Home Office Statutory and Non Statutory Guidance
Dear members,
We received the following notice from the Home Office yesterday.
The first part, the Statutory Guidance, was advised in my post of 22nd October (shown at the foot for easy reference).
The second part relating to the Non Statutory Guidance, is, as explained by the Home Office, only an interim measure until the fully revised version is released, hopefully by year end. The revisions which have occurred since 2016 and will be incorporated in the final version, can also be found listed at the second link in the Home Office email.
Derek Stimpson
Home Office Notice 1st November 2021
“The Statutory Guidance was published on 20 October and comes into effect today (1 November).
This e-mail is to advise you that we have today issued a revised version of the non-statutory firearms guidance https://www.gov.uk/
which omits the content that now forms part of the new statutory guidance.
This version of the non-statutory guidance is only an interim measure pending completion of the full revision we are currently undertaking, which will include all the legislative and policy changes that have been made since 2016. We expect this full revision to be published before the end of the year, and a link will be sent to you to share with your members at that time.”
Forum post of 22nd October 2021
Statutory Guidance for police on firearms licensing
As members may be aware this was published on 20th October and takes effect from 1st November 2021. This follows a two year consultation process in which HBSA along with BSSC and other organisations were involved. We were successful in obtaining appropriate changes where required.
See at this link:-
You will note that the medical verification can be carried out by a registered medical practitioner using a patient’s individual notes. This is an important concession for members faced with GPs opposed to shooting or who charge exorbitant fees. This is also why Medcert and the BASC medical panel were formed.
You will note that the statutory application of the “permanent marker” relating to FAC holders on GPs records is not required. This omission may mean that there is potentially no medical monitoring during the life of the certificate. In line with the previous discussions and consultations Government are being asked to reconsider this aspect, which would enhance public confidence in the licensing system, and should result in a 10 year period for FACs.
This statutory guidance is a welcome step towards a more consistent approach to firearms licensing across all the police forces.
We will continue working with BSSC and the other organisations, police and the Home Office to ensure that the benefits now included in the statutory guidance are realised, and that there is no element that proves to be detrimental to the shooting community or wider public.
Derek Stimpson