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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/29/home-office-rejects-calls-to-tighten-shotgun-curbs-after-plymouth-shooting
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| Home Office rejects calls to tighten shotgun curbs after Plymouth shooting | Home Office rejects calls to tighten shotgun curbs after Plymouth shooting |
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| Minister says weapon is important for rural work and pursuits, and that UK already has tough gun laws | Minister says weapon is important for rural work and pursuits, and that UK already has tough gun laws |
| The UK government has rejected calls from bereaved families, a coroner and senior police officers to put extra controls on shotguns in response to the Plymouth mass shooting. | |
| Ministers announced investment in improving training for firearm-licensing officers and a consultation on other aspects of the system. | Ministers announced investment in improving training for firearm-licensing officers and a consultation on other aspects of the system. |
| But the Home Office refused to support calls for shotguns to be treated in the same way as rifles, insisting most licence holders were responsible and that shotguns were part of rural life. | But the Home Office refused to support calls for shotguns to be treated in the same way as rifles, insisting most licence holders were responsible and that shotguns were part of rural life. |
| The decision will be a blow to families and campaigners who believe that less stringent regulations on shotgun ownership lead to a false impression that they are less dangerous than weapons such as rifles. | |
| But the Home Office minister Chris Philp said on Thursday that the UK already had “some of the toughest gun laws in the world”. | But the Home Office minister Chris Philp said on Thursday that the UK already had “some of the toughest gun laws in the world”. |
| He said: “Shotguns are already subject to significant controls, and they are important in helping farmers control vermin on their land, as well as being used in a variety of rural pursuits. We will keep this under review but we are currently of the view that additional controls on shotguns are unnecessary and would have a negative impact on their legitimate use.” | He said: “Shotguns are already subject to significant controls, and they are important in helping farmers control vermin on their land, as well as being used in a variety of rural pursuits. We will keep this under review but we are currently of the view that additional controls on shotguns are unnecessary and would have a negative impact on their legitimate use.” |
| He added: “While public safety is, of course, our chief concern, it is also right that our approach should reflect the fact that the vast majority of licensed firearms holders are law abiding and cause no concern. It is this balance that we are seeking to strike. | He added: “While public safety is, of course, our chief concern, it is also right that our approach should reflect the fact that the vast majority of licensed firearms holders are law abiding and cause no concern. It is this balance that we are seeking to strike. |
| “The government has agreed to provide £500,000 in funding to support the development and rollout of a new national training package produced by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. In due course, this training will become mandatory for police firearms licensing teams.” | “The government has agreed to provide £500,000 in funding to support the development and rollout of a new national training package produced by the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. In due course, this training will become mandatory for police firearms licensing teams.” |
| The minister said public consultation into firearms licensing would be launched, adding: “The consultation includes recommendations made by the senior coroner, and also the recommendations made in the two other important reports from the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Scottish affairs committee. | The minister said public consultation into firearms licensing would be launched, adding: “The consultation includes recommendations made by the senior coroner, and also the recommendations made in the two other important reports from the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the Scottish affairs committee. |
| “The government has been giving very full and careful consideration to all three reports and accompanying recommendations. Some of the recommendations are wide-ranging and far-reaching, and the government wants to hear views on what has been suggested before we seek to bring forward any changes.” | “The government has been giving very full and careful consideration to all three reports and accompanying recommendations. Some of the recommendations are wide-ranging and far-reaching, and the government wants to hear views on what has been suggested before we seek to bring forward any changes.” |
| Luke Pollard, the Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “It’s unacceptable that the Home Office has rejected a number of the senior coroner’s calls including the need for a root-and-branch review of gun laws. The coroner’s recommendations weren’t a policy pick-and-mix but the bare minimum required to learn the lessons from the tragedy in Plymouth.” | Luke Pollard, the Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: “It’s unacceptable that the Home Office has rejected a number of the senior coroner’s calls including the need for a root-and-branch review of gun laws. The coroner’s recommendations weren’t a policy pick-and-mix but the bare minimum required to learn the lessons from the tragedy in Plymouth.” |
