New guide promotes firearms safety and mental health awareness

[Conor O'Gorman]

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has launched a new guide to support firearms certificate holders experiencing poor mental health. BASC supports the initiative, emphasising the importance of mental health awareness within the shooting sector and encouraging open discussions without fear of losing firearms certificates.

Click the following link to download the leaflet:

https://basc.org.uk/download/385528/?tmstv=1738673445

A BASC overview is here:

New guide promotes firearms safety and mental health awareness

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has launched a new guide to support firearms certificate holders experiencing poor mental health.

basc.org.uk

This follows a similar initiative that has been running for several years in Scotland.

Firearms licensing mental health awareness and support

Firearms licensing mental health awareness and support

www.scotland.police.uk

 

[Pedro]

Revoking certificates with a smile?

 

[cooksey]

Feeling down try getting help so then we can take your guns.

 

[User00056]

The exact opposite has been my own experience. Long story short, I was suffering fairly bad anxiety due to couple of factors (ill wife, toxic work environment) and it reached the stage where I was barely sleeping. I finally spoke to my GP, and both he, and my FEO couldn't have been more encouraging and supportive. At no point was there a hint of revocation, or having my firearms removed. I eventually received an email from Inspector Bruce Crawford thanking me for coming forward, wishing me the very best, offering further support if required, and informing me that there was no need in his view for my access to firearms to be restricted.

I'm very pleased to report my anxiety is now very much under control, and that fairly stressful wee interlude is now history.

I would very much advocate seeking help if it's needed. Support is very freely given, and the police (in my experience certainly) are not there to immediately seek to seize firearms, but rather to ensure the best approach is taken to ensure both your own, and public safety.

 

[Apthorpe]

Some comments not very constructive. The most important thing for the individual is to get their condition properly investigated and treated. Whether their guns get unnecessarily removed is less important.

That said, it would perhaps reassure more people to seek help if there was some sort of balanced or independent panel including e.g. BASC or other organisation reps, or suitable doctors or solicitors, to deal with cases where certificates are surrendered or revoked during mental health episodes, to see that they are not unfairly withheld afterwards. In a sort of arbitration / mediation. There is obviously quite a lot of concern that the police may adopt an excessively restrictive position with individuals into the future, and I would be astonished if this has not already prevented some people seeking help.

 

[Ratel]

Feeling down try getting help so then we can take your guns.

Getting help is the problem with the NHS. You have no chance so don't worry you won't lose your guns.

 

[Jh1986]

Getting help is the problem with the NHS. You have no chance so don't worry you won't lose your guns.

I sought help for a family member. The NHS could not have moved swifter. I understand it can be a postcode lottery, but absolutely cannot fault them for getting her the help she needed rapidly.

It'd be lovely to see less of a "they'll take your guns" attitude, because that will just see less people seeking the help they need. How many FAC suicides could have been prevented if the holders were able to get help and retain their 'stress busting' guns, before it got too far.

 

[Ratel]

I sought help for a family member. The NHS could not have moved swifter. I understand it can be a postcode lottery, but absolutely cannot fault them for getting her the help she needed rapidly.

It'd be lovely to see less of a "they'll take your guns" attitude, because that will just see less people seeking the help they need. How many FAC suicides could have been prevented if the holders were able to get help and retain their 'stress busting' guns, before it got too far.

Just a simple one, rang for appt for steroid injection. Two weeks later got appt for the next week with trainee GP. He told me it would be done later. Thirteen weeks later I got the jab.
However, my good lady got cancer and luckily we knew a nurse at her GP's. She was in and operated on within a month, and it's so far so good. Just shows that we were very lucky in that case.

 

[Rake Aboot]

Chances of getting support to keep your guns would be slim though eh ?
Tell them anything and they’ll grab them, which is the exact opposite of what’s actually needed in most cases.

 

[Mungo]

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has launched a new guide to support firearms certificate holders experiencing poor mental health. BASC supports the initiative, emphasising the importance of mental health awareness within the shooting sector and encouraging open discussions without fear of losing firearms certificates.

Click the following link to download the leaflet:

https://basc.org.uk/download/385528/?tmstv=1738673445

A BASC overview is here:

New guide promotes firearms safety and mental health awareness

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has launched a new guide to support firearms certificate holders experiencing poor mental health.

basc.org.uk

This follows a similar initiative that has been running for several years in Scotland.

