BASC statement on Home Office proposals

BASC chairman, Peter Glenser QC, and the BASC political team has met members of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Shooting and Conservation from both Houses to discuss action in response to Home Office proposals around licensing.

Mr Glenser said: “We are unwavering in our determination to secure outcomes on these issues which benefit shooting, produce a robust licensing system at a fair price and protect public safety. BASC will leave no stone unturned to secure these objectives.”

Home Office proposals include plans to introduce charges for medical checks on applicants and certificate holders and increases in firearms licensing fees.

The meeting with MPs and Peers follows four meetings with Home Office ministers and discussions with civil servants over the past year. As Home Office plans have developed, BASC has also been instrumental in briefing 135 parliamentarians who support shooting.

BASC is considering potential legal remedies if legislation that damages shooting is enacted. The current legal advice from a QC, the leading expert in his field, is that political action rather than legal is the best route at this stage.