The Truth About Firearms Licensing Today
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- čas přidán 7. 05. 2024
- You may be wondering why it is taking so long for you to renew or complete your firearms license when neighbouring counties are quicker? Alan Barrell explains just why that might be.
** All quoted figures and timescales were correct at the time of filming **
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The 'problem' has been created by bureaucracy. I was a Police officer in the 1980's and Shotgun/Firearms applications/renewals were handed out each month to uniformed patrol officers. You would complete all enquires within 2 weeks and this was between dealing with all your other duties. You would do simple checks, such as the Police national computer, plus any Intelligence checks to see if the applicant had ever been arrested/convicted/stop-checked etc. Home visits were carried out and security storage would be checked. It all changed after 'Hungerford' when the enquiry recommended 'specialists' to complete the applications. At the end of the day, they couldn't do any further checks than the original officers.
Your maths is out.
20,000 divided by 5 (number of years a certificate runs) is 4,000.
Say 260 working days a year makes it 16 a day.
Note the average is less than 12,000 per force across England & Wales, so that would be down to less than ten a day.
Cumbria is utterly useless, with renewals at 19 months & getting worse.
Excellent advice. My Dr’s surgery couldn’t tell me how long or how much to process the medical form. They eventually managed to complete the form (no issues) at nearly the 5 week point and charged £100. A shooter at a nearby clay club said his Dr charged the same price with a 5 day turnaround. Get the form ready months early and if your Dr can’t tell you how long and price go to an independent who give cost and timelines on line.
2:52 "can these figures be turned around?"
Well, West Mercia seem to be doing their best to turn them in the opposite direction! My first renewal took longer than my grant, and my last 1-for-1 variation took longer than my renewal!
Over 10 months, my local force regularly takes 2+ YEARS to issue grants! i can personaly provide 2 seperate examples of such
I have to say Essex Police were excellent,from the day I applied to my licence dropping through the door was 8 weeks to the day,no complaints here
I come under West Yorkshire police. My renewal was turned round in 3 weeks. They have always been great to deal with and very helpful. No complaints what so ever.
Waited 18 months so far for a new grant, Devon & Cornwall, yet I'm being told by some that they are processing new grants in 3 months??? How can that be when they still have grants outstanding for such a length of time.
Currently 8 months from when my renewal went in to Bedfordshire, still no sign of my renewal. I’ve had a section 7 issued because all the local RFD’s are full and can’t fit any more guns in!
What I would like to know, is why such emphasis is placed on a signed letter by your GP ? The time before I last renewed my shotgun cert'. I was asked if I would agree for my GP's surgery to pass on any information that would be deemed detrimental to me continuing to hold a certificate. I agreed, as it made sense. When my last renewal came around, I now had to supply a signed letter from my GP at my own cost. I couldn't and still cannot see the significance of this 'letter' having any bearing on me being a fit person to hold a firearm. The certificate lasts for 5 years, yet the letter is only valid for the day it was signed. It cannot guarantee that I won't be a suitable certificate holder for the following 5 years. Yes, by all means pass on any detrimental information that may come to light whilst holding a certificate, but let's drop the pretence that this costly and time wasting GP's letter has any relevance or importance - it isn't worth the paper it is written on.
Essex police report in Jan 2024 says 30 days ...what they put in a report is probably not checked
so why does the website say more as you apply
plus I get this response when I email them after 8 weeks someone is lying
:-
Thank you for your message, your file is with the Field Enquiry Officer who will be in contact in due course to organise a visit.
Please be advised that new application can take up to 18 weeks to complete.
and I have not seen anyone yet at 10 weeks....
I bet if questioned you get the answer .. its 2 weeks from approval to turning up on your doorstep
Why was there no mention of Cumbria firearms licencing?? Cumbria are currently taking around 18 months to process our renewals!! They are also point blank not issuing temporary certificates to us!! 18 months of being unable to go and buy ammunition or components for making ammunition, unable to go to our local clay grounds shooting clays as we are unable to show a valid certificate or temporary certificate!!
How can this be classed as a service that we have paid for????
Wee have not had any members contact us about that specific force, if you are a member and would like us to enquire for you please contact us via info@nationalgamekeepers.org.uk
@@nationalgamekeepersorganis9866 and that force will tell you 18 months plus just like anyone else or just lie to you like Essex have done
Cumbria currently 12 months for a renewal
Basically they want applicants to give up , RFD s are closing allover the country , No RFDs , No sales of even air rifles , no sales of ammunition to those who already hold a certificate
A good informative video but as a 'National liaison' officer couod you not start liasing between Essex and some of those poor performing forces, drilling into why the Essex model isn't being replicated elsewhere ( for those forces that are not in a state of 'special ' reasons' o:) I think your Org would gain a lot of creditablity if you took the lead on this
The NGO have been doing exactly that through the police group FELWG (National Firearm Explosives Licensing Working Group
Essex are not as good as they say I have been waiting 11 weeks and still have not seen anyone
Maths is way out for sure,
It's a valid argument with the correct figures, no need to inflate them.