A new thread would be interesting.
This thread, and comments from others (I’m under West Mercia) has led me to re-read that HO Guidance. That appears to confirm that s1 shotguns should be authorised for avian vermin control. While I could understand (even if not agree) with ‘good reason’ being more heavily scrutinised to confirm that an applicant will be shooting substantial amounts of avian vermin, I can’t see how a blanket policy of refusing s1 shotguns for vermin control can be justified - or how a FLD would succeed if an applicant with a substantiated good reason appealed.
I also checked the GLs which continue to permit the use of s1 shotguns, so it’s not a case that good reason has been removed ‘by the back door’ because those do not permit use on avian vermin.
If, as I somewhat suspect, this is motivated by an unease at people owning s1 shotguns, then it’s odd that practical is going to continue to be accepted as good reason. If someone were to look to obtain a s1 shotgun for improper purposes, it would seem easier to do so by joining a club and using practical as a good reason. Indeed, the majority of mass shooters have used club activities as their justification (this is not meant as a slight on club shooters, but is an observation that targeting quarry shooters doesn’t make sense).