| “I believe strongly Britain’s gun laws are broken and outdated. Unless we learn the painful lessons of the Plymouth tragedy, we will be doomed to repeat them.” | “I believe strongly Britain’s gun laws are broken and outdated. Unless we learn the painful lessons of the Plymouth tragedy, we will be doomed to repeat them.” |
| He accepted there had been some progress, including mandatory training for police licensing officers. | |
| Among the questions the Home Office will consult on is whether police should be given the right to undertake searches and seize shotguns without a warrant, if the firearms certificate renewal period ought to be cut from the current five years, and whether the rules around referees for licence applications should be strengthened. | |
| It will also ask if GPs should be compelled to engage with the licensing process, if more mental health advice and support for firearms holders should be provided and whether a phone line should be introduced to report concerns about someone who has a firearm. | It will also ask if GPs should be compelled to engage with the licensing process, if more mental health advice and support for firearms holders should be provided and whether a phone line should be introduced to report concerns about someone who has a firearm. |
| The Home Office said an inspection would take place of police forces’ licensing departments in 2024/25 and it said it was also reviewing firearms licensing fees. | The Home Office said an inspection would take place of police forces’ licensing departments in 2024/25 and it said it was also reviewing firearms licensing fees. |
| Campaign group the Gun Control Network said: “The government response would be shocking if it wasn’t so predictable. They have shown once again that they will always prioritise the interests of shooters over public safety. | |
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| “They have sent a message of ‘business as usual’ to shooters and done as little as possible to upset them. Let us hope that the next government will take a different view and ensure that the victims of licensed gunmen did not die in vain.” | “They have sent a message of ‘business as usual’ to shooters and done as little as possible to upset them. Let us hope that the next government will take a different view and ensure that the victims of licensed gunmen did not die in vain.” |
| The director of firearms for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Bill Harriman, said: “This is the most significant and important firearms licensing consultation in 35 years. It is essential that the shooting community respond and feed in their views. | |
| “People must not be silent and think others will do the work for them. The shooting community must respond in numbers. Make sure you have your say.” | “People must not be silent and think others will do the work for them. The shooting community must respond in numbers. Make sure you have your say.” |
| The BASC welcomed proposals in the consultation such as mandatory involvement of GPs and the review of the length of a certificate. | |
| The families of the Plymouth gunman Jake Davison’s victims have accused the police of giving him a “licence to kill” by allowing him to have a shotgun despite a known history of violence, and called for “radical change” to the licensing system. | |
| Speaking after an inquest jury concluded in February that Davison, 22, unlawfully killed five people, the bereaved relatives said the attack was “pure evil” but argued it was facilitated by systemic failings and incompetence. | Speaking after an inquest jury concluded in February that Davison, 22, unlawfully killed five people, the bereaved relatives said the attack was “pure evil” but argued it was facilitated by systemic failings and incompetence. |
| The senior coroner who heard the inquest, Ian Arrow, said Britain’s gun laws needed “root and branch” changes to protect the public. He argued the Firearms Act was at “odds with public safety and the fundamental principle that owning a gun is a privilege and not a right”. | |
| He specifically called for the legislative distinction between section 1 firearms – such as rifles – and shotguns to be ended. The regulations around shotguns are less stringent than for weapons such as rifles, and Arrow argued this led to a false impression that they were less dangerous. His calls were echoed during and after the inquest by senior police officers and gun campaigners. | He specifically called for the legislative distinction between section 1 firearms – such as rifles – and shotguns to be ended. The regulations around shotguns are less stringent than for weapons such as rifles, and Arrow argued this led to a false impression that they were less dangerous. His calls were echoed during and after the inquest by senior police officers and gun campaigners. |
| However, the powerful UK gun lobby vowed to fight demands to tighten the rules around shotgun ownership, arguing that many people would be “regulated or priced out” of the activity and may even be tempted to keep guns without a licence. | |
| On 12 August 2021, Davison – an apprentice crane operator who was fascinated with “incel” culture, previous mass shootings and serial murderers – killed his mother, Maxine, 51, three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father, Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, in Keyham, Plymouth. Davison then turned his pump-action shotgun on himself. | On 12 August 2021, Davison – an apprentice crane operator who was fascinated with “incel” culture, previous mass shootings and serial murderers – killed his mother, Maxine, 51, three-year-old Sophie Martyn, her father, Lee, 43, Stephen Washington, 59, and Kate Shepherd, 66, in Keyham, Plymouth. Davison then turned his pump-action shotgun on himself. |