Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when will the Government launch its public consultation on the controls on (a) shotguns and (b) other firearms.

The Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation, published on 13 February this year, included a commitment to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns, to bring them more into line with the controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. We intend to publish this consultation shortly.