Ladies and Gentlemen

It is apparent that the proposed amalgamation of section 1 and 2 licensing applications is causing confusion and frustration, and some anger. As Firearms Portfolio holder for NAReS I have been working to ascertain the facts to understand the affect any changes may have on re-enactment. A petition promoted by the BASC attracted enough responses to trigger a debate in Westminster Hall where a large number of MPs spoke against the proposal on behalf of constituents however, it wasn’t until the end that the Policing Minister stood up and stated that a consultation would be published, [quote] “in due course” but no date was given.  This statement was very unsatisfactory as all those, that may be affected, have been waiting for this consultation since it was promised to be published before Christmas 2025. I have been in touch with the Police who are equally frustrated with the delay. I should state that this consultation is not being driven by the Police but is the responsibility of the Home Office on behalf of the Government. The point is that no matter how much argument is put forward at this stage no one knows what the consultation will actually contain. Once the Consultation appears I will advise how best we can approach it.

Other matters;

NAReS have been in consultation with the College of Policing for many months and together we have submitted a discussion paper to the Home Office concerning the use of firearms in re-enactment I am awaiting their response which will now be in April at the earliest.

As NAReS is now a member of the National Explosives Licensing Working Group, we have submitted a question to the HSE Policy Team in respect of extending Explosives Licenses in line with the extensions provided for Shotgun Certificates when there is a delay in processing applications. Again, we are awaiting their response.

We will update this site when I have further information.