Lords vote to remove sound moderators from Section 1

Unanimous cross-party vote in the Lords

It has taken years of campaigning, a Government consultation, a ministerial promise and one borrowed amendment, but sound moderators and flash hiders are finally on their way out of Section 1 licensing in England, Wales and Scotland.

The House of Lords accepted a Government amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill on 25 February, paving the way for the devices to be removed from their current classification as Section 1 firearms under the Firearms Act 1968. The vote was unanimous and cross-party.

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Relief for shooters and licensing departments

Rifle shooters have welcomed the move, which means they will no longer need to apply and pay for a variation to acquire a moderator. Possessing one for a Section 1 firearm without a valid firearm or shotgun certificate will remain an offence, but the devices will no longer need to be individually licensed – a change Lord Katz, the Government whip who introduced the amendment, described as posing no risk to public safety, calling sound moderators “entirely inert objects”. 

The Government’s amendment closely mirrors one previously tabled by Lord Brady of Altrincham, prepared by the Countryside Alliance, which drew wide cross-party support. Ministers declined to adopt it at the time, preferring to table their own version. Lord Brady, reflecting on 29 years in Parliament, said: “The number of occasions when Governments and Ministers accept entirely common-sense arguments from the other side of the House and respond is so small that I cannot think of many others, so I really am grateful.”

Police licensing departments will also be grateful, as they stand to benefit from a marked reduction in admin. BASC estimates removing moderators from Section 1 will cut the administrative licensing workload by around a third – a saving that should benefit all certificate holders when it comes to renewal times.

Bill Harriman, BASC’s director of firearms, welcomed the outcome as “meaningful progress”, while Roger Seddon, shooting campaign manager at the Countryside Alliance, said: “We hope this change will be brought into effect at the earliest opportunity. The immediate alleviation of some of the administrative burden on police firearms licensing departments cannot come too soon, with many forces struggling as things stand.”

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Wider licensing debate continues

Positive news on the face of it – but some voices in the shooting community have been guarded in their enthusiasm, seeing the freeing up of police time as perhaps too conveniently timed. The reduction in licensing workload could, they suggest, free up capacity for the Government’s live proposals to subject shotguns to the same licensing regime as rifles. Whether that theory holds water remains to be seen.

A commencement date has yet to be confirmed and will likely be set by the Home Secretary. The Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent before the State Opening of Parliament in mid-May 2026. Until then, sound moderators remain Section 1 firearms and all existing requirements apply.