BASC calls for independent regulatory body for firearms licensing

[Conor O'Gorman]

A “largely unprofessional, overburdened and poorly resourced police licensing service puts public safety at risk”, BASC has told a Home Affairs Committee inquiry into policing priorities.

BASC’s written submission to the inquiry is a broad sweeping critique of the current situation across the 43 firearms licensing departments in England and Wales.

The inquiry is focusing on the state of policing in England and Wales, highlighting low public confidence and damaging high-profile cases. It will examine what a modern police service should look like and how to ensure the highest standards amongst police officers.

BASC’s submission, which has now been published, concludes:

“Firearms licensing is in crisis. The 43 licensing authorities in England and Wales are unable to manage their workload, with some refusing to process grants and many taking more than a year to process renewals. A largely unprofessional, overburdened and poorly resourced police licensing service puts public safety at risk.”

Firearms licensing is in crisis, BASC tells Parliamentary Committee inquiry - The British Association for Shooting and Conservation

BASC has proposed the establishment of an independent regulatory body to oversee licensing departments.

basc.org.uk

 

[splash]

If the police have a serial Rapist and a Murderer in the highest branch of their Armed section how can they be responsible for anything ?
And yesterday one was fired for having sex in the back of a police van during lockdown
What happened to the police having a zero tolerance policy on police officers having a police record ? I know of a police officer who got three speeding offences in a year and did three speed awareness courses arranged by her inspector so she didn’t lose her job.
( story told to me by her mother)

 

[andyk]

I’ve previously been in the “better the devil you know” camp on this. However, it’s all falling apart to such an extent that something clearly has to change, there’s no “keep it the same” option anymore.

I fear this will lead to an increase in fees, so we’ll just have to hope it also improves service.

 

[Greenmist]

I fear this will lead to an increase in fees, so we’ll just have to hope it also improves service.

It certainly will, as I suspect it will go to the private sector and the obvious candidate will be G4S, remember the farce with the Olympics vetting, fee's will go through the roof with no safe guards petitioned for to keep the system in check, a bit the like the current energy bill saga

 

[cjm1066]

How much as the Gun Trade lost during this fiasco, no certificate no purchase of guns and ammunition. or ammunition, collectively there losses are likely to be huge and this has damaged the market for second-hand guns hurting us all. If only some sort of Class Action could be pursued?

 

[finnbear270]

Police Service or Police FORCE?

 

[bottletopbill]

On BBC breakfast head of met said he had 800 officer's being looked into.
Spoke to a serving officer who said triple that amount as Cressida Dick tried and could not get rid off due to all the P Correctness with colour there race and gender and religion.. what a total mess


How many shooters behave this way and keep there licence let alone there job with the blue light 10% discount on every thing they buy (meals cars insurance)

 

[finnbear270]

I just spent three and a half hours filling in the twenty minute renewal online forms, accidentally clicking the back button ...... all info lost.

 

[moonstone gsp]

I think its a move that should be explored. Unless that is the shooting community just want to sit back and carry on complaining on forum sites about the current situation. I would also point out that whilst BASC might have its faults, its organisations like this that can only look to make a meaningful change in the system.

 

[finnbear270]

I suggested this get out ages ago

 

[Apthorpe]

This seems rather a silly proposal. We all know firearms licensing doesn't work and police forces, on the whole, are doing it poorly. What on earth is the establishment of a new regulatory body supposed to achieve? Police forces already have an independent inspectorate which performs this function, and indeed criticises police forces where appropriate. There's no utility at all in having a different body tell the police they're not doing it very well. What effective sanction could it possibly wield?

Why did BASC not propose removing the firearms licensing function completely from the Police, instead forming a single independent national firearms licensing body which is subject to regulation by the Home Office and inspection by the Police? This body could be staffed and or managed by shooters and with an independent board determining the best ways to minimise risks while performing efficiently. There's no real reason why the Police need to be involved in this on a day-to-day basis. It's burdensome for them and they don't have good skillsets for administering it.

 

[finnbear270]

Suggestion was to relieve the police of their "Burden" alltogether

 

[Apthorpe]

I think its a move that should be explored. Unless that is the shooting community just want to sit back and carry on complaining on forum sites about the current situation. I would also point out that whilst BASC might have its faults, its organisations like this that can only look to make a meaningful change in the system.

