Just seen this in the local paper

[Eaf70]

This is how many people in Lancashire are legally allowed a gun

Lancashire Constabulary passed 194 new gun licences last year

MIKE HILL

Email

Published: 15:20Friday 12 April 2019

Share this article

•  
•  
•  

 

More people are applying for gun licences in Lancashire with police across the country warning background checks are draining their resources.

The latest Home Office figures show that 759 people applied for a new firearms licence or renewed an old permit in the 12 months to March 2018 in Lancashire. This is compared to 558 applications three years earlier.

 

Of those, Lancashire Constabulary passed 194 new gun licences and renewed 549. A further 16 applications were refused, with three of those renewals.

 

Research carried out by West Midlands Police estimates England and Wales police forces will lose £10m this year, because the cost of administering licences is not covered by fees.

 

A new firearms certificate costs £88, and holders have to pay £62 every five years to renew their licences.

That means Lancashire Constabulary received £51,100 in fees in 2017-18, up from £39,600 in 2014-15.

In March 2018, there were 3,137 firearms permits in Lancashire, covering 12,135 guns.

That’s an average of four firearms per certificate. Holders only need one licence for multiple weapons.

 

 

The National Police Chief’s Council said current fees “may not cover the cost of checking backgrounds before issuing gun licences”.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Orford said: “We have raised concern that the current fees may not reflect the full cost to administer firearms licensing when taking into consideration additional costs such as home visits and inspections, administering changes and renewals.

“Regardless of fee level, we are committed to ensuring that we deliver firearms licensing in the best way possible.”

Gill Marshall-Andrews, of the Gun Control Network, said with the current fees, police and taxpayers are “subsidising” shooters.

 

 

She added: “What we need is a licence for every gun, with the fee set at £200 and renewable every two years.

 

 

 

 

“If shooters can spend £1,000 for a day’s shooting and champagne they can certainly afford to pay more to licence their guns.”

In March 2018, there were 157,600 licences across England and Wales, covering 577,500 guns.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation said the claim that police were subsidising licensing “has no basis in fact”.

[Walker570]

Simple answer, lifetime licenses with a simple written renewal confirmation every five years and written detail of any changes. ANY contravention by the holder and banned for life.

Does this stupid woman drive a car?  Cars kill at least one person every day. On her logic therefore she should be paying a £100 a year for her driving license renewal.   How many fatalities a year do we see with licensed guns?  Few if any. 

[islandgun]

I seem to be missing out on the champers.. 

[Ultrastu]

She should pay £200 for each license she holds for each car or vehicle she drives. And renew every 2 years with a full driving test. At a cost of £200 for each licence 

How about that. ? 

Same thing 

[Old farrier]

Thought we already had a license for each firearm 

her maths and figures still leaves them £9 1/2 million short 

maybe looking at how it’s administered is the way to go 

[Sha Bu Le]

Me too, no champers waiting for bunnies squizzers etc.

Looking at this silly woman's suggestion, would this not increase ( by a factor of several fold) the police costs in administering licensing which I doubt the £200 suggested fee would cover. Still might get get a few people off benefits or more likely raise the waiting time to 2 years. 

Pity the op has not given a clue to this woman's political leaning, although I suspect she may be a friend of Diane Abbot given the elitist slur re champagne and shooting costs. 

[Scully]

56 minutes ago, islandgun said:

I seem to be missing out on the champers.. 

😀👍 Me too! 

[panoma1]

If 10 year licences were introduced it would cut the admin costs by 50% but I agree with Walker570 a lifetime licence subject to confirmation every 5-10 years would minimise any cost to the public purse!

This is just another attempt by the PCC/police authorities to maximise an income stream! Using advantageously created "data"

[Jacko3275]

She just thinks all sgc holder dress in tweed own a Purdey pay hundreds sometimes thousand to take a brace home ... what about the working class who buy the gun they can afford and go bust a few clays at the weekend once a month 

Edited April 15, 2019 by Jacko3275

[Dibble]

If the Gun Control Network (anyone know who they are) can guarantee the end of all gun crime and that criminals won't just find something else to use I'll agree to 2 year certificates at £200.

 

 

 

I'll just have to cut back on the champagne , only I'm teetotal after the death of a friend due to alcohol .

[wymberley]

You could drop a line to the paper pointing out that subject to a couple of limitations relating to age and lack of criminal convictions, that the whole c1.2 million of the Lankashire residents are legally allowed a gun should they wish to apply for a certificate.

[butchdickason]

Stupid person, there are only a few who shoot at £1000 a day, and good luck to them.  Licence set at £200 should be for life, there should not be a penalty for owning a legal gun, no figure will stop the unlicenced criminal gun ownership.

