Further firearms fees increase ‘a tax on shooting’, says BASC

Broken shotgun

An increase in firearms licensing fees announced by the government has been labelled a tax on shooting by BASC.

All statutory firearms licensing fees in Great Britain are set to increase by three per cent from 4 June 2026.

The increase follows a decision by the government last year to impose, on average, a 133 per cent increase in firearms licensing fees without consultation, and without first addressing inefficiencies plaguing the system.

'Eye-watering'

BASC director of firearms Bill Harriman said: “Fees rose by an eye-watering 133 per cent in February last year. This further inflationary increase is being imposed without any guarantee that the chaos and failure which characterises so much of the police administration of firearms licensing will be addressed.

“The increase has been justified by the government in terms of full cost recovery for the police. But without any standardisation of procedures, this amounts to a tax on shooting. There is no guarantee that the additional money will be ring-fenced for firearms licensing, allowing Chief Officers to do what they please with it. The shooting community is subsidising police budgets without any proper service level agreement.”

Failing forces

Earlier this month, we called for failing police firearms licensing departments to be held to account, following the release of the latest performance figures for England and Wales.

Figures released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council reveal that fewer than half of the 43 police forces in England and Wales are meeting the requirement to turn around 80 per cent of applications within 120 days. Among the 23 lowest-performing forces, 11 are completing fewer than 40 per cent of applications within this timeframe, with some managing little more than a quarter.

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Terms and conditions

BASC winter prize gun draw 2026 rules

General rules

  • This Raffle is only open to residents of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) over the age of 18 (this excludes Northen Ireland, Isle of Man, Channel Islands and BFPO addresses according to Gambling Act 2005 regulations).

  • No tickets can be sold to, on behalf of, or for a person under the age of 18 years.

  • Entrants must have a valid, original UK shotgun certificate to enter the draw.

  • The cost of each entry is £20. Players may purchase more than one entry, and payment must be in advance.

  • If a ticket is sold unknowingly to, on behalf of, or for a person under the age of 18 they will be exempt from the raffle and will forfeit their prize, and the stake will be returned.

  • Failure of the winner to produce a valid shotgun certificate on request will make the win null and void. In the event the winner’s entry is void, then a reserve winner will be used. The reserve winner will be pulled at the same time as the main draw.

  • The prizes for the Raffle are:
    • Beretta 687 Silver Pigeon III Field 12G 28-inch Barrel with OC.HP Chokes
    • An exclusive day shooting grouse over pointers and setters in the Scottish borders for the winner and a guest with Eskdale Shooting Services. (*T&Cs apply for the shoot experience. Dates to be agreed by all parties including Eskdale Shooting Services, BASC, and the winner. Shoot date will be in the 2027-2028 season and dependant on stocks permitting. The shoot experience day will be located at one of the following venues : Bowmont, Greenhill, Longcroft, or Thirlestane Castle. As we are dealing with wild game, Eskdale Shooting Services reserve the right to decide on which venue it will be, once the date has been decided, so that the winner will have the best possibility of achieving the bag . Prize is non-transferrable, and a monetary alternative will not be available.
    • Accommodation (DBB) for the winner + guest within easy access of the shoot

  • Prizes are non-transferrable, and a monetary alternative will not be available.

  • The BASC directors, employees and their families are excluded from playing the Draw.

  • The Raffle is open to BASC members, and non BASC members.

  • The draw will be conducted by utilising a Random Number Generator that has been tested and approved by an independent, Gambling Commission approved, third party test house. The results of the draw are final.

  • Based upon the number of entries in our Spring 2026 Gun Draw, the average chance of winning a prize for a single ticket is approximately 1 in 3853.

  • Of the £38,538.00 received in ticket sales in the Spring 2026 Gun Draw, 15% went on expenses, 0% on prizes and a fantastic 85% came back to BASC to fund our work.

  • Proceeds of the competition go straight to our Fighting Fund. The fund enables BASC to initiate legal challenges to support our members and protect the future of shooting.

  • Entries must be received by Thursday 31st December 2026.

  • Late entries will be treated as donations.

  • The draw will be held on Friday 8th January 2027.

  • Winners will be notified by post, email or telephone no later than two weeks after the draw date. Please keep your ticket number as proof of purchase.

  • A list of winners will also be published on the website (raffleplayer.com/basc) within two weeks of the draw date. These will only be in summary, for example Mrs Smith from Berkshire.

  • Winners may be asked to take part in BASC PR and promotional activity.

  • If a prize is unclaimed after reasonable efforts have been made by BASC to contact the winner, then BASC will be entitled to dispose of the prize as it thinks fit. The winner has one month after notification to claim the prize.

  • The BASC policies for raffles can be found here. This includes our policy on responsible gambling, underage gambling, protection of customer funds and our complaints procedure.

Online entries

  • To enter the online raffle an entrant must self-certify that they are the required age to play. A confirmation email will be sent to the entrant confirming their numbers in the draw and thanking them for their participation. Random age verification checks are carried out at regular intervals. If an entrant is found to be under the required age their payment will be returned, and they will not be entered into the draw.

  • Entries must not be bought on behalf of somebody else.

  • In order to promote responsible gambling, it is recommended that no more than 25 chances are to be purchased per person for the Raffle.

  • Material changes to this raffle are not predicted to happen, but in the event that this occurs you will be notified by email 14 days in advance of any changes.

General Information

ASC is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission under account number 5061, Responsible person: Richard Mortimore, BASC, Marford Mill, Rosset, Wrexham, LL12 0HL. For more information about BASC please go to basc.org.uk

Requests to be removed from future raffle mailings should be addressed to info@raffleplayer.com

If you would like more information about raffles and lotteries please go to www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk

If you or a family member feel that you are experiencing problems with gambling, you can seek advice and support from GambleAware on 0808 8020 133 or via their website begambleaware.org.

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