His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC), the statutory police regulator, has made 23 recommendations on reforming firearms licensing in a report published today (28 August 2026). Our preliminary assessment of the recommendations has identified positive ones supported by the Countryside Alliance. However, there are several that would be totally unworkable for the countryside and jeopardise legitimate gun ownership and the future of shooting, whilst doing little, if anything, to reduce the risk to public safety posed by legally held firearms, which is statistically tiny in this country.
Among the 23 recommendations, HMIC proposes the creation of a single, centralised licensing body by 1 September 2029, a policy that the Countryside Alliance has led the campaign for and one that is widely accepted as being the key to solving firearms licensing weaknesses in England and Wales. However, there at least five recommendations that would only be detrimental to legitimate gun ownership. These include:
Recommendation 2 - Total overhaul of all firearms legislation via a bill introduced in parliament
Recommendation 4 - Introduction of a mandatory competency test on gun handling for all new firearms and shotgun applicants
Recommendation 5 - Alignment of licensing regime for shotguns with that for Section 1 firearms, i.e. high-powered rifles
Recommendation 10 - Require all shotgun and firearms certificate applicants to undergo and in-person medical assessment, including at renewal
Recommendation 12 - Consider if visitors’ permits should be restricted to those from countries with similar firearms licensing regimes to Great Britain
Beside these, there are many sensible recommendations in the report. However, before publishing our full response to this report, the Countryside Alliance will be examining the 81-page document in greater detail, including the evidential basis of the 23 recommendations.
Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance said:
“The HMICS report is riddled with contradictions.
"It correctly identifies the failure of the current fragmented licensing system and supports our proposal for a single effective licensing body. However, the recommendations for a raft of new regulations including the alignment of shotguns with high-powered rifles, new competence tests and face-to-face medical checks are both unjustified and completely impractical. Many police licensing departments already have a huge backlog and some have even stopped accepting new applications.
"If these proposals were implemented they would crash the licensing system and do untold damage to the shooting sector, which is a crucial part of the rural economy. Ministers should concentrate on delivering a new single licensing body which would deliver real improvements rather than introducing new restrictive legislation that would do nothing to improve public safety.”