Cambridge Assessment has confirmed that its UK exam board OCR is developing a new GCSE in Natural History, following a consultation open to all parties. The idea was proposed by conservationist Mary Colwell, who wants “to make nature part of British society again”. She was concerned that young people were…
BASC
Why ALL shooters should be members of a fieldsports organisation
If you shoot but are not a member of any fieldsports organisations, does that make you a freeloader? It’s a contentious question. In January 2017, I wrote: “To me, enjoying your shooting without being a member of any fieldsports organisations is short-sighted and perhaps even selfish. Surely there is an…
BASC announces a £1m plus ‘Fighting Fund’ to protect shooting
In response to recent challenges by the likes of Wild Justice, the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has announced that it has launched a seven figure fund to enable the body to launch effective legal defences that threaten the shooting community’s future. BASC chairman Eoghan Cameron spoke to…
How to get a firearm certficate
Advice on how to get your firearm certificate with information on what police are looking for, what counts as good reason to own a firearm and what variations are
UK cartridge makers say end to lead and plastics in ammunition ‘impossible’ within five years
Monday’s call from fieldsports and shooting bodies for a move away from lead ammunition within five years has drawn criticism from leading shotgun cartridge manufacturers Eley Hawk, Gamebore, Hull Cartridge and Lyalvale Express, who accuse BASC and others involved of being ill-informed. In a statement issued on Friday 28 February…
What are the latest waiting times for shotgun and firearm certificates?
Just how long does it take to receive or renew a shotgun licence or firearms certificate these days. Your firearms and/or shotgun waiting time all depends on where you live. Shotgun licence waiting time in 2019 The table below created by British Association of Shooting & Conservation (BASC) shows the…
Defra reissues temporary general licences ahead of deadline
Defra has reissued six general licences on a temporary basis for the control of wild birds. The temporary general licences in question (GL26, GL28, GL31, GL34, GL35 and GL36) will be reissued from 1 March to 31 July 2020. Licence users do not need to take further action, other than…
What’s one of the biggest issues for firearms certificate holders at the moment?
A big concern for shooters last year was police forces demanding that firearm certificate applications were independently medically verified, according to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). This demand is not in line with Home Office advice. Bill Harriman, BASC’s director of firearms described the situation as: “the…
Following in the footsteps of famous wildfowlers
You might not have heard of him but if you’re a member of BASC — and by my reckoning you ought to be — you owe a great deal to a railway engineer called Stanley Duncan. In 1907 Old Man Duncan, as he came to be known, moved to Hull…
What do when faced with protestors on a shoot
As unverified rumours of antis disturbing a shoot in Cambridgeshire spread like wildfire online, Shooting Times has some advice on how to deal with protesters
Liverpool city council condemns shooting of all animals as “barbaric”
A cross-party motion at a meeting of Liverpool city council on the evening of 16 October 2019 has condemned shooting of all animals as “barbaric.” The motion was put forward after plans for the British Shooting Show to take place in Liverpool in September 2020 were pulled by the council,…
British Shooting Show Liverpool banned
The British Shooting Show Liverpool was to take place in September 2020, but has now been banned after action by the Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson. Anderson said: ‘This Council declares its complete opposition to any form of hunting live animals with hounds or shooting live game, in the UK…
Why all fieldsports fans should vote in the Eat Game Awards 2019
At the Game Fair this year I sat down with Annette Woolcock, who is head of BASC’s Taste of Game campaign and a co-founder of the Eat Game Awards (EGA), which were launched last year. Annette set up the EGA with James Horne (Chairman of Purdey and Founder of Guns…
The latest reactions to withdrawal of the general licences
Farmers, gamekeepers and recreational shooters have reacted with a mixture of anger and confusion to the decision by Natural England to withdraw the general licences for England with just two days notice at the height of the lambing and nesting seasons. The decision follows a legal challenge by the campaign…
Dumped pheasant video provokes strong reaction from shooting organisations
The video was allegedly taken in November 2018 at Cotesbach Game farm in Leicestershire. Although it was found that the birds had been breasted, shooting organisations have united to condemn the activity shown. Liam Bell, Chairman of the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation said, “The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation is deeply dismayed by…
Government told of shooting’s unique benefits to health
With potential rises in licence costs, GP fees and long waiting times for certificate renewals, shooters could be forgiven for thinking that their sport attracts little support from the Government. However, good news could be on the horizon, as a result of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee…
Saving the curlew
Multiple campaigns are under way to help reverse the decline of the curlew, led by shooting and conservation organisations. There are only around 300 pairs of breeding curlew left south of Birmingham and, at the current rate of loss, they are expected to disappear from the region in the next…
Police boss wants to increase firearms and shotgun certificate fees
In another blow to the shooting community, a senior police official has called on the Government to increase the fees charged to applicants for firearms and shotgun certificates. David Jamieson, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for West Midlands Police, said he wants to make sure that forces are not “subsidising…
Government ‘betrayal’ on GP fees for new licences
Proposals to make every gun owner pay a fee to their GP when applying for a shotgun or firearm certificate have been declared as a betrayal by Government. Following a recent meeting with Nick Hurd, the minister responsible for firearm licensing, BASC understands the government plans to abandon the system…
English shock collar ban being considered
A consultation has been launched in to a possible ban on the sale and use of electric dog training collars in England. This follows Scotland’s commitment to ban the use of the devices last month. Their use has been prohibited in Wales since 2010. The Kennel Club pre-empted the official…