Everything else from your home can come into storage with us, but firearms, ammunition, explosives and weapons can’t be kept in any Wigwam unit, even guns held legally on a firearm or shotgun certificate. Your police firearms licensing team is the right first call for the guns, and we’ll look after the rest.
Why guns stay out
The law makes a certificate holder responsible for keeping guns and ammunition secure, in a way the police have assessed for your home. A storage unit isn’t somewhere you control in that way, and keeping weapons out of every unit protects every customer’s belongings, yours included. The rule covers everything in the unit, whoever packs it, so a relative or removals crew can’t add a gun to it either. That includes air rifles and their pellets. An empty gun cabinet is fine to store.
Moving house with a shotgun or firearm
Furniture, boxes and everything else can go into a unit while you’re between homes. For the guns:
- tell the police force that granted your certificate about your change of address without undue delay;
- if you’re moving to a different police area, the new force should amend your certificate and inspect the security at your new home;
- if there’s a gap between homes, or your new cabinet isn’t fitted yet, speak to your licensing team before moving day about where the guns can be kept in the meantime, such as with a registered firearms dealer.
Found or inherited guns
We’re sorry if you’re clearing a loved one’s home. If you find guns or ammunition, keep them out of the boxes going into storage and contact the police firearms licensing team for the area, or a registered firearms dealer, before anyone moves them. The police can issue a permit so a relative or executor can hold them for a while as the estate is dealt with. Everything else in the house can come into storage in the meantime. Our guide to clearing an inherited house can help with the rest.
Antiques, replicas, deactivated guns and blades
If you’re not sure whether something counts as a weapon, such as an antique, a deactivated gun, a replica, a sword or a powder flask, please call us on 0800 2545585 before you bring it, and we’ll let you know.
If a gun is already in your unit
It happens, especially when someone else has packed for you. Call us on 0800 2545585 and we’ll work out the next step with you. For a shotgun or other firearm, call your police firearms licensing team too, and ask them how it should be moved.
For everything else from your move or clearance, get a price online or call us on 0800 2545585.
Related questions
- What goods are prohibited from being stored at Wigwam?
- What happens to a storage unit when the person renting it dies?
- Can I store a lawnmower, petrol tools, gas bottles or a barbecue?
Further reading
- GOV.UK: Firearms licensing guidance
- GOV.UK: Guide on firearms licensing law