Labour considering crackdown on farmers' access to shotguns

Telegraph

13-02-2025

Labour is considering a crackdown on access to shotguns after a spate of shootings in a move that could hit farmers and rural communities
The Home Office is to consult on tougher licensing conditions for shotgun owners that could make them as restrictive as those for owners of powerful bolt-action rifles.
Countryside campaigners fear it would amount to another attack on farmers and rural workers by making shotgun ownership more expensive, limited and bureaucratic.
Tim Bonner, the chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, said: 'It would drive down ownership as a whole. That could have massive implications for people trying to manage wildlife in the countryside but also for the gun industry which is a massive employer in rural areas.'
On Thursday, Dame Diana Johnson, a Home Office minister, announced that it will consult on proposals to have 'closer alignment' of the controls on firearms including rifles and shotguns. The previous Tory government had originally ditched the plans.
It's the latest in a range of measures set to affect rural communities, following an 'exorbitant' rise in gun fees announced last month, and the introduction of inheritance tax for farms worth more than £1 million.
If the licensing for shotguns and rifles were aligned, it would require shotgun owners to justify and detail why they needed them unlike the current approach where they do not have to specify the particular purpose.
Each shotgun could be required to be licensed. At present, the 610,000 shotgun owners can have multiple weapons with a single certificate.
They would also have to store the ammunition separately and could be required to store their firearms in a different location outside their homes.
Mr Bonner said: 'That would mean the ridiculous situation where you have farmers who are reacting to foxes eating their lambs who would have to go and get their guns from somewhere else.
'There are some people behind this who hate the concept of private gun ownership generally and are simply looking for any reason to make it more difficult, more expensive, more restrictive and bureaucratic and therefore drive down gun ownership as a whole.'
Controls to 'increase public safety'
The consultation was ordered by the Home Office after a number of shotgun-related crimes including Jake Davison, who shot and killed five people in Plymouth in August 2021. Davison had strongly misogynistic views and made 'disturbing' online posts, an inquest was told.
Last November, Finlay MacDonald, 41, was jailed for 28 years for murdering his brother-in-law and attempting to kill three others during a shotgun shooting spree on the Isle of Skye and Scottish mainland.
In its response to the initial firearms consultation, the Home Office noted a number of respondents 'expressed disappointment that it did not include the issue of closer alignment of the controls on shotguns and other firearms.'
It continued: 'This included some law enforcement respondents, who considered that further controls on shotguns would increase public safety, and others including people who had been affected by shotgun shooting incidents.
'Some of these respondents pointed to the risks associated with shotguns being kept in certificate holders' own homes, including in towns and cities.'
Other changes announced on Thursday included a requirement for applicants for shotgun licences to have two referees, as opposed to only one. This is on top of GP checks on an applicant's suitability to have a licence.
Police would also be given powers to enter a property and seize firearms, shotguns or ammunition where there is a 'justification for reviewing suitability to hold a firearms certificate.'
The move is designed to avoid the delay of having to get a warrant. At present, officers can only enter and seize weapons where there is an 'immediate threat to life'.