The UK Government has announced that licence fees for firearms and shotguns are set to increase next month to allow for ‘full-cost recovery’, which means that taxpayers will no longer be subsidising the use of these weapons.
Those wishing to possess, buy or acquire a firearm or shotgun and ammunition in the UK are required to have a certificate, issued by the user’s local police force who act as the licensing authority. These certificates are valid for five years, unless revoked.
Before a certificate is granted, the police undertake a vetting procedure which includes medical checks and a range of suitability checks including referee interviews and a home visit to ensure the applicant has a secure facility to store a weapon and ammunition. All of this costs money from the force’s budget and until now, this cost has been significantly subsidised by the tax payer, costing the national police budget an estimated £17 – £20 million pounds a year.
Last week the Home Office announced an increase in licensing fees, the first since 2015, that will, for the first time, achieve full-cost recovery for police forces.
Here are the current licence fees and the new fees that begin on 5th February 2025:
This has been a long time coming. It was in Labour’s election manifesto and I’m pleased to see the speed with which it’s being rolled out.
Some game-shooting organisations, such as BASC, are dramatically claiming that the fee increase ‘poses a threat to rural livelihoods‘. Having to pay the equivalent of £25.20 per year for a shotgun certificate renewal isn’t exactly going to ruin the rural economy, is it?
Let’s hope the £17-£20 million pounds saved from the annual police budget can be put to good use to chase down all those certificate-holding gamekeepers who continue to use their firearms and shotguns to illegally kill birds of prey.
Raptor Persecution UK 
excellent news and not before time. Now consider licensing shooting estates too with option of removing if any evidence of criminal activity. Also rescinding Gun licences for anyone convicted of crime. Eg criminal gamekeeper’s. .
IN MY OPINION THIS IS STILL TOO CHEAP BUT IT MAY STOP SOME OF THE MORONS OUT THERE WE CAN ONLY HOPE.
Thank you for some much needed good news today.
wonderful news but still seems far too little for the very significant negative impacts on mental and physical health, the environment and nature that those going out shooting inflict on the rest of us
Nice to get some good news for a change. As a matter of interest, does a licence cover any number of shotguns, and if so, are they individually registered, including their ID number? If not, I think they should be, from a traceability point of view.
…..any number of shotguns can be held on one certificate. All serial numbers of the shotguns held…are listed on that certificate. Any sale or transfer of a shotgun (s)…both parties must notify their respective certificate issuing police forces….who will then endorse each certificate….of an addition or a disposal of the said shotgun (s).
“As a matter of interest, does a licence cover any number of shotguns…”
Yes.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/user-guide-to-firearm-and-shotgun-certificate-statistics/user-guide-to-statistics-on-firearm-and-shotgun-certificates-england-and-wales-accessible-version
Tough turkey. This isn’t going to stop anyone doing anything. The only crime here is the government/police force claiming firearms licensing costs £17 – £20 million a year… are they sending out gold plated licences?
Just another way to stealthily tax people based upon imagery figures.
Consider the costs of our not-fit-for-purpose system. Depending on where you live, a suitable person can’t get initial Grant or is hindered from renewing a Cert. But in another area and unsuitable person can get a Grant and a Renewal. That’s not right
Then consider what price the people who have lost their lives from either avoidable accidents, murders or manslaughter (diminished responsibility, etc). And what price the pain their loved ones have to carry? What price the risks being run right now perhaps around the corner from where you and your family live, of another Derrick Bird or Jake Davison?
There’s about half a million Cert holders to deal with, how cheap do you want it to be – where do you cut corners? What level of which risks are preferred by you to save applicants a relative few quid?
how many legal guns were used in murders or accidents last year? Do you know?
I don’t, I can’t remember any.
what I do remember though is the extremely large amount of stabbings and other murders committed every single day that are thrust into my face on news feeds.
In fact, far more people are killed by vehicles with the drivers being charged with either manslaughter or death by dangerous driving, than people killed by legally held firearms.
Firearms are not an issue
Firearms are an issue. Cars are an issue, hence a massive system of driving rules and regulations, driving tests, MOTs and huge police and court resources to try and keep the system safe (mainly trying to keep the morons off the roads).
But you imply no need for any system a firearms licencing system? You want to go the American route? If that’s your position then we are very much at odds.
My position is that we rightly have a system of licencing that does work to an extent – but that it needs to be administered uniformly across the country – not subject to the quirks of each county force licensing team, and it needs significant improvement in both the scrutiny of new apps and especially the “aftercare / overview” of licence holders thereafter. I will happily pay double for a Renewal myself, to put the necessary investment in place. It doesn’t seem a lot of money to me and I am certainly only average income. Depends on what price you put on things in life, I guess?
murders in the last 12 months:
Stabbings: 225
Firearms: 28
Of which approx 47% were committed with illegal handguns. It should also be pointed out that the emotional outbursts after the Dunblane Massacre saw the banning of handguns which resulted in the persecution of innocent people again.
It’s interesting to see that even though handguns were banned, they still account for nearly half of all homicides.
