Gun licence fees going up again.

[Norfolk Deer Search]

I don't have an issue with the fee just the service provided

Personally, I can’t see what the problem is. It takes as long as it takes, as long as you’ve got enough ammunition to do what you want to do does it matter how long it takes?

They’ll keep sending you extensions you won’t be in the wrong. You’re only problem will be is if you run out of ammunition well if that’s the case stop shooting gongs and paper.!

 

[andyk]

Thing to remember with this debate is that it’s not being had in some kind of impartial court but before politicians and civil servants - who’ll make their decision on a combination of political expediency and ideology.

It’s a completely fair point to ask why FACs/SGCs get singled out for full costs recovery of a system that isn’t wanted (certainly not in current form) by its users.

But, it’ll make no difference because ideologically the decision makers aren’t overly keen on us and politically they want to say they’ve increased police funding by pulling a ‘subsidy’ to ‘wealthy’ gun owners.

 

[25 Sharps]

Personally, I can’t see what the problem is. It takes as long as it takes, as long as you’ve got enough ammunition to do what you want to do does it matter how long it takes?

They’ll keep sending you extensions you won’t be in the wrong. You’re only problem will be is if you run out of ammunition well if that’s the case stop shooting gongs and paper.!

People have certificates purely for shooting gongs and paper, which is fine, a condition of having that certificate is the guns should be in use.

Any service you are paying for should be carried out in an efficient and timely manner. 16 weeks should be more than enough to carry out a renewal as they take precedence over everything else. The fact that well organised departments can do the job in that time means those that can’t are not working efficiently even though they are getting paid the same.

 

[Chris Richardson]

I wouldn’t mind the price of the level of service reflected that but for many FLDs it really doesn’t

 

[Mike1979]

I wouldn’t mind the price of the level of service reflected that but for many FLDs it really doesn’t

I think that hits the nail on the head. Dyfed Powys have been pretty good with me over the years and hence I dont think the fee is unreasonable...if you get crap service then the fee doesnt represent good value for money. I do wonder how much people spend on Costa etc coffees in a year .... value for money is very personal

 

[Chris Richardson]

I think that hits the nail on the head. Dyfed Powys have been pretty good with me over the years and hence I dont think the fee is unreasonable...if you get crap service then the fee doesnt represent good value for money. I do wonder how much people spend on Costa etc coffees in a year .... value for money is very personal

Indeed my FEO is great but I know of one in the region that is awful , told a friend of mine “ you can’t have a .22-250 because it’s a cannon , you can have a .223 though “

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

You lot cluck like a bunch of old women!

Get organised and prepared, all you ducks in a row,
Submit your paperwork and let them get on with it!

Personally, I don’t even think about it.

 

[Mike1979]

Indeed my FEO is great but I know of one in the region that is awful , told a friend of mine “ you can’t have a .22-250 because it’s a cannon , you can have a .223 though “

And therein is the problem. Different levels of service for the same price and different requirements. When the .17 HMR came out there was all the "not legal on foxes" nonsense. Agree a set of rules, stick to them, adopt them across the country and resource teams based on size of area and how many licence holders you have.

 

[finnbear270]

A lot of licensing departments, and constabularies, are populated by rule makers not rule takers.

 

[Chris Richardson]

And therein is the problem. Different levels of service for the same price and different requirements. When the .17 HMR came out there was all the "not legal on foxes" nonsense. Agree a set of rules, stick to them, adopt them across the country and resource teams based on size of area and how many licence holders you have.

Indeed make it up as they go along

 

[25 Sharps]

You lot cluck like a bunch of old women!

Get organised and prepared, all you ducks in a row,
Submit your paperwork and let them get on with it!

Personally, I don’t even think about it.

Exactly the same, though I am lucky as my lot are efficient and turned it around in 8 weeks.

Not everyone is that lucky.

 

[steve19]

Yeah, but they’ll just keep going and going, and 9 out of 10 forces aren’t offering a better service from the last lot of rises.

