Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many firearms licences have been renewed without fresh vetting in each of the last five years.

No certificates have been renewed without the police undertaking an assessment of suitability. Firearm and shotgun certificates are issued by police forces and are valid for five years. Before a firearm or shotgun certificate is renewed checks are carried out by the police in all cases to ensure the applicant is a suitable person. A range of checks can be carried out by the police before renewal including criminal record, intelligence and medical checks, social media checks, and interviews with referees, family members and associates of the applicant.

The checks undertaken by the police are set out in the Statutory Guidance for firearms licensing, which was introduced on 1 November 2021 and refreshed and republished on 14 February 2023. The police have a legal duty to consider the Statutory Guidance when they assess every firearm application or review a certificate holder.