In this case you are left with no choice but to lodge guns. You cant take them to the policevstation in a cabinet you cant give keys to a solicitor. Comments like this are not helpful and deflect focus. Fld can issue you with an extention or section 7 there and then. They can update nfms then post out cert. They can issue you one in person at the station a feo can drop you one off.
Section 7 was used extensively throughout and after covid they had to they had no other way of dealing with the issues at the time. Fld dont have to issue you with a section 7. However they cant use the excuse of a backlog or failures by their administration. As mentioned they have used section 7 widely previously this sets a president. The home office updated guidance to limit the use of section 7. Some fld as with all licensing issues suit the policy to suit their needs. They dont want to look bad in the stats table.
Here is a letter challenging the decision if the refusal is soley based on backlog and administration delays. Hope this helps.
Dear Sir or Madam,
I write to formally challenge the decision (or stated position) that a Section 7 authority cannot be issued due to firearms licensing backlog, and that I must instead lodge my firearms elsewhere.
Background I submitted my renewal application within the statutory renewal period, prior to the expiry of my firearm certificate. I was subsequently granted an 8-week extension by the Constabulary. Despite full compliance on my part, my renewal has not been determined due solely to licensing backlog and administrative delay. I have now been informed that a Section 7 authority will not be issued for this reason and that I must lodge my firearms with a third party.
At no point has any issue been raised regarding my suitability, security arrangements, or public safety.
Legal and procedural position
The position communicated to me is not supported by law or guidance.
A Section 7 authority exists specifically to prevent lawful certificate holders from being unfairly prejudiced where continued possession becomes unlawful through no fault of their own, including where delay is attributable to the police.
Backlog or resourcing issues do not amount to a lawful basis to refuse consideration of a Section 7 authority. To do so constitutes:
Unlawful fettering of discretion Procedural unfairness Irrational decision-making A failure to have proper regard to Home Office Firearms Guidance
Further, a public authority must not benefit from its own delay. Refusing a Section 7 authority on the basis of police backlog, while simultaneously relying on that backlog as the cause of the problem, is internally inconsistent and legally vulnerable.
Disproportionality of forced lodging
Requiring me to lodge my firearms elsewhere is:
Disproportionate where secure storage already exists An unnecessary interference with peaceful enjoyment of possessions Potentially costly and prejudicial Entirely avoidable through the lawful use of Section 7 authority
This approach appears driven by administrative convenience rather than lawful necessity.
What I am requesting
I formally request that firearms licensing:
Reconsider my application for a Section 7 authority on its individual merits, without reliance on backlog as a reason for refusal