

Best pistol safe nightstand: two boxes, not Grade 0

Grade 0 gun safe: what the name should mean before you pay

How to bolt down a gun cabinet, and what a cable does

EN 1143-1 Grade 0 vs BS 7558: two tests, two objects

Sources

Public UK sources and dealer pages used for this comparison, last checked on 16 October 2026.

  1. Firearms Security Handbook 2020 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Firearms licensing: statutory guidance for chief officers (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. BS EN 1143-1:2019, BSI catalogue entry (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. EN 1143-1:2019 public preview table (30 resistance units) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Secured by Design: home safes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. Storage of air weapons in England and Wales (circular 005/2023) (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. PSNI Firearms and Explosives Branch (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. Burton Grade 0 home safe (seller cash line) (retrieved 16 October 2026)