National Firearms Licensing Conference organised by the NGO

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In November the NGO organised a National Firearms Licensing Conference where most of the firearms licensing departments in the UK attended, as well as end-user stakeholders.

The conference, hosted by the NGO, brought together key players in Firearms Licensing and had speakers on subjects such as Digitizing the System, Training for Firearms Licensing Officers, The Value of Shooting, Medical Certificates, Mental Health and others.

It is rare that Licensing Authorities manage to meet, and by the NGO facilitating this event it allowed face-to-face dialogue and some frank discussion around the requirements of users, public safety and police efficiency.

From the point of view of the NGO it was a great opportunity to meet and greet many police force licensing managers and to have positive dialogue for our members.

Over 80 delegates attended the conference and the NGO had several inputs including a section on why gamekeepers require firearms. We were also joined by Helen Benson from the Gamekeepers' Welfare Trust who spoke about the importance of engagement and trust.

One of the reccurring themes was that of public safety and how that must be the cornerstone of firearms licensing. A discussion around efficiency and the creation of a National Firearms Licensing Authority was of particular interest, with DCC Gardner having a great deal of input into this topic. 

Other points of interest for our members included a discussion around seizing firearms and the difference between a revocation and a voluntary surrender. It was also suggested that timelines should be placed on decision makers as to how long firearms should be held by the police before either an official revocation or a return of the guns and certificates.

Another topic was that of total cost recovery and what that actually means for firearms licensing bodies and the certificate holders. The general feeling was that a better service needs to be provided in many forces where they are currently not up to standard, but there are shining examples across the 38 licensing departments in the UK.

Alan Barrell, NGO Firearms Advisor said: “It has been well worth the effort for the NGO to organise this event and invite other organisations to speak, for us to get our point across and to listen and learn from the police firearms licensing departments that have attended. I very much look forward to hosting a similar event next year.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation: The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. The NGO defends and promotes gamekeeping and gamekeepers and works to ensure high standards throughout the profession. The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that keepering was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. Today, there are 13,000 members of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation.  www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk