Firearms Licensing
We still await the results of several consultations regarding firearms licensing and their use.
The updates on the Home Office consultation on firearm licensing and fees are still awaited. The consultation on the use of lead in ammunition has been pushed back to September 2024. Given that there will likely be a General Election in late 2024 or early 2025, it may be that this will impact the reporting. Be in no doubt that a Labour Government will likely not be a close friend of those who shoot.
The disaster that is firearms licensing in England and Wales persists. Such is the gulf between policy and practice and an understanding of the law from an organisation that is supposed to act within the law that we are in a state of constant challenge on behalf of members.
Given the intransigence and dogmatic attitudes of some E&W firearms licensing departments, who clearly don’t, and don’t want to, understand that legislation we have to resort to complaining on behalf of members in respect of misconduct matters. It is important to be aware of the following documents, over and above the usual Home Office statutory and non-statutory guidance, the Firearms Act 1968, etc.
College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice—Firearms Licensing. This deals with the expectations regarding firearms licensing.
College of Policing – Code of Ethics. Sets out the expectation’s in respect of conduct and ethical behaviour (including following the law).
Section 39A (7) of the Police Act 1996. Places an expectation on a chief constable to have regards to the code of ethics. Failure to do so is a matter for the PCC.
In most cases, it is straightforward to follow the path from noncompliance of legislation, contrary to the statutory guidance and the APP Firearms Licensing, directly to the Code of Ethics and then to the Chief Constable.
In essence, if you read these, you will most likely be ahead of the staff in half of the police forces in England and Wales.
It is a shame that some people in positions of authority in firearms licensing departments in the UK seem to have forgotten that we live in a rules-based society with clearly set out legislation and guidance in respect of firearms licensing. Doing the right thing seems to be a quaint tradition which has been forgotten, which helps no one.