Handgun

A small, short-barrelled, rifled firearm, which can be held and fired with one hand.

There are two important points to remember when using a general-purpose handgun to humanely kill animals. First, the muzzle  must never be placed in direct contact with the target: shoot from a distance of 5-25cm and aim down the length of the neck into the main bulk of the body. Second, make sure that the ammunition is suitable for the task: most commercially available handgun ammunition is of the ‘wadcutter’ type and is loaded for target shooting. Although this type of ammunition is used by some individuals for shooting animals, it is not suitable and it should be replaced immediately with round-nose, lead bullets (see Ammunition). The same precautions for operator safety apply as for the free-bullet humane killer.

Note

In the UK, some handguns are exempt from the general ban on their ownership brought in under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997. An exemption is granted provided the guns are used solely for the humane destruction of animals and that this purpose is clearly stated on the individual’s Firearm Certificate. In an effort to reduce the potential for criminal use, some licensing authorities may put pressure on the operator to have the capacity of the magazine or cylinder reduced to one or two shots. The HSA recommends that owners of such weapons hand them in to the local police authority and equip themselves with a purpose-built .32 humane killer. Such a weapon should come supplied with the correct ammunition.

Next: Silencer