Gun licensing in england

Although the UK is hailed for having some of the tightest gun laws in the world, the most recent figures for England and Wales showed that there are , people with firearm certification, and collectively, those with certification own , weapons. Meanwhile, these certifications account for 1. Surprisingly, when it comes to shotgun certification, there is no minimum age, and for firearms certificates, children as young as 14 can be awarded a licence. According to statistics, in England and Wales, there are 2, certificates held by children under the age of 18; the youngest certificate holder is aged just seven years old.

On 12 August , Jake Davidson, a year-old extreme misogynist with links to the incel movement, a group that targets and terrorises women, shot dead five people.

Following this savage attack, he turned the gun on himself. In a tragedy that shook the nation, many are now raising questions over why Davidson, who had seen his gun licence revoked following assault allegations, had it returned to him just weeks before he committed his heinous crime.

According to reports, Davidson had received mental health treatment in his adolescence, and mental health services were contacted regarding his mental wellbeing in the days leading up to the attack. Accompanying this, online, Davidson, a trainee crane operator, was actively posting about guns, his hatred of women and incel culture.

Two years ago, when Priti Patel became Home Secretary, the government launched a consultation into gun laws. Both of these recommendations were ignored, despite the Policing and Crime Act permitting Patel to implement such recommendations. In addition to this, the government is suggesting that police conduct social media checks to spot potentially dangerous patterns of behaviour. If you want a licence to drive an HGV you need a health check from your GP — but not if you want to own and use a gun.

We can email you extra information about these costs. The law on antique firearms is changing. From 22 March some firearms previously regarded as antique, and therefore exempt from control, no longer qualify as such and must now be licensed. Owners of these firearms must act by on 21 September to licence them or lawfully dispose of them.

The amendments made under the Firearms Acts introduce changes to the controls on firearms relating to:. Forms are available to notify the Secretary of State of possession, or transfer, or a deactivated firearm. Fees for firearms licensing were reintroduced following a full public consultation. The government introduced the measure in Parliament via statutory instrument in July The instrument came into force as law on 1 October The new fees are intended to recover the costs of the Home Office, Scottish Government and the police in administering applications.

There are certain exceptions for museums. The amendments made to the Firearms Rules came into force on 10 June and require applicants for registration with the police as a firearms dealer to complete a medical declaration.

View the Home Office circular. The prohibitions came into force with effect from 16 May, to the extent that they prohibit the manufacture, sale, transfer or acquisition of such weapons.

The prohibition on possession will come into force at a later date, following completion of surrender and compensation arrangements. If you have any questions please contact public. Information about the new legal provisions on firearms in the Policing and Crime Act This has effect from 8 April From 6 April there will be new fees charged by the police for administering firearms licences.

This follows the public consultation held in November and December The response to the government consultation on increasing firearms licensing fees administered by the police - which includes details on the new fees - is available. We do appreciate that it is not ideal to be changing our approach at this late stage. However we have reconsidered the scope of the requirements and have decided that rather than mandating firearms dealers to computerise their records we will rely on the National Firearms Licensing Management System England and Wales and SHOGUN Scotland , with both the police and firearms dealers continuing to record current information.

This means that firearms dealers can continue to keep paper-based records although we would continue to recommend computerised records as a matter of best practice. Firearms dealers will not be required to record anything more or less than they are already required to do now but records will need to kept and maintained for a minimum of 20 years.

The requirements for what has to be recorded as part of the directive are already covered by section 40 and schedule 4 of the Firearms Act and Part IV of Schedule 5 to the Firearms Rules Therefore the only difference for firearms dealers will be the length of time they must hold their records for.

Please note that there is no requirement for registered firearms dealers trading only in air weapons or ammunition to comply with this EU Directive. From 14 July , if a person receives a suspended sentence of 3 months or more they will not be able to purchase or possess a firearm or ammunition for a period of 5 years from the second day after sentence.

From 14 July , a person who has served or received a criminal sentence will not be able to possess an antique firearm. The prohibition applies to anyone who has served a custodial sentence of more than 3 years or has served a custodial sentence, or received a suspended sentence, of between 3 months and 3 years.

A person to whom this applies and who currently lawfully possesses an antique firearm will need to dispose of it by 14 July. Read more information on firearms licensing legislation and in the below leaflets:. Antique firearms: what you need to know PDF , Antique firearms: information for buyers and sellers PDF , Negotiations on the directive are ongoing.

If you are travelling to an EU country with deactivated weapons, these must conform to the technical specifications set out in the EU Implementing Regulation on deactivation standards which came into effect on 8 April.

If you are returning to the UK you will also need to comply with the additional measures required by the UK. Weapons deactivated to other standards must not be taken to other EU countries, nor will they be admitted into the UK. The Proof Houses are aware of the likely increase in demand for their services and the urgency of such requests in relation to the centenary anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and related events.

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