Hunting and sport shooters may or not be aware the majority
of firearms, shotguns, ammunition and associated explosives have been shipped
around the UK by TNT under an agreement by the Gun Trade Association. This
agreement was arranged to help move such restricted items from
importers/suppliers to registered firearms dealers in order to provide a smooth
reliable service to its customers.
Initially the system was set up where Section 1 and 2 items
could be shipped from one registered business to another for as little as £15.
This covered items such as rifles, shotguns and air weapons. There was also a
special service provided only by TNT in the UK to carry such items such as
ammunition, reloading powder, primers, percussion cap etc. The charge for this
service was usually around £25. In most cases suppliers and registered firearms
dealers absorbed these costs to try and keep retail prices down. What now has
happened since January 2016 is that TNT has made dramatic changes to these
special delivery services with huge increases to its charges. In most cases the
suppliers are unwilling to absorb these additional costs and no doubt the extra
cost will feed its way down the system unfortunately at the customer’s expense.
A letter received by TNT in January explained the following
circumstances “As we continue to operate our businesses through a period of
heightened security and risk we must all consider how best we can support our
local communities through effective mitigation, measures and control”
Some of the charges
that TNT have outlined that will affect business an
- £47.40 per consignment up to 30kg and £0.60 per kilo after
- Collection and delivery service must be within 60 miles of the 24 TNT UK depots. Outside of this there is a £1.26 charge per extra mile.
- Deliveries to Islands and weekend services are by special arrangement and will attract additional charge on a consignment by consignment basis.
In the meantime Northern Optics & Accessories has been
working very closely with its suppliers to ensure that any costs that are
passed on are minimal to our customers. We already have an account set up with
Parcelforce through the help of BASC which enables us to send Section 1 and 2
items to other registered firearms dealers for only £20. The only thing that is
out with our control is the cost of shipping reloading powder, ammunition,
primers etc. This at the moment is still only been shipped via TNT until
another reliable cheaper service can be found by us and our network of UK
suppliers.
