Malcolm Anderson has had a shotgun certificate since he was nine-years-old. He is a keen wildfowler, happiest on the marsh waiting for the whirring of wings and flights of duck and geese.
Like wildfowlers all over the UK, he would harvest one or two, and take them home to eat. You can tell by the wildfowling kit hanging by his back door and the images on the walls of his house.
Malcolm’s wife Christine was diagnosed with terminal cancer in September 2024. She died on 12 August 2025.
Durham Police seized Malcolm’s guns in February. The reason is incomprehensible. He had been preparing to renew his shotgun licence and wanted to decommission two of his guns.
He contacted Durham Police to ask for advice on how to proceed. The next thing he knew he had a visit from a police officer. She told him that she would have to seize his guns because his wife was a ‘danger to the community’.
Durham police gave no indication of how she could have been a danger.
A few weeks later, Malcolm submitted his application for renewal of his shotgun certificate. By now, his guns were at the local police station and away from Christine, who was getting weaker by the day.
He heard nothing until police arranged a ‘welfare check’ for 10 June. During this visit, it became clear that police realised they had messed up. Instead of backtracking, however, they doubled down. They decided to look for evidence that Christine might be the threat they claimed she was. By now, Malcolm had to carry her to the toilet.
What seemed particularly unnecessary – and lacking compassion – was the officer’s request that Christine give consent for the police to access her medical notes, with no explanation.
Christine died willing her husband on to fight to get his guns back.
On 30 September, he had another welfare visit from the police. He was hoping for better news. This time, the police announced that Malcolm was a threat to the community, because of his recent bereavement.
Malcolm says that he and Christine have never been in trouble with the police and the police have not spoken to any of his family or friends for a character reference.
“Some gun grab stories we deal with seem vindictive, some petty. This one is just cruel,” says Fieldsports Channel’s Charlie Jacoby. “Durham Police should be ashamed of themselves for their lack of compassion and lack of common sense.”
Fieldsports Channel sent Durham Constabulary an early version of the YouTube film about Malcolm. Police reacted to the YouTube film by ringing Malcolm to apologise. They told him they will return his guns on 25 November 2025. They then put out a statement that makes grim reading for the 500,000 gun certificate holders in the UK. According to Durham Constabulary, police can seize firearms from anyone who is either ill or bereaved, or who is living with someone ill.
Charlie Jacoby adds: “There is no evidence that people who are ill or living with people who are ill are, in any way, a risk to the community around them. What Durham Constabulary says is not sound policing.
“Police around the UK can watch this film and decide either that Durham Constabulary has got itself into a toxic mess and then doubled down with an ill-though-out statement, or they can agree with Durham and start touring hospital wards looking for certificate holders so they can seize their guns.”
Here is the Durham Constabulary statement in full: “We would like to express our sincere condolences to Mr Anderson and his family. We recognise how deeply difficult this period has been for him. “Mr Anderson’s shotguns were removed in February 2025 as a precautionary safeguarding measure because the household was experiencing a period of significant emotional strain due to his late wife’s terminal illness and, later, her passing.
“The removal was not taken because of Mrs Anderson’s illness itself, but rather in recognition of the significant stress this situation presented. Extensive national evidence shows bereavement following terminal illness is associated with an elevated risk of harm, particularly for older male certificate holders. This risk can be unpredictable and may not be immediately visible, even when someone appears to be coping well.
“In County Durham there have been a number of recent tragic events in which people have taken their lives with lawfully-held firearms.
“Our priority must always be the preservation of life and it was not a reflection on Mr Anderson’s behaviour, responsibility or character, which has been exemplary throughout. Nor does it mean that Mr Anderson was considered to be in immediate crisis. Rather, the decision reflected the potential for heightened vulnerability during early bereavement, a recognised and well-documented risk period. In situations like this, we must err on the side of caution to safeguard life.
“The decision to retain Mr Anderson’s firearms is not permanent and remains under active review: we very much hope to be in a position to return Mr Anderson’s shotguns in the near future as his circumstances stabilise.
“We understand how sensitive and personal this situation is, and we remain sympathetic to Mr Anderson’s circumstances, but our overriding statutory duty is to protect life”.