I 100% get what your saying. But what hasn't increased in price over the last 10 years?
I'm with you on the fact the level of service you get shouldn't be a postcode lottery. I'm Northants and my last variation was 5 months. Friend in Lincolnshire had it done one done in 2 weeks.

 

[VSS]

You lot cluck like a bunch of old women!

Get organised and prepared, all you ducks in a row,
Submit your paperwork and let them get on with it!

Personally, I don’t even think about it.

That’s true enough.
As far as I'm concerned, a renewal is just a formality that I have to go through at 5 yearly intervals.
No big deal.
I get good service from NWP firearms dept, and if you consider the cost of a renewal on a per gun per year basis, it's not too bad if you've got a few in the cabinet, and when you consider the price of some other things. What does a TV licence cost per year? I don't know as I've never had one, but I wouldn't mind betting that some people are paying more to watch crap for no purpose whatsoever than they are for the pleasure and satisfaction of firearms ownership.
If you're so hard up that you're grumbling over a modest hike in firearms fees, ditch the telly!

(And, as it's been touched on already in this thread, I might as well add that I would be opposed to the introduction of 10 year firearms certificates).

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

That’s true enough.
As far as I'm concerned, a renewal is just a formality that I have to go through at 5 yearly intervals.
No big deal.
I get good service from NWP firearms dept, and if you consider the cost of a renewal on a per gun per year basis, it's not too bad if you've got a few in the cabinet, and when you consider the price of some other things. What does a TV licence cost per year? I don't know as I've never had one, but I wouldn't mind betting that some people are paying more to watch crap for no purpose whatsoever than they are for the pleasure and satisfaction of firearms ownership.
If you're so hard up that you're grumbling over a modest hike in firearms fees, ditch the telly!

(And, as it's been touched on already in this thread, I might as well add that I would be opposed to the introduction of 10 year firearms certificates).

the bed Batman, for once I think we’re on common ground!

 

[finnbear270]

On certificate format, I would like to see a credit card type of thing, with chip & pin & slots filled or deleted on purchase in RFD etc.

 

[timbrayford]

On certificate format, I would like to see a credit card type of thing, with chip & pin & slots filled or deleted on purchase in RFD etc.

Perhaps in a 100 years time or so?

 

[Ratel]

black is black white is white no point bitching and whingeing about it.

"It aint necessarily so"!!

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

"It aint necessarily so"!!

Why in the earth not?

Ami the only one that see’s the whole process as simple?

1- fill your ticket up with ammo
2- get your medical sorted
3- get your renewal paperwork all filled in referees etc
4-get it submitted then go stalking if you’ve already filled the ticket up!

It’s a simple as that!

 

[JoefromKent]

Seems like such a minor increase I wonder why they bothered

 

[enfieldspares]

Seems like such a minor increase I wonder why they bothered

I have held an FAC since June 1976. Let us say that it then cost £1. Now let us increase that by 3% a year, year on year, for fifty years. Thus:

After fifty years of increasing £1 by 3% year-on-year, the final amount is £4.38 (rounded to the nearest penny). So far so good...or not?

So at next renewal in five years time that present day £131 renewal has become already £151.86 AND THIS ASSUMES INFLATION AT 3%.

Now let us increase the renewal cost of an FAC from its present £131 by 3% year on year for ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five and thirty years.

RENEWAL OF AN FAC
To increase £131 by 3% year-on-year, is:

• 10 Years: £176.08
• 15 Years: £204.17
• 20 Years: £236.65
• 25 Years: £274.31
• 30 Years: £317.94
• 35 Years: £368.52

And then also the present cost of a grant of an FAC at £198.

GRANT OF AN FAC
To increase an initial amount of £198 by 3% year-on-year is:

• 10 Years: £266.07
• 15 Years: £308.45
• 20 Years: £357.50
• 25 Years: £414.33
• 30 Years: £480.00
• 35 Years: £556.63

So what will happen is that people may likely become priced out of the sport. For shotguns the figures for grant will be slightly less but even so the increase is a lot. It reminds me of the old Arab story of the payment of one grain of rice on the first square of the chess board, two grains on the next, four grains on the third. At first reading 3% doesn't seem a lot. And that is why we are easily fooled!