Aim To Sustain launched at the Game Fair 2021, comprising BASC, the Countryside Alliance, the British Game Alliance (BGA), the CLA, the Game Farmers’ Association, the Moorland Association, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation and Scottish Land & Estates. Liam Stokes, chief executive of the BGA, described Aim to Sustain as: “……
BASC
Getting a ‘coterminous’ firearms certificate: a combined firearms and shotgun certificate
If you’re a keen Shot with both firearms certificates and shotgun certificates, then it’s worth applying for what’s known as a coterminous firearms certificate, which basically means that you have a single expiry date to think about. The advantages of a coterminous firearms certificate It costs less than paying separately…
Shotgun certificate renewals took even longer in 2020, BASC research shows
What is the current shotgun certificate renewal time? The British Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC) has just published research which shows that shotgun certificate (SGC) renewals are taking longer, an average of 49 days in 2020 (compared with 43 days in 2019) and firearms certificate (FAC) renewals 56 days,…
Fieldsports organisations back move to end lead-shot game
The announcement by the The National Game Dealers Association (NGDA) that its members will not accept lead-shot game from next year has been welcomed by fieldsports bodies including the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), Countryside Alliance (CA), British Game Alliance (BGA) and Game Farmers’ Association (GFA). Retailers had…
Shooting groups defend progress on lead transition
Non-toxic shot progress Shooting organisations have defended the progress of the five-year transition away from the use of lead and single-use plastics in shotgun ammunition. The plan to make shooting more sustainable and to head off Government regulation has come under attack for not making enough progress after a study…
What do when faced with protestors on a shoot
What are the practical measures you can take to maintain safety and de-escalate a situation if you are unlucky enough to be confronted by protesters on a shoot day? Confrontation and intimidation Remember that extremists amongst animal rights groups frequently work to the same agenda – that of confrontation and…
New Natural History GCSE to help young understand natural world
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…
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…
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…