LEGAL FIREARMS ARE NOT AN ISSUE when there are far greater issues. I do t admit that the system could be improved further but that will mean further persecution of innocent people.
I’m sure you fully supported the handgun ban. Maybe I’ll support the next nonsense idea that removes your freedoms.
But I am not advocating a ban and never have? I am advocating some changes to the law and clearer guidance from government – a much revamped system that is probably under a nationwide office of the police rather than devolved to the counties. All to be paid for by increasing fees for Applications and Renewals. I would pay an extra £50 or so upon each renewal every five years to achieve that, and I know others that would, mainly because they think it is a good thing for reputation of shooting.
But you wouldn’t?
£50 over 5 years is £10 a year is 20p a week. This is too much for you? How much are you paying for your cartridges?
Very likely the price you pay for one cartridge is well above this.
“LEGAL FIREARMS ARE NOT AN ISSUE”
Legal firearms are used to illegally kills raptors, but you insist that is not an issue.
I apologise, I failed to give you the benefit of the doubt – you may clay pigeon shoot. If you do (only if you do) I’m sorry for my comment. (one of your later comments reminded me about clay shooting) (never an issue on here)
noisybdfbfe4846 says “LEGAL FIREARMS ARE NOT AN ISSUE”
Keith Dancey says “Legal firearms are used to illegally kills raptors, but you insist that is not an issue.”
Tim Wood says “I apologise, I failed to give you the benefit of the doubt”
Tim, you don’t have anything to apologise to me for. I was replying to noisy… Not sure who your apology was aimed at (or why).
I apologised to noisybdfbfe4846, I called them an animal murdering bxxxxxd and said that they weren’t innocent if they owned a firearm, but I had failed to give them the benefit of the doubt that they may clay pigeon or firing range shoot only. Sorry for any confusion I caused to you, I’m not sure if my comments came out in the right order. Just can’t tolerate cruelty / abuse to animals and occasionally call people out for it but I failed to see why else anyone would want to own a gun.
Good point made by you that – ‘legal firearms are illegally used to kill Raptors’
Are you that passionate about killing animals ??? …xxxxxxx Your freedom to take an animals freedom are you referring to ? Your technically still a murderer can’t see what other reason you require a gun/guns for.
‘further persecution of innocent people’
unless they are clay shooting only they are not innocent.
p.s or of course on a firing range (but what’s the point?)
I cannot see this making any significant difference to anything, other than as a matter of principle.
Good to know that I now won’t be subsidising a so-called ‘sport’ in my taxes: one that I don’t approve of in any way. A big shame it’s not costing them far, far more. And that the licence would be reviewed annually.
If these, in my opinion, animal and bird murderers, want a firearm or shotgun and the costs that go with it to get it legally licenced, then they should be paying and footing the bill in full themselves. They should also be charged by the police for the time taken to process every application or renewal
The thing is, how many illegally held, or unlicenced firearms and shotguns are there out there? So if one of these bozos loses their licence, they don’t have access to another weapon that is unknown to the police?
Still, at least the Labour Party have acted swiftly on something to do with wildlife and the environment.
“Still, at least the Labour Party have acted swiftly on something to do with wildlife and the environment.”
I think that is rather naive of you: this increase in license fees for firearms and shotguns is much more to do with making overall fiscal savings than anything to do with (helping) wildlife and the environment (how can it?).
“they should be paying and footing the bill in full themselves. They should also be charged by the police for the time taken to process every application or renewal”
But that is exactly what “full cost recovery” means.
By all means, support a full ban. However, aside the large amount of clay only shooters in the UK which are doing something they have every right to do, the shooting economy brings in approx £3 billion a year, so until you come up with a plan to replace that lost revenue, its not going anywhere.
“However… the shooting economy brings in approx £3 billion a year”
Tosh. That’s a sum made up by valueofshooting.co.uk, a body whose 18 ‘partners’ are all associated with shooting, and therefore have a vested interest in pretending to politicians it is an industry of greater economic importance than it really is.
After all, as valueofshooting.co.uk say “The report’s findings play an important role in shaping the debate around shooting in the run up to the general election and beyond.”
They are hardly going to admit to shooting’s real value.
The report claims to “assess the distribution and value of game meat in economic and supply chain terms – from how game enters the food chain to types of game meat and its economic and business value” without even mentioning that game shot with lead ammunition is poisonous to eat.
yes, let’s pretend processing firearms licenses costs £20 million and but not that shooting brings in £3 billion. Lol. You’ll believe what you want.
You pretend that shooting brings in £3 billion, lol, but not that processing firearms licenses cost the Police £20 million. You’ll believe whatever you want.
Some game-shooting organisations, such as BASC, are dramatically claiming that the fee increase ‘poses a threat to rural livelihoods‘.
Does anyone know the range of prices of shotguns (not Purdeys, here) and ammunition, and the likely cost of insurance? One assumes they are insured.
the majority of firearms aren’t insured. Reason being is that they generally aren’t that expensive and when not in use are locked away in a police approved cabinet in an inconspicuous location a home.
I know of knowone that insures their firearms. The exception possibly guns worth £10,000+ of which I know only one person.