Firearms licensing mental health awareness and support

Firearms licensing mental health awareness and support

www.scotland.police.uk

Does it warn of the dire psychological consequences of shooting hinds after February?

 

[nun_hunter]

There is a big difference between short term symptoms caused by external factors Vs a long term medical condition. Both GPs and the police are much better at understanding this nowadays and knowing what treatment or precautions are appropriate.

 

[VSS]

Just a simple one, rang for appt for steroid injection. Two weeks later got appt for the next week with trainee GP. He told me it would be done later. Thirteen weeks later I got the jab.

Definitely seems to be a postcode lottery.
Last few times my wife or I have needed to phone GP for relatively minor or routine stuff we've had an appointment same day, and even within the hour on one occasion.
Can't fault it, personally.
Shame it's not the same for all.

 

[Ratel]

Definitely seems to be a postcode lottery.
Last few times my wife or I have needed to phone GP for relatively minor or routine stuff we've had an appointment same day, and even within the hour on one occasion.
Can't fault it, personally.
Shame it's not the same for all.

Tim, consider yourself extremely fortunate that you live away from large towns or a city. It was the same when I lived near a village in Scotland, call in to Doc's in morning get appt for afternoon.
Here they have now got 3 more doctors since COVID.plus 6 or 7 trainees yet the population has at max increased.by 4 or 5 hundred.

 

[Greenmist]

If you download the leaflet, will the police know about it

 

[VSS]

Tim, consider yourself extremely fortunate that you live away from large towns or a city. It was the same when I lived near a village in Scotland, call in to Doc's in morning get appt for afternoon.
Here they have now got 3 more doctors since COVID.plus 6 or 7 trainees yet the population has at max increased.by 4 or 5 hundred.

I spend quite a lot of time considering myself fortunate

 

[David Barker]

It is important we all look after our selves i have seen three good friends tough me and i mean real tough get hit with real mental health issues only one because of shooting. That said the others are not here today. The one because of hunting handed his own guns in and got his self fixed at my request. Just over a tear later he was back out shooting and in a very different place. To many i hard on here when in reality they probably suck there thumb to go to sleep. Well done BASC on this

 

[User00056]

I understand the US military initiated a mental health program for special forces and other personnel. These guys are the toughest of the tough, and can still be vulnerable to mental health issues. The view is, why spend all this time and money training a soldier, only to fail to support him and lose his effectiveness? If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me!

There's nothing to be gained from trying to ride it out if you do actually need support.

 

[Bowland blades]

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has launched a new guide to support firearms certificate holders experiencing poor mental health. BASC supports the initiative, emphasising the importance of mental health awareness within the shooting sector and encouraging open discussions without fear of losing firearms certificates.

Click the following link to download the leaflet:

https://basc.org.uk/download/385528/?tmstv=1738673445

A BASC overview is here:

New guide promotes firearms safety and mental health awareness

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has launched a new guide to support firearms certificate holders experiencing poor mental health.

basc.org.uk

This follows a similar initiative that has been running for several years in Scotland.

Firearms licensing mental health awareness and support

Firearms licensing mental health awareness and support

www.scotland.police.uk

Nobody wants to hear the worst about a fellow shooter , or farmer. No gun owner wants to loose their right to hold their firearm though . If this works great ! I fear its one real hard task , its a start though .

 

[sikamalc]

I am all in agreement with helping anyone who has issues with their physical or mental health, whether they are a firearm owner or not.

Its refreshing to see the police maybe taking a more open approach to the situation. Indeed farmers in particular are going through a tough time at present, with more pressure being applied by the shower we have in power at present.
But I have mixed feelings about the police when it comes to removing firearms from owners. I have heard and seen a number of instances where owners have had their firearms removed for the slightest of reasons, and yet on the other side of the coin we have people who have committed crime with legally held weapons, who have in the past had their FAC revoked.

I know of one individual who is a CPSA coach having his shotguns removed. He had a serious back operation and was put on pain killing drugs. Turns out the same drugs that are used for depression. When he renewed his certificate, it was revoked on the grounds he was depressed due to the drugs he was taking.
After sometime the certificate was reinstated, thankfully after his GP assured the police he was not depressed.

I am sure there are many other cases, but I think its a fine line to walk.