Wild venison: a valuable resource
Wild venison provided by BASC-trained deer stalkers aligns with Labour’s commitment to sourcing food with minimal environmental impact.
Get information on the legal shooting season for mammals and birds in the UK.
Apply for funding for your project or make a donation today
Comprehensive information and advice from our specialist firearms team.
Everything you need to know about shotgun, rifle and airgun ammunition.
Find our up-to-date information, advice and links to government resources.
Everything you need to know on firearms law and licensing.
All the latest news and advice on general licences and how they affect you.
BASC has warned that delays to firearms licensing are on course to reach record highs, presenting significant complications for certificate holders.
Regulatory medical involvement, a peak in renewals and Covid restrictions are being cited as the ingredients for a perfect storm in firearms licensing. The result has been mass disruption across licensing departments in England and Wales.
In truth, in many instances applicants are now facing more than six months of delays, with some police forces stating that they have stopped accepted grant applications altogether.
In November North Yorkshire Police announced that they have ceased all grant applications for the foreseeable future.
Since then more forces have followed including Thames Valley, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Hampshire Police.
BASC is currently seeking legal advice against those forces who have stopped accepting grant applications.
Bill Harriman, BASC director of firearms, said: “Throughout last year there was an increase in delays across numerous forces. We are now receiving complaints that grant applications are being returned with no reason provided.
“While it is nearly impossible to plan for the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, police forces should have been prepared for the peak renewal period and the introduction of medical verifications. Their failure to correctly resource has led to significant delays and thousands of certificate holders edging closer to holding firearms illegally.
“The 43 police forces across England and Wales are responsible for the licensing of over 600,000 individuals, including those who require their firearms as part of their livelihoods; from pest controllers to professional athletes. The licensing departments are monopoly providers leaving applicants nowhere to turn when faced with months of delays.
“The discontinuation of grant applications is a failure to discharge the police’s statutory duty. The police cannot switch the law on and off as it pleases them.
“The process of firearms licensing is a public service to ensure public safety, the Home Office is required to act before the whole system collapses.”
We have issued the advice for those in the process of applying for a grant or requiring renewing their certificate; read it here.
Wild venison provided by BASC-trained deer stalkers aligns with Labour’s commitment to sourcing food with minimal environmental impact.
Fancy a venison steak sandwich for lunch, or sticky pheasant bites for dinner? Check out our new recipes from Eat Game.
Are you ready to help shape BASC’s future? We’re looking for BASC members to bring their knowledge, passion, and experience to join our governing Council.
Sign up to our weekly newsletter and get all the latest updates straight to your inbox.
© 2024 British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Registered Office: Marford Mill, Rossett, Wrexham, LL12 0HL – Registered Society No: 28488R. BASC is a trading name of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under firm reference number 311937.
If you have any questions or complaints about your BASC membership insurance cover, please email us. More information about resolving complaints can be found on the FCA website or on the EU ODR platform.
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.
Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.
Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!
More information about our Cookie Policy