The Home Office is proposing a massive and unjustified hike in firearms licensing fees for approved shooting clubs, museums and those dealing in prohibited weapons in a consultation which ends on 9 March.
BASC is calling on all shooters in England, Wales and Scotland to email to firearmsconsultations@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk objecting to the proposals before 9 March.
Some fees are up twelve-fold increase and will kill off shooting clubs and international competitions.
Clubs face a new fee of £1,050, up from £84. This is an 1150% increase. The fee for the grant of a single attendance at a trade exhibition is £1,100, for an Olympic shooter or finder of a trophy of war is £470. Authority for a company supplying maritime security guards is a staggering £2,240.
A certificate (which may include prohibited weapons) is needed by museums which have firearms collections. The proposed fee is £1,440. The current fee is £200. This is a 620% increase. This may persuade smaller museums which only have a few firearms in their collections to dispose of them.
The government argues that the new fees reflect the cost of administering the firearms licensing system. BASC says that licensing is part of the Firearms Act 1968 which aims to protect public safety.
