Make your voice heard in the HMICFRS firearms licensing survey

BASC is urging all shooters who have renewed their certificate or applied for a grant in the last two years to complete a new survey launched by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Earlier this year, BASC commissioned one of the most comprehensive surveys ever undertaken on firearms licensing, gathering feedback from members and the wider shooting community. Over the summer, BASC met with HMICFRS to provide input ahead of their forthcoming inspection of the firearms licensing system. During that meeting, the BASC Firearms Survey was discussed in detail, and HMICFRS agreed it would be valuable to design their own survey to ensure that stakeholder experiences of the licensing system are included as part of the inspection.

Please note that this HMICFRS survey is not connected to the forthcoming Home Office consultation on potential changes to shotgun licensing rules. Further information on that process will be provided to members once the consultation is launched.

HMICFRS has developed this survey to record certificate holders’ experiences of renewing or applying for a firearms certificate in England and Wales. This is the first time during an HMICFRS review that they have asked for views from stakeholders. It is a significant opportunity for those who shoot to share their personal experiences directly with the body responsible for scrutinising how firearms licensing is administered.

The survey closes at 5pm on Friday 5 December 2025 and we encourage all eligible members to contribute before that date. The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and please be aware that the online text boxes have a limit of 100 characters.

Please complete the HMICFRS survey here: Firearms Licensee survey