Relief Over Government Reaction
With thanks to “Tackle & Guns” magazine 11/2011 for its extract of the headline report
KEY GOVERNMENT VIEWS
Shotguns and firearms
“The Government will keep this issue under review but is not presently minded to change the law bearing in mind that the large number of shotguns currently owned (over 1.3 million) would create a significant new workload for the firearms licensing departments if they were to be licensed in the same way as Section 1 firearms. A Home Office working group – including police and shooting interests – will look into the feasibility of a single certificate.”
Airgun licensing
“The Government has no plans to ban or licence air weapons, the vast majority of which are used safely and responsibly and prefers to tackle the minority who misuse air weapons”.
Age limits
“The Government is not opposed to young people participating in sports shooting and we note the committee did not recommend for the age limited to be increased.”
New Laws
“The law might inadvertently create further uncertainty by adding the opportunity for new legal arguments to be made. The best way forward in the short term is to update and revise Home Office guidance [to present] the legislation clearly and simply”
Gun Crime
“We aacept the cast majority of crimes involving firearms are carried out with illegally-hed guns and that the proportion of licence holders who use their guns in crime is tiny, albeit on rare occasions with tragic consequences”
The Media
“The potential for sensationalist media coverage of shootings to encourage copycat killings cannot be ruled out [and] sensational and intrusive media coverage can cause significant and long-lasting distress to the families and victims. While the media must be free to report on major incidents, that does not mean the usual journalistic standards the press and broadcasters must abide by may be ignored”
Medical Checks
“A compulsory medical check with a specially appointed examiner is unlikely to be an effective or proportionate means of improving licensing. However, any medical concerns about an applicant or certificate holder, especially for mental health [should be] quickly highlighted to the police”
Keeping Guns At A Club
“Bearing in mind the firearms are held for a variety of legitimate purposes, the Government agrees that it would not be feasible to require all firearms to be stored in central locations.”
Contact Us 
