BASC has welcomed clarification from West Mercia Police that paper submissions for firearms and shotgun certificates will continue to be accepted.
Earlier in the week, BASC wrote to the force’s Chief Constable to challenge its announcement that paper applications would no longer be accepted, on the grounds that the decision would have been illegal and discriminatory.
In a statement today on its website, West Mercia Police said: “This week we announced applications for new firearms and shotgun licensing certificates will need to be submitted online.
“This position has been challenged by BASC and we’d like to clarify the process.”
The force added that while it would encourage “where possible, for applications to be made online”, that “where there are issues affecting accessibility, a manual application may be submitted”.
BASC’s director of firearms Bill Harriman said: “We are pleased West Mercia has taken note of our concerns and BASC welcomes its decision to clarify the situation.
“BASC has always supported online applications as being more efficient and providing a digital audit trail, but we are pleased to see that provision has been made for applicants who cannot apply online or would struggle to do so.”
A BASC Freedom of Information request to Devon and Cornwall police has revealed that the firearms licensing department is currently revoking shotgun and firearms certificates at nine-times the rate of the last 13 years.
The force has announced that it has successfully cleared a backlog of 1,795 non-complex firearm applications.
Read BASC’s statement following the conclusion of the inquests into the shooting of five people by Jake Davison in 2021.
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