Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are taken to assess whether someone is fit to hold a firearms licence.

Police forces are responsible for issuing firearm and shotgun certificates and a certificate will only be granted after the application has been carefully assessed and a number of checks completed. These include background checks into the applicant’s suitability and their medical fitness.

New statutory guidance to police on firearms licensing was introduced on 1 November 2021 which will help to ensure greater consistency in firearms licensing. The statutory guidance brought in a new requirement that police must receive medical information about the applicant before a firearm certificate can be granted, and it makes it clear that firearms applicants can be subject to a wide range of checks, including social media, finance or other checks, depending on the individual case.

The police have a legal duty to consider the statutory guidance when assessing firearms applications.