# Crime and Policing Act 2026, Section 44: Application of Firearms Acts to sound moderators etc

Extent: E+W+S

(1) The Firearms Act 1968 is amended as follows.
(2) After section 2 insert—
“Possession of a sound moderator or flash suppressor
2A (1) Subject to any exemption under this Act, it is an offence for a person to have in their possession a relevant accessory unless the person holds a firearm certificate or a shot gun certificate.
(2) “Relevant accessory” means an accessory to a firearm to which section 1 applies which is designed or adapted to diminish the noise or flash caused by firing the firearm.”
(3) In section 57 (interpretation)—
(a) in subsection (1)—
(i) omit paragraph (d);
(ii) in the words after paragraph (d) omit “, and accessories to,”;
(b) in subsection (4)—
(i) after the definition of “registered” insert—
““relevant accessory” has the meaning given in section 2A;”;
(ii) in the definition of “shot gun”, omit the words from “and any” to the end.
(4) In Schedule 6 (prosecution and punishment of offences) after the entry for section 2(2) insert—
“
Section 2A
Possession of relevant accessory without certificate under this Act
Summary
A fine of level 3 on the standard scale
”.
(5) Schedule 5 amends the exemptions in the Firearms Act 1968 and the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 to the requirement to hold a firearm or shot gun certificate.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2026/20/section/44 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/crime-and-policing-act-2026/section-44
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.