[JohnfromUK]

The issue here is that people like Gill Marshall-Andrews, of the Gun Control Network will tell things to the press that are at best misleading, and probably outright incorrect ...... and the press print it without checking facts.  Organisations like Gun Control Network, League Against Cruel Sports, Hunt Saboteurs Association, Extinction Rebellion (today's protests in London) are in reality tiny minorities, but get hugely disproportionate press coverage - because they are clever at manipulating the press and legal/justice system.

The vast majority of normal everyday 'run of the mill' population are never mentioned or quoted because normal everyday 'run of the mill' views don't sell papers.  They just get on with their daily business.

The real risk is that this is the sort of view that our dotty shadow Home Secretary is likely to listen to, and could become a reality under a lefty 'do gooder' Home Secretary who has absolutely zero understanding of country matters (and struggles completely with costs of anything related to the Police).

[MacSxS]

if Jill and her like are very social media/press savvy. why is BASC not so ? they are one of the organisations who profess  to represent  us, If Jill is running round talking a load of S@@t@. why is there no-one correcting her in the public domain. the general public with start to believe Her drivel, if BASC doesn't  speak up.

[JohnfromUK]

29 minutes ago, MacSxS said:

if Jill and her like are very social media/press savvy. why is BASC not so ? they are one of the organisations who profess  to represent  us, If Jill is running round talking a load of S@@t@. why is there no-one correcting her in the public domain. the general public with start to believe Her drivel, if BASC doesn't  speak up.

It is a good point ........ but possibly, BASC & Countryside Alliance do put views, but they don't get printed? 

I'm guessing of course, but as I said above keep the present 'status quo' views and conservative (with a small c) views don't make headlines or sell papers.

J

[old man]

IIRC, the Marsall-Andrews's are of the legal elite so wold have plenty of ears to whisper in?

[1066]

The Gun Control Network (GNC) is a very small band of rabid anti-gun campaigners. Their membership numbers are unknown but believed to be less than 100 and may be as few at 10, they do however have a sympathetic ear from the media who are only too keen to give them space to air their unsubstantiated and skewed ideas. 

 Professor Peter Squires from Brighton University is another leading member of the GCN and also an official adviser to NABIS the police ballistics laboratory and other police and government firearms related committees .

I believe the shooting organisations and shooters in general  don't take these people anything like seriously enough - they loudly spout their distorted views but rarely are they challenged, they should be jumped on by the paid representatives of our associations and shown up for the bigots they are at every opportunity. 

Here's a little light reading to give you a taste of their stated aims.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2292879.stm

https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmhaff/95/9121409.htm

https://www.everything2.com/title/Gill+Marshall-Andrews

[mossy835]

there not going to leave us along, they will keep going till all guns are banned,

[JohnfromUK]

3 minutes ago, mossy835 said:

there not going to leave us alone

..... and that is just how all minority pressure groups operate - just like this Extinction Rebellion mob who are disrupting commuters, tourists and ordinary folk (if there are any left in London)  in London today.

This sort of disruptive pressure needs to be clamped down on - and it be made very clear that the majority will not yield to these pressures - but how to manage that?

[oowee]

Ten year licence or life time with check ups must be the way to go. Why it cant be dealt with by a civilian agency and done on line along the lines of passports is beyond me. 

[JohnfromUK]

2 minutes ago, oowee said:

Why it cant be dealt with by a civilian agency and done on line along the lines of passports is beyond me. 

No 'government organisation' ever wants to relinquish responsibility for any aspect of licensing.  It is one of the ways they manage to 'grow' all of the time - by dreaming up new licensing, increased complexity and 'tests' needing more manpower and effort.  It's how they grow ......... the Sir Humphrey Appleby way.

In fact - most of the staff (who do the work) in the Firearms licensing office are civilians.  The FEO himself is (I think in our case a former, but he may still be current) police officer, and it is headed up by a Police Officer.

[Jacko3275]

If I want a piece of paper off the police to show me my conviction it costs a tenner so that’s the back ground check....if I I tell them of relevant medical issue I have to go to doctor to get a medical report cost to me not the police..... feo visit call it 2hrs with travel not sure how much there on but call it 15 quid an hour so that must mean 38 quid for admin costs I.e right click then print ... on less it’s gone to the superintendent like mine then a lobster dinner while he meets the manager

Edited April 16, 2019 by Jacko3275

[Shootalot]

Society iin general was always expected to contribute to the licence fee as the whole of society benefits from it I.e fewer gun related crimes that was how the very first firearms act was partly justified. If not let's just do away with licences and allow free access to firearms by all.

 

[Nuke]

Better here in Sweden.

1 licence per gun, max 6, for life. Costs 25 euro to apply for each or if you want to change.

/Markus

[old man]

17 hours ago, Nuke said:

Better here in Sweden.

1 licence per gun, max 6, for life. Costs 25 euro to apply for each or if you want to change.

/Markus

Ah, maybe a more enlightened and less anal society than here?