Countryside Alliance Issues Call for Evidence Following Meeting with Firearms Minister

The Countryside Alliance is asking members and supporters to report their experience of firearms licensing medical procedures, following a meeting with Home Office Minister Nick Hurd MP.

Alliance Chief Executive Tim Bonner and Head of Shooting Liam Stokes met Mr Hurd and Home Office officials to discuss our concerns over the failure of the medical processes agreed in April 2016.

The Alliance made it clear that while we are committed to improving an already safe process, the current system is in disarray and in need of both immediate intervention and a long-term strategy for reform. Tim and Liam highlighted to the Minister the increasingly disparate approaches being taken by Police Forces across the country, an issue he was keen to address.

Home Office officials are currently gathering evidence of current practice from across the country. While they have been able to assemble evidence from the Police and the medical community, the Home Office has asked the Alliance to collect evidence of individual experiences of those who have been through the application or renewals process since April 2016.

The Alliance already has significant evidence of extortionate invoices our members have received from GPs, and some extraordinary letters that have been sent by surgeries. We are now asking our members and supporters to send us evidence of their experience of the medical procedure. GP's letters, or letters from Police Licensing Departments, can be scanned or photographed and emailed to [email protected], and we will then collate them and forward them to the Home Office to inform the process of overhauling the system.

Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance Tim Bonner said: "We are grateful to the Minister, for seeing us and discussing our concerns. He knows that there are significant problems in the system and is taking steps to address the situation, but we made sure he was left in no doubt of exactly how bad things are in many parts of the country.

"We also stressed the importance of ensuring that GPs are held accountable for participating in the medical procedure. The Alliance is very concerned that money is being charged by GPs who are then not undertaking the task required of them, which includes not only an initial background medical check but also the application of a permanent marker to facilitate ongoing monitoring. This marker is the lynchpin on which the whole system rests, and paves the way for 10-year licensing. The Minister understood our concerns and committed to consulting with the shooting community as a way forward is sought.

"He also asked us to collate and submit evidence ahead of the formal consultation, and committed to working with the shooting community to find a solution we can all support which actually delivers the benefits to shooters and the public which we all want to see."