Firearms Licensing Fees

billh

Well-Known Member
I had an FEO here today and a comment he made was that the Gloucestershire Constabulary are losing £150,000 per year because of the current fees structure. His words were 'the public is subsidising licences' and that to break even they would need to charge £35 more for each licence.
My reply was that the system should become more efficient before any more increases were considered. When I suggested that volunteers could do some of the administration work he was full of reasons for not doing that.
The FEO's are not highly paid but when you consider that most are ex-police officers, retire at 50 and have a good pension they are not doing too badly.
I understand that some forces do not carry out home visits but rely on phone calls, this seems a sensible approach and could save time and money.
 
Based on the figures that I could find online, his numbers don't stack up. Dividing the total number of SG & FAC holders in the County (as at 2011) by the 5 year renewal cycle and then multiplying by £35 gives a figure of £90,748 per year. I've not factored in the reality that many FAC holders will also be SGC holders. It appears he's inflating the problem by more than 50% - if, indeed, there is a problem?
 
The government of the day decided the public needed the protection that a license for shooters offered, so why should the public
of which we are members not pay for that protection ?

Neil. :)
 
I am not surprised that the fees are so expensive, having just spent the better part of 3 hours filling in forms for coterminous certificates and explosives licences most, if not all, of the information appears to be reiterating the details from the previous certificates. Obvious savings could be made if you could fill in an online form pre-loaded with your existing details and merely add changes as appropriate, and a 10 year certificate life would save further effort all round.

atb Tim
 
I am not surprised that the fees are so expensive, having just spent the better part of 3 hours filling in forms for coterminous certificates and explosives licences most, if not all, of the information appears to be reiterating the details from the previous certificates. Obvious savings could be made if you could fill in an online form pre-loaded with your existing details and merely add changes as appropriate, and a 10 year certificate life would save further effort all round.

atb Tim

And therein lies the problem.

ACPO seems to be pushing e-commerce as the way forward to cost saving, but still view any form of the slackening of the current rules, regulations and requirements as not in the public interest, so are not warm towards suggestions for 10 year license and so on.

Perhaps charging for refusals would go some way towards achieving full cost recovery, after all, to have gone through the application process and then sending the fee back is hardly cost efficient. All too often I see comments on forums where aspiring applicants are advised to put in their iffy application just in case it goes through "as it won't cost you anything if they say no".
 
The Deregulation Act 2015 seems like a missed opportunity for the Police to reduce the burden of the licencing system and make savings.
 
why 3 licences,why not a firearms licence that states the right to fac,shotgun and/or explosives for us blackpowder users.your driving licence does this .why cant your firearms certificate.one document 3 simple codes sect 1,2 and 3.only 1 piece of paper ,only 1 form ,your referee,s are the same we dont need 3 separate applications for the car so why firearms.most of us oldies have various different codes to drive lorrys,bikes ,etc .so why does the civil service need to overcomplicate matters:old:
 
why 3 licences,why not a firearms licence that states the right to fac,shotgun and/or explosives for us blackpowder users.your driving licence does this .why cant your firearms certificate.one document 3 simple codes sect 1,2 and 3.only 1 piece of paper ,only 1 form ,your referee,s are the same we dont need 3 separate applications for the car so why firearms.most of us oldies have various different codes to drive lorrys,bikes ,etc .so why does the civil service need to overcomplicate matters:old:

Because that's what they do best.:D
 
I don't care how much money they lose (ok I do really) but this tedious mindset that the public subsidises shooters needs to be knocked on the head, hard.
Certificates exist for public protection, shooters did not ask for this system - the state did.
the police are there for public protection - its their job, just like it is to patrol town centres on a Friday night to wrestle with drunks.
if the public wants their money back from my certificate fee, I want a tax rebate for all the binge drinkers using public A&E services for free, or all the costs of policing football matches which I never attend - its the same principle.
Quit trying to segregate shooters from members of the public - it's discrimination.
 
I don't care how much money they lose (ok I do really) but this tedious mindset that the public subsidises shooters needs to be knocked on the head, hard.
Certificates exist for public protection, shooters did not ask for this system - the state did.
the police are there for public protection - its their job, just like it is to patrol town centres on a Friday night to wrestle with drunks.
if the public wants their money back from my certificate fee, I want a tax rebate for all the binge drinkers using public A&E services for free, or all the costs of policing football matches which I never attend - its the same principle.
Quit trying to segregate shooters from members of the public - it's discrimination.

Spot on Jabalihunter.

The FEO from Glos shouldn't really make such comments in the first place anyway, not with their track record of tardiness. That is one police force that really needs to take on board ecommerce and improvements to efficiency. Time they culled a few dinosaurs and got with the programme.
 
I don't care how much money they lose (ok I do really) but this tedious mindset that the public subsidises shooters needs to be knocked on the head, hard.
Certificates exist for public protection, shooters did not ask for this system - the state did.
the police are there for public protection - its their job, just like it is to patrol town centres on a Friday night to wrestle with drunks.
if the public wants their money back from my certificate fee, I want a tax rebate for all the binge drinkers using public A&E services for free, or all the costs of policing football matches which I never attend - its the same principle.
Quit trying to segregate shooters from members of the public - it's discrimination.
+1 ....
And it is a CERTIFICATE NOT A LICIENSE !!!!!!
 
The police aren't there to make a profit. They provide a service. Of course they lose money. You don't pay them to investigate crimes committed against you. You don't pay them to attend road collisions. You don't pay them..... Oh, wait a minute. Actually you do pay them, because their funding comes from central government (taxes we pay), local government (taxes we pay) and, in the case of firearm/shotgun certificates, the charge they levy for them.

So actually we pay them in three different ways. I bet that FEO didn't count those up in his calculations.
 
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