dorsecore

@Lurch003 Thanks for posting a status as a fellow Dorset/Devon/Cornwall applicant. Wondering if I have the record on this thread - applied 491 days ago. Have yet to be contacted by FEO. GP letter done, payment done. Every-time I chase its just a "sorry cant tell you anymore" blah blah "covid backlog". If my sister can work in A&E 6 days a week over the past 24 months - you can do some paperwork. Useless doesn't come close.

Same here - but I am with Devon and Dorset. Application submitted October 2020. Got a call last month to say doctors letter was received. I chased again this week and they said they are prioritising renewals and to wait. No timeline or ETA given.

Where are you based Kojak_79?

Massive congrats Strawbridge. Using your wait-time as a guide my application with Devon& Dorset should arrive August 🙄 Applied late October 2020. Hope everything goes smoothly and you're out shooting this summer

Update from Dorset & Devon: They have changed the response/info on their webpage - which to summarise basically says "be quiet and wait, stop contacting us for updates" - charming, thanks lads. They've removed their phone number now too. - so all you can do is email. Really bored of this rubbish now. Hope we all get to put this thread to bed one day and things pickup!

Thought I would share an update incase any others find useful: Spoke with Devon Cornwall & Dorset FEO today and they confirmed that the chief has given them the green light to resume home visits and grant processing. This resumed as of the 12th inline with the loosening of CV19 restrictions. They are processing in received order and are picking up where things left off - which is applications from August 2020 onwards. Hope this is useful.

wow @clangerman how was the home visit conducted? Which county if you don't mind me asking?

Spoke with Devon & Dorset again and they said its very likely they are resuming operations earlier than June now, some good news! If I had to guess I would suspect mid-April, looking at lockdown easing roadmap on gov website.

Its that time again 😁 - best of luck @jan8p

Just spoke with Dorset Devon & Cornwall and they confirmed it was likely to be June when processing and FEO visits resume. Although she did state that some processing and filing was taking place in anticipation for FEO handover and visits. Hope this is of use to anyone else stuck waiting. If nothing else she was very polite and to the point.

That's madness. The system is clearly in need to reform. Wow - great minds 😁 Sorry to hear its no further along. My bet is nothing will happen this side of May for grants. But fingers crossed!

@jan8p Any update buddy? No progress on mine sadly. I rang Dorset, Devon & Cornwall office today - they aren't even picking up anymore - just rings out. I suspect its due to lockdown.

To that point- is anyone aware of a petition (change.org / GOVuk etc) that can raise this and get our voice heard? I'd happily pay more - to know that I was being: 1. Treated fairly and not in a postcode lottery. 2. Given a reply/service this century. Need i remind them that they just lost 400,000 criminal records - I don't think they are a beacon of best conduct/security!

Couldn't agree more. I applied for SGC in October - nothing heard and chased a few times. They are polite enough - but as jan8p put it so well - "we're paying for a service". A lot of other businesses and services have remained operational and have found ways around CV19 to keep things moving. I'm worried about the impact grants and renewals being suspended will have on the rest of the shooting economy down the line. Clay grounds and shoots need all the guns they can muster to keep afloat in these trying times. It's been mentioned on this forum before - but I will say it again. Licensing needs to be made independent from the police. DVLA style. The police are stretched and busy enough. Coming and fiddling with cabinets and picking up our emails is not a good use of their time.

I phoned Devon & Cornwall (Dorset based myself) and checked processing times. I applied for SGC for the first time early November. Woman said they are prioritising renewals and still haven't picked up where they left off in March when the first lockdown happened and the were forced to down tools. She was helpful and polite - but can't help but wonder why FEO's dont need to carry on like all the other public services and trades. If masks are worn and things done sensibly I don't see it being less risky than a carer/plumber/chimney sweep etc. But I understand FEOs want to form a solid and careful opinion of that individuals living situation and stability to possess a shotgun - think im probably a little bias and eager to get back to shooting.

Thank you for the advice guys - appreciated. I'll list briefly and accurately and of course be open and honest at interview etc. It'll be with Devon & Cornwall - expecting a fair wait, as the CV19 situation etc is bound to have impacted them.

Hi there, I am about to post my application for a SGC. Filled out the form etc, was hoping to seek the wisdom of the crowd on a few points before sending however. Do FEO/Police expect full details of any convictions to be supplied within the application? I have listed convictions (date/type/location) but can people advise what they have done on this of possible. Is it considered best practise to write up the full accounts of anything that happened prior. Or is the above adequate - with a view to further discussion (if relevant) at the FEO visit stage? When supplying photo, am I safe in presuming it must be from passport booth / photographic service? Any insight and experience on the above is really appreciated - thanks 👍

Understand your point regarding the view that licensing isnt proven to work either - however it is from a 'numbers only' perspective effective at keeping peace and preventing USA levels of gun violence one could suggest. There is no perfect system. Do you have views/ideas on a viable alternative to licensing or have you heard others put forward a possible improvement to the current procedures?

The system is overdue complete reform IMO. Licensing in UK is still taking a 1980s approach to what is a 2020s issue. I want to express a few things I see coming up more frequently around this topic - new bills/heightened measures against gun ownership: It seems very archaic carrying around big bits of paper (license). Not to mention the endless renewal issues we see, pen and paper form filling - it's wasting both the applicants and the police's time. This could all be digitised, making it quicker, simpler and safer to keep track of gun owners and their respective firearms. Then you have pressure/discrimination on applicants with mental health issues (looking at you Wales police) whereby forces are taking a broad-brush approach to a complex and varied landscape of mental health applicants. Again the 1980s approach - if you're depressed or anxious then your're a lunatic and unsafe to own a shotgun/firearm. Versus the 2020 reality - we now have a much greater collective understanding of mental health and depression with 19.7% of the UK suffering from it at some point in their lives. It really scares me when I hear people suggest keeping shtum about their mental wellbeing for the sake of their ticket - avoiding a knockback at renewal stage. As someone who is looking to apply this year for the first time - I am fully waiting to be rejected under the grounds of having anxiety and depression in the past. Despite shooting with a club for 12 months. Maybe the Dorset FEO will be fine with it, I trust their judgement - its the wider policies and broad-stroke kneejerk decisions around mental health etc that seem a shame. Oh god - what a rant, sorry - just had this on my mind for a while and reading about a further bill on firearms/shotguns makes me worried about the future of the sport for everyone. Interested to hear if people have more insights on this bill though? Lastly I don't disagree with Cannon on introducing licensing for air weapons - they make a really valid point on that in my opinion. If I was PM I would push for training/certification as part of the licensing system. I think theres some European countries already doing this? Treat it like anything else that requires careful use to use safely - CAR/MOTORBIKE.