In the wake of the government’s announcement on increases to firearms licensing fees, BASC has been asking members of the shooting community to urgently voice their concerns to their local MPs.
Contacting your MP can make a difference; the more emails MPs receive the more likely they are to go to the Home Office and say this is a mistake and that they must do better for shooting. This will strengthen BASC’s efforts to push the Home Office to take action and improve firearms licensing.
There are two key points you should make when contacting your MP:
- You are concerned whether the additional funds raised would be used to improve the work of firearms licensing departments. Regardless of the assurances, you remain sceptical as the government has no power to make this happen. It is up to the PCCs and the Chief Constable for each force to allocate funds.
- The fee increase was announced without consultation and there was no transparency or justification regarding the proposed figures. There is no way of knowing whether they are fair and proportionate.
If you prefer, you can use a template to contact your MP as follows:
Dear [insert MP name here]
I wish to raise with you the government’s proposals for increases to firearms licensing fees. As a firearms licence/shotgun certificate holder, I have significant concerns about the manner in which the changes, which amount to an average of a 133 per cent increase on current fees, have been tabled.
The fees increase was announced without proper consultation and a complete lack of transparency. As such, the policy is damaging to the countryside, the shooting community and rural voters.
The government’s justification for the increase is that the extra funds raised will go to support improvements in the work of firearms licensing departments. This is misleading, as it has no powers to ensure this happens. It is the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) and the Chief Constable for each force who are responsible for ensuring funds are allocated to firearms licensing departments. I seek assurances that income from any fees increase will be used to resource these teams.
[Insert any additional points you wish to make about the service you have received for firearms licensing here]
As a constituent, I urge you to raise this matter and the significant issues with the way in which it has been brought forward with the relevant Ministers on my behalf.
Please be aware that I will sending a copy of your response to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) [, of which I am a member (include if you’re a member)].
I look forward to your response.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
However, I recommend personalising it as much as you can to avoid MPs receiving too many similar responses.
If your MP responds please forward that to
politics@basc.org.uk
www.fwi.co.uk
www.richardfuller.co.uk
www.kevinhollinrake.org.uk
www.stuartanderson.org.uk
