# Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988, Section 7: Conversion not to affect classification.

Extent: E+W+S

(1) Any weapon which—
(a) has at any time (whether before or after the passing of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997) been a weapon of a kind described in section 5(1) or (1A) of the principal Act (including any amendments to section 5(1) made under section 1(4) of this Act);
(b) is not a self-loading or pump-action smooth-bore gun which has at any such time been such a weapon by reason only of having had a barrel less than 24 inches in length,
shall be treated as a prohibited weapon notwithstanding anything done for the purpose of converting it into a weapon of a different kind.
(2) Any weapon which—
(a) has at any time since the coming into force of section 2 above been a weapon to which section 1 of the principal Act applies; or
(b) would at any previous time have been such a weapon if those sections had then been in force,
shall, if it has, or at any time has had, a rifled barrel less than 24 inches in length, be treated as a weapon to which section 1 of the principal Act applies notwithstanding anything done for the purpose of converting it into a shot gun or an air weapon.
(3) For the purposes of subsection (2) above there shall be disregarded the shortening of a barrel by a registered firearms dealer for the sole purpose of replacing part of it so as to produce a barrel not less than 24 inches in length.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/45/section/7 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/firearms-amendment-act-1988/section-7
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.