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Licence Reforms?
Shooting under fire (again) as the Gun Trade Association moves to try and bring calm after Plymouth inquiry
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alls for British firearms laws to be changed have taken a step closer as the shooting trade faces the aftermath of the Plymouth shooting. The inquest, which has now concluded, has called for ‘root and branch reform’ of firearms legislation. Ian Arrow, senior coroner for Plymouth, Torbay and South Devon, said the failings for the attack went beyond local police and that there had been a “serious failure at a national level” to learn from previous deadly shootings. He said: “In my opinion, action should be taken to prevent future deaths and I believe you have the power to take such action,” he said in comments aimed at the government. “The 1968 firearms legislation needs root and branch reform.” Devon and Cornwall Police chief constable Will Kerr has also called for the Firearms Act to be rewritten so that a licence “shall not be granted” unless the applicant has satisfied the police that they are safe to hold a gun. Key recommendations from the inquest are that shotguns and rifles should both be treated as Section 1 firearms – meaning that you would need to provide evidence that you had ‘good reason’ to own a shotgun – and that shotgun cartridges could be restricted in the same way as rifle
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ammunition currently is. Simon West, director of the Gun
Trade Association, said: “The Plymouth inquest saw findings that clearly indicated that the licensing regime in Devon and Cornwall was not fit for purpose and that errors in procedure and judgement allowed guns to be returned to a high risk individual. “Rather than concentrate on the
remedial effort required in licensing departments across the country, there were a series of calls for an overhaul in legislation. In particular, the call from IOPC and the Coroner for tighter controls on shotguns lacked any clear link to the police failures.
“I will now be attending meetings with the Home Office and Police representatives where we will challenge the logic and question the rationale for such a move. We know the Home Office have said they will be studying the findings and I would expect there to be a consultation on any proposals for change.” T&G spoke to Sean O’Driscoll, boss of John Rothery Wholesale, who told us: “If shotguns went on to a firearms certificate it could have a similar massive impact as when airguns went on certificate in Scotland. Sales of of sub-12ftlb airguns literally dropped by 90% overnight.
“Would proving ‘good reason’ to own a shotgun increase public safety? Probably not. But it would decimate the trade. “However, we should always
remember how resilient the gun trade is. Despite all the challenges we’ve had – including Hungerford and Dunblane, the gun trade is still a strong and vibrant industry. Hopefully common sense will prevail here – no one wants or needs a knee jerk reaction.” Meanwhile the review of Firearms Fees is taking some time and the Home Office continues to review data collected from police forces. There will be a meeting in May to determine next steps. Simon continued: “We seek an
appropriate funding model and a safe and efficient licensing service. "In all these meetings we will analyse the threats and then fight to prevent knee-jerk, unsubstantiated proposals for change. “We fully support measures to protect public safety but they must be focussed, evidence based and proportionate. We have not seen broad threats to the legitimate shooting community like this for decades. I am hugely grateful for your support in being able to fight on behalf of the trade. This is a moment when all of us need to come together to protect our interests.”
Issue: 756 | Tackle & Guns | 3
ISSUE: 756
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