Ministers refuse to make GP firearms medical markers mandatory

GP medical markers remain voluntary

The Government has refused to make GP medical markers mandatory for firearms certificate holders despite cross-party support from MPs.

During a Westminster Hall debate on 28 January, Liberal Democrat Helen Maguire told MPs the current voluntary system leaves certificate holders’ health changes undetected between licence renewals. “That is a missed opportunity to save lives, to safeguard vulnerable adults with access to firearms, and to protect public safety,” she said.

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How medical markers work

Medical markers flag certificate holders on GP systems, prompting doctors to consider whether health changes should trigger police notification. Yet their use remains at GPs’ “best endeavours”.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Shooting and Conservation, said mandatory markers would provide a crucial check between the granting and renewal of certificates. Fellow Conservative Gregory Stafford backed the measure, whilst Liberal Democrats Edward Morello and Rachel Gilmour described it as fundamentally necessary and “quite simply a win-win” respectively.

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Government refusal and reasoning

However, Home Office minister Mike Tapp confirmed the Government would not act, saying it did not consider mandatory markers “necessary at this point” as voluntary uptake is high. But he also hinted at behind-the-scenes politics, noting that GP governing bodies oppose the measure over potential liability if a doctor failed to disclose something to the police.

Bill Harriman, BASC’s director of firearms, said it “beggars belief” that ministers refuse to implement a simple safeguard even as it presses ahead with a consultation on merging shotgun and firearms licensing.