Hi Alanint
As it stands prior to the 8th April 2016, the deactivation process does not involve welding the magazine. The pistol can be cocked, magazine can be removed and the gun dry fired.
After April 8th. the magazine will be welded in situ, if there is no magazine in the gun a steel bar will be welded in its place. The gun will then be unable to dry fire etc.
This apples to any gun sold after this date, even if it had gone under a deactivation process prior to the 8th.
Once a gun is sold after the 8th. the welding takes place, but if the gun is then sold again there is no need to have it redone, because the welding process needs only to be done once.
If you don't sell the gun after the 8th. there is no need to have it welded it's legal for you to keep it in a pre 8th. April state.
Hope this explains it.
Cheers
John
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