GTA challenges Met’s unlawful licence form

The Gun Trade Association (GTA) has challenged a decision by the Metropolitan Police regarding firearms licensing procedures. The issue arose when the Met attempted to issue a new form requiring medical checks for all employees of registered firearms dealers (RFDs), a move deemed unlawful by the Home Office. 

The Met’s head of licensing suggested that all staff of every RFD should have the same medical record checks as certificate holders. Simon West, executive director of the GTA, acknowledged the merit of the idea, but emphasised the need for proper procedures. 

“There are systems where you bring those things up for discussion on the national level. The Home Office then consults on those things with all the different stakeholders that have an interest, and if it’s agreed that it makes sense, then it is brought forward into some sort of legal process through legislation,” he said. 

However, the Metropolitan Police took an unconventional approach by producing their own form and distributing it to all RFDs, stating that renewals would not be granted without medical checks for all employees. Thanks to the intervention of GTA members — including barrister Nick Doherty, who provided a legal opinion — the issue was brought to a head. 

“We were able to take that opinion to the police and the Home Office at a meeting in London a few weeks ago,” Mr West told Gun Trade Insider. 

The Home Office made it clear to the Met that new standards and processes could not be established without following the proper procedures. This intervention highlights the importance of proper legal processes and the role of the GTA in ensuring fair and accountable policing. 

Mr West also stressed the need for a consistent application of the law in the UK’s stringent firearms licensing environment. “We live in a very strictly controlled firearms licensing world in the UK. We don’t need other people coming up with good ideas because it’s unfair. And it’s not the proper way to conduct open and accountable policing.”