Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the legislation on firearms.

This country has some of the toughest firearms controls in the world and our firearms law is kept under constant review to safeguard against abuse by criminals and to preserve public safety.

We will not hesitate to act whenever the need arises. The Offensive Weapons Act 2019 introduced bans on the civilian possession of certain rapid-firing rifles and devices known as ‘bump stocks’. And the Home Office is bringing forward new statutory guidance to improve how people applying for a firearms licence are assessed in future. The new guidance draws on previous lessons learned and will ensure better consistency and improved standards across police firearms licensing departments.

Following the tragic shootings in Plymouth on 12 August, the Home Secretary has, as a matter of urgency, written asking all police forces in England, Wales and Scotland to review their current firearms licensing processes set against the current Home Office guidance and legislation. This review will help to reassure people that all necessary checks have been made to keep them safe. In particular, all forces are asked to carry out a full review of all certificates that have been seized, refused, revoked or surrendered in the past twelve months, and subsequently approved by the police.