The proposed direction on shotgun licensing is disproportionate, unsupported by evidence, and potentially damaging to rural communities.

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The Government has signalled its intention to consult on bringing shotgun licensing much closer to the licensing system used for rifles and other Section 1 firearms under the Firearms Act 1968. This proposed ‘alignment’ could require every shotgun to have an individually stated good reason, impose Section-1 style variation approvals for each purchase, and introduce more extensive checks on suitability, security, referees, and household members.

Some elements of this tightening have already begun through changes to statutory guidance, such as the requirement for two referees on shotgun certificate applications. 

While presented as a public-safety measure, this proposal would represent the biggest change to shotgun licensing in decades and raises serious concerns across the countryside sector. Police licensing departments are already struggling with workload and delays; adding hundreds of thousands of extra administrative tasks risks overwhelming a system that is already under strain.

The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation believes that the proposed direction is disproportionate, unsupported by evidence, and potentially damaging to rural communities. The UK already has one of the strictest and safest firearms licensing regimes in the world, and there is no clear evidence that legally held shotguns pose a significant public-safety threat. Past tragedies have been linked to licensing failures, not gaps in legislation.

Full convergence risks harming the gun trade, reducing participation in shooting, weakening rural economies, and undermining traditional countryside culture. The NGO supports a licensing system that is robust, fair, and consistent but changes of this scale must be evidence-led, proportionate, and mindful of their broader economic and cultural impact.

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