A consultation by the Government of Firearms Law is awaited, with the prospect of closer "alignment" of shotgun and firearm “controls” (i.e. treating all shotguns more like Section 1 firearms) as an option under consideration. While we can be sure the shooting organisations will respond might that be too late as by then the Government will have set the agenda, it will be very easy for our sector to be seen as luddites concerned only with our own interests.
Might a more proactive approach work, with 516,500 of us in England & Wales holding a firearm and or a shotgun certificates, and we along with everyone benefiting from those aspects of the legislation that ensure public safely.
The key question is does the law and the way it is administered deliver this? The answer is a categoric NO. The Keyham inquest documents this:
There was a serious failure at a national level by the government, Home Office and National College of Policing to implement the recommendation from Lord Cullen’s Report in 1996 arising out of the fatal shootings in Dunblane, to provide training for FEOs and the subsequent recommendation in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of the Constabulary’s Targeting the Risk Report in 2015 for an accredited training regime for FEOs. The most recent statutory guidance from the Home Office (2021) has failed
That’s just a flavour of the report available at: Maxine Davison, Lee Martyn, Sophie Martyn, Stephen Washington and Kate Shepherd: Prevention of future deaths report - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Alongside this we have the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard who has written to the Home Secretary after the murder of 3 family members with a shotgun obtained via a forged certificate.
Even Parliament recognises that the Police are unable to administer the law efficiently; they amended the law in the Policing and Crime Act 2017 to extend certificate life by 8 weeks if the applicant has applied in good time. It is not all the Police Forces who are inept, Cleveland can administer a renewal in 35 days and a grant in 48 days – yet the average is 77 and 94 days with Cumbria taking over 170 days. Finance isn’t an issue as the fees for shotguns and firearms certificates have recently been increased.
The proposals for closer "alignment" of shotgun and firearm “controls are thus likely to impose extra burdens on a police service struggling to cope with the existing law and reduce efficiency and public safety.
The key difference between shotguns and firearms is that firearms are licensed individually, is this beneficial – in the hand of a spree killer one gun is enough. Do more guns in a household represent more danger, perhaps in term of security as a target for theft? No as we already have guidance in the Firearms Security Handbook 2020 https://assets.publishing.service.g...f0bf63ab9e5/Firearms_Security_Manual_2020.pdf that recommends a tiered approach with 3 different levels of security depending on individual circumstances.
Firearms are also licensed individually according to “good reason” thus creates additional bureaucracy in that if a shooter wants to swap one rifle for another, the Police have to administer this process imposing on average a 85 day delays on a process that should be as simple as changing a car for a similar model. This could be delivered in accordance with the Guide on Firearms Licensing Law November 2022 https://assets.publishing.service.g...f4a71cf385/Firearms_Guide_-_November_2022.pdf which for sporting purposes has identified 4 activities each encompassing a range of rifles (Vermin & ground game and other small quarry, Fox and other medium quarry, Deer and other large quarry & Dangerous Game). Target shooting also encompasses a range of disciplines and if a shooter want to change to another discipline offered by his club, is Police involvement beneficial – this is perhaps akin using the car analogy like changing from a SUV to an estate or sports car?
We face the prospect of closer "alignment" creating huge additional burdens for a Police service that although well intentioned will not deliver public benefits. Merging the two systems of licensing to remove needless bureaucracy alongside a using a national database of licence holders would create greater efficiency and release a huge amount of Police time to address the operational failures identified in the Keyham and Bedfordshire spree killings!
Alas the Governments agenda is flawed, but it could so easily be directed at the operational changes already identified, that would deliver benefits to the public and hopefully an easier 1 for 1 variation system, as I doubt the general public would understand why changing one rifle for another require the level of Police involvement currently required.
How to deliver this? Contact your shooting organisation asking them to work together and set the agenda, contact your MP - please spend more time on these tasks that responding on SD..
Might a more proactive approach work, with 516,500 of us in England & Wales holding a firearm and or a shotgun certificates, and we along with everyone benefiting from those aspects of the legislation that ensure public safely.
The key question is does the law and the way it is administered deliver this? The answer is a categoric NO. The Keyham inquest documents this:
serious failure to heed and apply the 2016 Home Office guidance
Reflecting the culture within the FELU at the time, an insufficient degree of professional curiosity was demonstrated by the FEO and FLS.
The decision to return the shotgun and licence to the perpetrator in July 2021 was fundamentally flawed and as a result failed to protect the public and the peace.
The officer investigating the skate park assaults in September 2020 should have noted that the perpetrator was a firearms certificate holder and taken immediate steps to alert the FELU to the incident.
The use of the Pathfinder scheme in this instance was wholly inadequate in reducing the perpetrator’s future offending.
On reviewing the perpetrator’s suitability to retain the shotgun certificate, the FEO ought to have shown a greater degree of professional curiosity in obtaining and evaluating further information. The case was not passed to the FLM for review which was against Home Office guidance.
There was a serious failure at a national level by the government, Home Office and National College of Policing to implement the recommendation from Lord Cullen’s Report in 1996 arising out of the fatal shootings in Dunblane, to provide training for FEOs and the subsequent recommendation in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of the Constabulary’s Targeting the Risk Report in 2015 for an accredited training regime for FEOs. The most recent statutory guidance from the Home Office (2021) has failed
That’s just a flavour of the report available at: Maxine Davison, Lee Martyn, Sophie Martyn, Stephen Washington and Kate Shepherd: Prevention of future deaths report - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Alongside this we have the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard who has written to the Home Secretary after the murder of 3 family members with a shotgun obtained via a forged certificate.
It is clear to me that there should be a national database of firearm licence holders or the ability of police services to be able to interrogate each other’s databases.
Even Parliament recognises that the Police are unable to administer the law efficiently; they amended the law in the Policing and Crime Act 2017 to extend certificate life by 8 weeks if the applicant has applied in good time. It is not all the Police Forces who are inept, Cleveland can administer a renewal in 35 days and a grant in 48 days – yet the average is 77 and 94 days with Cumbria taking over 170 days. Finance isn’t an issue as the fees for shotguns and firearms certificates have recently been increased.
The proposals for closer "alignment" of shotgun and firearm “controls are thus likely to impose extra burdens on a police service struggling to cope with the existing law and reduce efficiency and public safety.
The key difference between shotguns and firearms is that firearms are licensed individually, is this beneficial – in the hand of a spree killer one gun is enough. Do more guns in a household represent more danger, perhaps in term of security as a target for theft? No as we already have guidance in the Firearms Security Handbook 2020 https://assets.publishing.service.g...f0bf63ab9e5/Firearms_Security_Manual_2020.pdf that recommends a tiered approach with 3 different levels of security depending on individual circumstances.
Firearms are also licensed individually according to “good reason” thus creates additional bureaucracy in that if a shooter wants to swap one rifle for another, the Police have to administer this process imposing on average a 85 day delays on a process that should be as simple as changing a car for a similar model. This could be delivered in accordance with the Guide on Firearms Licensing Law November 2022 https://assets.publishing.service.g...f4a71cf385/Firearms_Guide_-_November_2022.pdf which for sporting purposes has identified 4 activities each encompassing a range of rifles (Vermin & ground game and other small quarry, Fox and other medium quarry, Deer and other large quarry & Dangerous Game). Target shooting also encompasses a range of disciplines and if a shooter want to change to another discipline offered by his club, is Police involvement beneficial – this is perhaps akin using the car analogy like changing from a SUV to an estate or sports car?
We face the prospect of closer "alignment" creating huge additional burdens for a Police service that although well intentioned will not deliver public benefits. Merging the two systems of licensing to remove needless bureaucracy alongside a using a national database of licence holders would create greater efficiency and release a huge amount of Police time to address the operational failures identified in the Keyham and Bedfordshire spree killings!
Alas the Governments agenda is flawed, but it could so easily be directed at the operational changes already identified, that would deliver benefits to the public and hopefully an easier 1 for 1 variation system, as I doubt the general public would understand why changing one rifle for another require the level of Police involvement currently required.
How to deliver this? Contact your shooting organisation asking them to work together and set the agenda, contact your MP - please spend more time on these tasks that responding on SD..
to fight 
