Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing licensing for air guns.

Air weapons are subject to firearms legislation which regulates their possession and use. Air weapons can be lawfully possessed in England and Wales without a firearm certificate if the muzzle energy is not more than six foot pounds for air pistols, and 12 foot pounds for air rifles. An air rifle above this muzzle energy threshold must be held on a firearm certificate and an air pistol above this threshold is a prohibited firearm which can only be held with the authority of the Secretary of State.

In July 2023, secondary legislation introduced in Parliament clarified the ‘reasonable precautions’ which air weapons owners must take to safely store air weapons away from children, so that whenever under-18s are present, air weapons must be stored securely, out of sight, and separately from ammunition.

The Government keeps all firearms controls under review, and we will not hesitate to take action to further tighten the controls on air weapons where it is deemed appropriate.