The British Shooting Sports Council welcomes HMICFRS’s detailed examination of firearms licensing and accepts its conclusion that the present system requires fundamental reform.

The report provides substantial evidence of shortcomings in police firearms licensing: inconsistent processes and decision-making, variable supervision and oversight, differences in risk assessment and service, shortcomings in training and outdated technology. These are serious public-safety issues and must be addressed.

BSSC therefore strongly supports the recommendation for a single professional firearms licensing authority for England and Wales, together with consistent national standards, proper training and supervision, and modern digital systems including real-time certificate verification. Much of this work is already in process.

However, failures in the administration of firearms licensing should not be confused with evidence that firearms law itself is fundamentally flawed. HMICFRS also proposes significant changes to the law, including the licensing of shotguns and ammunition, medical requirements and competence assessments. Those proposals must be considered separately and supported by clear evidence that they are necessary, proportionate and would improve public safety.

The United Kingdom is already universally acknowledged to have one of the most robust firearms licensing systems in the world and most certificate holders comply with the law and use firearms responsibly. It is in everyone’s interests that firearms licensing identifies those who present a genuine risk and deals with them effectively.

The evidence in this report makes a compelling case for reforming police firearms licensing. BSSC believes the priority must be to fix the shortcomings identified there. Changes to firearms law, if needed, should follow the evidence. The priority must be to address the shortcomings in the licensing processes that the report has clearly identified.

The British Shooting Sports Council