I just wish that BASC would try harder to involve itself in positive rather than negative changes to the system.

 

[finnbear270]

Just involve would work for me

 

[Bowland blades]

Absolute Zero confidence , in UK police today ( it was far from the case in the past but they kept proving me wrong , so i changed ) . No chance of free housing , poor salaries, not a job for life and often less than a security guard regards take home pay , pensions degraded . Most of all though Totally wallys as leaders often enough promoted because of their ethnicity or sexuallity ( this is wrong totally and i know a good coppers who have had to tell a few porkies to get a promotion to tick the boxes ) . really though the last straw for me was the chief who told his driver to move on when that constable was under a knife attack .
All this attention about licensing but look at the likes of Devon they gave his multi shot shotguns back because he took a course on anger management ! Seriously , ask any responsible gun owner their opinion and it would be " remove the licence for good " at the first event .
I know all the guys aint bad but just the convictions of so many coppers of late prove my point A SERIOUS INCOMPETANCE in the leadership and government

 

[hendrix's rifle]

On BBC breakfast head of met said he had 800 officer's being looked into.
Spoke to a serving officer who said triple that amount as Cressida Dick tried and could not get rid off due to all the P Correctness with colour there race and gender and religion.. what a total mess


How many shooters behave this way and keep there licence let alone there job with the blue light 10% discount on every thing they buy (meals cars insurance)

The blue light comment is absolute bollocks. 9/10 places don't do blue light discount. That's meals, cars, insurance...

If you don't know, don't comment on it, dead easy

 

[Spix]

Reads a bit like BASC wishing to keep their arm in the till.

Still. One wooden top walking down the High Street yesterday afternoon with his hands in his pockets, I kid you not!

That said, typical SD whiners thread. FLD Lincs., in my humble experience, exemplary service. Always has been. Thanks chaps!

 

[kes]

First we need Statutory Guidance agreed with the 'shooting community' as the WORD on licencing. then we need an agency which is not the Police, trained to carry out the 'WORD' of HOG. No transfers of officers to the new organisation unless they pass an HOG examination to eradicate past practice. If the Licence fee is to increase it must come with efficiency and reproducibility of results nationwide and a fully functioning online service - in fairness to BASC (not used to this) they have looked to service efficiency to provide internal savings and internet forms, very much so. An appeals process is needed and regular reviews of HOG.

How many of us have stressed this function needs to be taken from the Police after a series of service failures over recent years. So BASC's statement is not new or particularly well articulated, in my opinion - I'm not going to talk about 10 year certs.
However, I am sure the shooting community would ante - up and help with advice - I certainly would, if asked, but I would say lets have no arrogance about this BASC, we only seek public safety, fairness and promptness with set and universally applied standards - there is nothing wrong with that.
I have no doubt that good laws properly applied would weed - out a number of unsuitables.

 

[SimonC]

This seems rather a silly proposal. We all know firearms licensing doesn't work and police forces, on the whole, are doing it poorly. What on earth is the establishment of a new regulatory body supposed to achieve? Police forces already have an independent inspectorate which performs this function, and indeed criticises police forces where appropriate. There's no utility at all in having a different body tell the police they're not doing it very well. What effective sanction could it possibly wield?

Why did BASC not propose removing the firearms licensing function completely from the Police, instead forming a single independent national firearms licensing body which is subject to regulation by the Home Office and inspection by the Police? This body could be staffed and or managed by shooters and with an independent board determining the best ways to minimise risks while performing efficiently. There's no real reason why the Police need to be involved in this on a day-to-day basis. It's burdensome for them and they don't have good skillsets for administering it.

Apthorpe's analysis seems spot on to me. I think BASC needs to explain to its membership why it thinks that a new regulatory body would be preferable to a national firearms licencing body. If experience from elsewhere is anything to go by, regulators soon become apologists for the industry rather than a force for change benefiting those being regulated.

 

[GlosChris]

An independent regulator isn’t going far enough. We need a totally separate agency (not a private company) along the lines of DVLA operating nationwide and bringing in a fully digitised licensing, acquisition/ transfer, variation etc system.