https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479794/Guidance_on_Firearms_Licensing_Law_Nov_2015_v16.pdf3
Foreword
The subject of ownership of firearms is a sensitive issue. Across Great
Britain there are just over 170,000 firearms licences and around 620,000
shotgun licences on issue. The vast majority of these licence holders will
quite legitimately and responsibly use their firearms for work and leisure
pursuits. It is only in an extremely small minority of cases that legally held firearms are misused.
However the results can be devastating both for the immediate families and communities around.
I believe that the ownership of any firearm is a privilege and not a right, and that public safety
must be paramount.
Within Great Britain, we have one of the most robust firearms licensing systems in the world
with specially trained officers assessing the suitability of potential firearm and shotgun certificate
holders on a case-by-case basis. I appreciate that the law which governs firearms licensing can
be complex with 34 separate pieces of legislation governing firearms control. That is why we have
produced this guide. It replaces the ‘Firearms Law: Guidance to the Police‘ published in 2002.
Since then, there have been a number of significant events. Not only new legislation, for example
the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 and the Firearms Acts (Amendment) Regulations 2010,
but also in policing with the advent of Police and Crime Commissioners. The tragic shootings in
Cumbria in 2010 and Durham in 2012 led us to take a closer look at whether there is anything
more we could do to prevent such events in the future. These incidents focused attention on the
importance of having an excellent firearms licensing process.
I am therefore pleased to introduce the revised Guide on Firearms Licensing Law which
incorporates legislative and policy changes since 2002. We have also worked hard to ensure that
where possible guidance on firearms licensing is made as clear and concise as possible for the
police, the shooting community and the general public.
Some notable updates to the guidance since 2002 include:
• Reinforcing the importance of proper assessment, specifically with regards to domestic violence,
when considering a person’s fitness to carry a firearm. It will ensure evidence of domestic
violence is considered without increasing the risk to the victims we are trying to protect;
• Reducing the bureaucracy within police firearms licensing departments by reviewing the
conditions on firearm certificates; and
• New sections covering emerging issues related to firearms and shotgun licensing. For example
new guidance for applicants who wish to possess firearms on UK registered ships in a response
to the risk of piracy.
Guide on Firearms Licensing Law
4
This is an important document for anyone who is involved in firearms licensing or who has an
interest in firearms or shotguns for either work or leisure purposes. Whilst we have the most
robust firearms licensing system in the world, we can always strive to be more efficient, and make
the licensing process as practical and as safe as possible.
