The Robin Hood Legacy had a great influence on the kings of the United Kingdom. Henry the First has encouraged people to practice archery around the 1100s. It was a serious concern of England’s kings to ensure that they have a sufficient number of men with proper archery skills.
Can you believe that a bunch of ‘more popular’ sports like football and golf were banned in some periods of time in England just to direct people towards archery?
In such modern time like that we live in, it’s hard to believe that archery used to have such a cherished reputation, and you might be wondering about the rules that govern practising archery nowadays. That’s what we’ll be discussing today.
Read on to find all about the Archery Laws in the UK.
Basic Archery Laws in the UK
The number of people possessing crossbows sin the United Kingdom is on the rise. Although crossbows are considered to be lethal weapons, there’s no reason for them to be illegal, as long as people are using them safely.
According to the UK laws, you don’t need a license to hold a crossbow. Yet, you must be above 18 years. Selling crossbows to those who’re younger than 18 is illegal and to practice archery below 18 years, you must have an adult who’s over 21 years old to supervise.
Game Basics
You use a stringed bow to project archery arrows towards a circular target. In the case of competitions, the target is to see who of the players can hit closest to the target from a pre-specified distance.
Rules entail that during the game, only one archer holds the bow at a time. You can play individually or as a group.
A Summary of NFAS Archery Safety Rules
When you’re playing within a group, it’s the responsibility of every archer to ensure the safety of other members of the group. In the case of occurrence of accidents, near hit incidents, or dangerous behaviour, they should report immediately to course officials or marshals.
Beware
- Never point your arrow towards any direction except for the target.
- Never shoot a damaged arrow.
- Never move between targets with an arrow nocked on the string.
- Never draw an arrow in a direction parallel to the target, or in any direction where an accidental release is possible.
Dealing with Risks
Risk assessment according to their likelihood and level of harm can be a helpful guide on how to deal with them. Assessment shall be carried out according to the British Standard – 8800.
Let’s first take a look at this risk assessment matrix from ArcheryGB.
| RISK ASSESSMENT MATRIX | Slightly Harmful | Harmful | Extremely Harmful |
| Highly Unlikely | Trivial Risk | Tolerable Risk | Moderate Risk |
| Unlikely | Tolerable Risk | Moderate Risk | Substantial Risk |
| Likely | Moderate Risk | Substantial Risk | Intolerable Risk |
When it comes to dealing with these risks, there’s nothing to do with trivial risks and tolerable ones. Except for monitor the situation for any possible advancements.
Regarding moderate risks, efforts should be made to reduce the risk. In case of presence of extremely harmful consequences, you should take extra measures to control the situation.
In the case of substantial risk, shooting should stop and shall not commence until the risk is over.
Lastly, when it comes to intolerable risks, shooting shall not start until the risk is controlled, if it’s hard to control, shooting may not commence at all.
Archery Etiquette
These are not ‘laws’ per se, but they do help ensure your safety.
- Keep all phones silent.
- Keep children under close control and in short proximity.
- Keep the shooting course free from litter.
- Keep a safe distance between you and the front group
Archery in Public Land
One of the pressing questions regarding archery is whether you’re eligible to practice it in public land or not. The answer isn’t that straightforward. But generally, yes, you can, under some circumstances.
The bottom line is that you can practice archery in public land as long as you cause no endangerment to people or properties around you and the space you’re using is well-suited for archery.
Here’s the checklist of safe archery practice in public areas:
- Make sure there are no people within 50 meters
- Use a backstop behind the target to minimize the risk of off-target shots
- Have the consent of the landowner
- Make sure you have insurance
Someone has saved himself -and us- the effort and sent a letter to the NSW and Parliamentary Secretary of Police. Here’s the answer he got.
Is Archery Legal?
Sure.
Archery has been and will always be legal in the UK. As we mentioned before, at past times it was even a sport people were encouraged to practice, a part of the Englishman’s heritage.
However, you can’t hunt animals using your bow. Although it was legal before.
Carrying Bows in Public
As per some laws in the UK, you shouldn’t take your bow with you on public transportation as it’s considered an offensive weapon. The safe legal way to transport your bow is to unstring it.
This applies to keeping your bow next to your bed or your door. In such a case, they expect you to use it against intruders, which is illegal.
Can I Shoot in My Garden?
This is complicated.
If you’re asking about the act of shooting itself, yes, it’s legal.
What’s not legal and can get you in a lot of trouble that might lead to prosecution is injuring somebody while doing so. Can you guarantee you won’t miss your target? I doubt it.
Would a wooden fence protect you and the passerby’s? Absolutely, not.
The solution to such a situation would be to install a safety net. It’s not ‘the perfect’ solution, but it’s the safest option. Relatively.
Finally
Archery laws might seem a bit overwhelming and too much to grasp, but they’re all aimed at our safety. No doubt.
However, you can avoid a lot of the fuss and getting trapped into complicated laws by practising archery in an archery club, where the place is well-prepared for almost all situations.