The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners launched a survey on 30 September to understand the public's opinions on firearms licensing.
The survey aims to gather the public’s views on areas such as the costs of renewing or granting a licence and the level of scrutiny of medical records and social media posts the police should undertake when processing a licence.
Chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Marc Jones said:
“We want to hear all from sides, including people who are, or have previously been, a registered firearms licence or shotgun certificate holder. The public may be surprised to hear that there are more than half a million licence holders in England and Wales, who legally own nearly 2 million firearms. We know the overwhelming majority do so safely and responsibly.”
Home Office review on firearm licensing
In the wake of the recent Plymouth shooting incident, the Home Office is reviewing arrangements for the licensing of guns in England and Wales. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners will use information gathered from this survey to feed into the Home Office review. The NFU is urging members to complete the survey as the results may help shape future guidance.
The short survey can be completed online. It remains open for responses until 20 October.
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has provided guidance to help aid responses to some of the key questions asked. BASC: Have your say on firearms licensing