Shooting community prepares to fight “existential threat”

The Government has confirmed it will consult on merging the shotgun and firearms licensing systems, in what shooting organisations warn could trigger the biggest exodus in decades.

The proposals would require every shotgun owner to go through the same licensing process as rifle owners, fundamentally changing how half a million shotgun owners access shooting. Confirmation that the consultation will now definitely go ahead follows meetings between the Home Office and shooting organisations in recent days, and ends months of speculation about the Government’s intentions.