Cooper cracks down on shotgun ownership

Telegraph

a day ago

Yvette Cooper is tightening firearms licensing rules from Tuesday in response to a gun rampage in Plymouth four years ago.
Applicants for shotgun certificates will now need two referees who have known them for more than two years. At present, they only need one.
The changes by the Home Office bring shotguns into line with other firearms.
Police will also be urged to speak to family members before granting firearms licences to ensure the applicant is not a domestic violence risk.
The reforms were demanded by a senior coroner after the fatal shooting of five people in Plymouth in August 2021.
Among the victims of 22-year-old Jake Davison was his mother. He shot and injured two others before turning the gun on himself.
Diana Johnson, the policing minister, also referred to a shooting in Woodmancote, West Sussex, which left a mother and her two children dead.
'Only those who meet the highest standards of safety and responsibility should be permitted to use shotguns or firearms, and it is crucial that police have full information about the suitability of all applicants for these lethal weapons,' she said.
'The events in Woodmancote in 2020, Plymouth in 2021, and other cases provide a tragic reminder of what can happen when these weapons are in the hands of the wrong people, and we must do everything we can to protect the public.
'That is why, as part of our Plan for Change, we are giving the police the tools and resources they need to make safe, timely and consistent decisions when it comes to firearms licensing.
'This is just one part of our mission to make our streets safer. We will also launch a public consultation on the controls on shotguns and other firearms issues later this year.'
Guidance for the police on how they determine who is suitable to hold a firearm or shotgun licence will be published on Tuesday.
The number of referees required for shotgun certificate applications is rising from one to two, and new advice will be given to referees on their responsibilities when supporting an application.
It will mean an additional person who has known the applicant well for at least two years will need to vouch for them, bringing shotgun referee checks in line with wider firearms rules.
The Home Office is also strengthening the guidance for how police should consider suspected domestic abuse or other violence, when someone is applying for a firearms licence.
This includes making clear that the police must speak to partners and household members to identify any signs of domestic abuse or any other factors which could indicate the applicant is not suitable to have a firearms licence.
The updated guidance will mean officers must carry out additional checks before approving a licence to make sure those who perpetrate such crimes or have a record of violence are not permitted to access firearms.
Emma Ambler is a campaigner who has called for stricter gun laws after her twin sister, Kelly Fitzgibbons, and her two nieces, Ava and Lexi Needham, were murdered in 2020 with a legally owned weapon.
'I'm really pleased that the Government is strengthening the current firearms licensing guidance,' she said.
'Although there is still some way to go, these changes are very welcome and it is pleasing to finally feel listened to after five years of campaigning to make the system safer.
'I still believe that holding a gun licence is a privilege and not a right. The priority has to be the safety of society and it's so important to stop these extremely dangerous weapons falling into the wrong hands, which these changes will go some way to doing.'
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, welcomed the changes. 'We support these changes to guidance which align some of the rules for shotguns and other firearms,' he said.
'They should make it less likely that licences are granted to the wrong people. None of this will, however, make any difference where the licensing system fails, as it did in Plymouth and has done far too often elsewhere.
'There can be no justification for further restricting gun ownership and the Government must address the fundamental question of why we have an antiquated system with 43 separate licensing authorities, too many of which are not fit for purpose.
'The public and gun owners want a system that does not put guns in the hands of people who should never have had a licence.'