Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will increase the age at which someone in the UK can legally own a firearm.

While the UK has some of the toughest firearms legislation in the world, we keep these controls under constant review to ensure they support public safety. In recent years we have taken action on firearms in the Offensive Weapons Act 2019, tightened controls on antique weapons, consulted on further changes to support firearms safety, tightened restrictions on registered firearms dealers, and introduced Statutory Guidance to Chief Officers of Police on firearms licensing. We have no plans though to introduce changes to the age at which someone can own a firearm legally.

Police forces are responsible for issuing firearm and shotgun certificates. A certificate will only be granted after the application has been carefully assessed and a number of checks completed, including medical checks, to ensure that the certificate holder does not pose a risk to themselves or the wider public.

We have taken steps to strengthen these arrangements by issuing Statutory Guidance for the police on firearms licencing, to ensure greater consistency and improved standards across all police forces.

The Statutory Guidance, which came into effect on 1 November 2021, not only sets out the checks that must be undertaken at the time of application, but it also requires the police to maintain continuous assessment of certificate holders. The police have the power to revoke certificates and seize the holder’s shotguns or firearms if they assess that there is a risk to public safety. We are keeping the Statutory Guidance under review, and will strengthen it further, if circumstances so require.