Most GPs are still doing medical verification but the number not doing so anymore is increasing. The following article explains the wider context.
A chance to improve the licensing system - ShootingUK
ShootingUK News - A chance to improve the licensing systemwww.shootinguk.co.uk
The article is full of missinformation.
Some may say that the article is being economical with the truth or that it is angled to shine a light on an organisation that is, like many politicans, trying to gain some credit by telling everyone how great they are and what a wonderful job they are doing.
I couldn't possibly comment.
Lumping Scotland in with England and Wales regarding GP 'forms' is bordering .... Yes the BMA did withdraw it's support in 2016 but Scotland pressed ahead thanks to Chief Inspector Fraser (Freedom) Lamb (retired) and despite there being no legal grounding, Scottish Ministeral approvals or Home Office guidance (or even a nod of the head) this 'requirement' took hold as Police Scotland 'refused' to grant or renewl without a completed tick form.
What did BASC do then ?
They fell back into their comfort zone and bounced around a bit, made a bit of noise and change direction many and several times.
I think they counted their 'fighting fund', which took a while.
He that fights and runs away, may turn and fight another day.
I wasn't paying my fee for that level of risk-aversion.
In 2019 Medcert was setup to provide assistance to a growing number of individuals who were being blackmailed (that maybe a bit strong, is coerced better?) into getting a 'doctors form' prior to having a renewal/certificate granted.
It was a clever move IMO, good business sense.
There was still no legal requirement to get this Dr's form however the jobsworth brigade in Scotland are trumpeting success (without anything too factual) and now English/Welsh Police Forces are now 'following' on.
In 2020 Medcert was doing quite well (in financial terms) and were also helping many individuals get over hurdles created by their GP's and FLO's, so well that I guess BASC realised they were 'missing out'.
So they formed a committee and this committee (somehow) 'helped thousands' of BASC members.
In 2020 BASC asked a mate (Dr Christopher Paul Orlebar Garrett) to join their committed crew and he had enough commercial nous that a year later (Nov 21) he set up an independant company, Shootcert to "help" thousands more members who were now being blackmailed (still to strong ?) into additionaly paying for something that they were already paying for ...
4 years after the stable door opened and 2 years after others were trying to 'help', not quite at the cutting edge Connor, but a well written article from your point of view i'm sure you'd agree.
Dr Chis still operates Shootcert, a company with no employees and has about £7K in the bank (£7K, that's not a lot is it ? - where's the rest of the money that these 1000's of people have paid gone ?).
He's likely still paid to be on the BASC medical panel (it's not a published list).
I wish him well with his endeavors, it's good to see NHS funded people make their way into the commercial jungle and even better to see them 'help' members and organisations of the shooting fraternity.
There are now a significant number of groups/companies, with GMC registered doctors offering this (tick form filling in) service, prices vary and you don't have to be a member to pay more, anymore.
The BASC (and this article in general) reminds me of a self enegising, ping pong ball in a goldfish bowl which occaisonall bounces over the rim but falls back in to another self motivated frenzy of noise and random actions.
Fun to watch but not really that helpful.
Keeps them busy though. The next one to watch out for is 'training'. We will all need to get a 'certificate' to shoot deer (even for personal consumption) and BASC will be expounding on how they have set up training programmes and trained 1000's of people and they should be the organisation to organise and oversee the whole thing, with discounts for members of course.
No I am not a member of BASC, I was, then I was a member of SACS but Craig hired Ch Insp Fraser (Freedom) Lamb (ret) and I got grumpy as it was 'Freedom' that brought the whole Dr's Form mess into being.
There were other reasons but that's for another day.
REF:
13749995 - Find and update company information - GOV.UK
Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
12134380 - Find and update company information - GOV.UK
Free company information from Companies House including registered office address, filing history, accounts, annual return, officers, charges, business activity
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
Apologies to those that think "Blackmail" and "Coercion" are too strong a word for the current non-legal way in which the Police are demanding money in addition to the mandatory charge for the renew or grant of a licence to possess, buy or acquire a firearm or shotgun.
'Freedom' .... said in the same way (and with the same passion and feeling) that William Wallace did in the movie Braveheart.
Fraser lives just up the road from me and i'm sure it was him I heard yelling into the mirror before he drove to work every morning and before his podcasts and interviews, I may have been mistaken though.
