Whilst we wait for the long-anticipated Home Office consultation on aligning the licensing of Section 2 shotguns with Section 1 firearms, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) is inviting everyone who has applied for a grant or renewal of a shotgun or firearms certificate in the last two years to take part in a separate survey. This comes as part of their ongoing inspection of the firearms licensing system in England and Wales. You can access our survey using this link.
The window that HMICFRS has provided for this survey to be completed is very short – ending at 5pm on Friday 5 December 2025, so please don’t delay if you want your voice to be heard.
The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and asks about your recent grant or renewal (within last 2 years). This includes questions on your positives and negatives, satisfaction rates and timeliness.
There is a question on the recent updates to the statutory guidance and whether they reflect a balance between responsible gun ownership and public safety.
One question is more open ended, asking what one thing you would change to improve firearms licensing in England and Wales. The Countryside Alliance believes that the single most effective change would be to consolidate the 43 separate firearms licensing departments of police forces into a centralised national firearms licensing authority.
Text based questions are limited to 100 characters, so concise answers are a must.
A similar survey for Registered Firearms Dealers (RFDs) is also open, and can be completed by following this link.
“HMICFRS independently assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces and fire and rescue services to make communities safer.
In our inspection, we will consider the effectiveness and efficiency of the firearms licensing system across police forces in England and Wales.
Alongside other evidence gathering methods, we are distributing a survey to registered firearms dealers to better understand your experiences with the firearms licensing system.
Completing this survey is an opportunity to share your experiences and feedback. Your responses will help us to identify where the system is working well and where improvements are needed.”