Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) shotguns and (b) other firearms were covered by licenses in England and Wales in each year from 2009-10 to 2016-17.

The use of ‘shotgun and other firearms licenses’ within these questions has been interpreted to mean firearm and shotgun certificates issued by police forces in England and Wales under the Firearms Acts 1968-1997.

The Home Office publishes data on firearms and shotgun certificates as part of the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales Statistics - Financial Year 2016/17’ publication. This is available from the Home Office webpage on GOV.UK at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/624004/firearm-shotgun-certificates-england-wales-march-2017-tables.ods

Table 1 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17. Table 3 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates in England and Wales for the years 1971 and 1983 until 2016/17.

Table 2 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of firearm certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Table 4 within the ‘Firearm and Shotgun Certificates in England and Wales’ release provides information on the number of shotgun certificates by police force area: applications, revocations, certificates on issue and firearms covered by certificates in England and Wales for the financial year ending 2017. The same information is also provided within table 2 of the data tables for each release for the financial years ending 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016.