Non-statutory Home Office guidance
Read our explanation of the non-statutory Guide on Firearms Licensing Law published by the Home Office and what it means for licence holders.
Get information on the legal shooting season for mammals and birds in the UK.
Learn about our current conservation projects and how you can get involved.
Comprehensive information and advice from our specialist firearms team.
Everything you need to know about shotgun, rifle and airgun ammunition.
Find our up-to-date information, advice and links to government resources.
Everything you need to know on firearms law and licensing.
All the latest news and advice on general licences and how they affect you.
In response to the coroner publishing a report into the shootings in Keyham, BASC has released the following statement:
“BASC is clear that we need a system of licensing that protects public safety and also provides an efficient service. It is plain to see that that system was absent in Keyham with tragic consequences.
“BASC has previously written to the coroner to outline key steps that could help prevent future shootings. We will take time to consider the coroner’s report to the Home Office in detail.
“We have previously asked for the creation of a national regulator to monitor and manage both firearms licensing and the training of police staff and officers to improved standards.
“We also want a system that ensures the medical profession has a statutory obligation to engage fully with the licensing process and puts markers on the medical notes of certificate holders so that their health can be monitored for the life of the certificate.
“However, while supportive of considered measures that improve public safety, we would warn against any recommendation to remove the distinction between processes and requirements in relation to shotgun and firearms certificate holders.
“This would impose an unnecessary burden that would do nothing to improve public safety. Indeed, it would place a further, unmanageable workload on firearms licensing teams that are already failing to meet their statutory obligations to protect the public. That recommendation, if implemented, would have a significant, detrimental impact on the service the police are able to provide to the community.
“BASC will meet with government to ensure that the views of the shooting community are represented and that the change needed to protect public safety is proportionate, effective and are not at the cost of the lawful, legitimate firearms community.”
Read our explanation of the non-statutory Guide on Firearms Licensing Law published by the Home Office and what it means for licence holders.
BASC’s regional and national teams are offering practical firearms and wildlife management training free of charge to police forces across the country.
Following pressure from BASC, MPs and press coverage, several police firearms licensing departments have started accepting grant applications again.
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© 2023 British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Registered Office: Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham, LL12 0HL – Registered Society No: 28488R. BASC is a trading name of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 311937.
If you have any questions or complaints about your BASC membership insurance cover, please email us. More information about resolving complaints can be found on the FCA website or on the EU ODR platform.
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