Knife licensing proposals draw criticism

Government consultation launched on knife licensing

The Government has launched a consultation on mandatory licensing for knife sellers, proposing that police firearms licensing departments should administer the new scheme.

The Home Office consultation, published on 16 December, would require businesses, private sellers and importers of knives and bladed items to obtain licences, with sellers facing police suitability checks, mandatory age verification and secure packaging requirements.

Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the measures aim to prevent young people bypassing existing safeguards through the “grey market” of unregulated social media sales.

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Organisations warn of red tape and strain on firearms licensing

However, shooting organisations have condemned the proposals. Conor O’Gorman, BASC’s head of campaigns and policy, called putting police in charge of knife licensing “ludicrous given the current state of firearms licensing”. 

“The last thing the trade needs is costly and poorly administered red tape,” he said, urging knife sellers to submit their concerns to inform BASC’s joint consultation response with the Gun Trade Association.

The Countryside Alliance’s Roger Seddon said it was “extraordinary” that the Government believed the 43 police firearms licensing departments could administer the additional system when “many of those 43 licensing departments are currently struggling to keep their heads above water with firearms licensing alone”.

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Consultation open until 24 February 2026

The consultation, which runs until 24 February 2026, proposes that selling knives without a licence would become a criminal offence.