Plymouth MP calls for tighter shotgun laws to 'prevent another Keyham'
Luke Pollard has been meeting the Policing Minister, Diana Johnson
A Plymouth MP has been meeting the Policing Minister, to push for tighter controls on shotguns to “prevent another tragedy like Keyham’s.
Luke Pollard, who represents Plymouth Sutton and Devonport has spoken with Dame Diana Johnson MP, to reflect community concerns.
In the meeting, he encouraged the Policing Minister to bring controls on shotguns licencing in line with the more robust controls on other firearms – as recommended by the coroner’s report on the Keyham tragedy.
The new government has agreed to hold a public consultation this year on aligning shotgun and firearm controls – after the previous government dismissed this proposal, a key concern of the Keyham community, as ‘unnecessary’.
Unlike other firearms, applicants for shotgun certificates are not required to show a “good reason” for possession and no conditions can be placed on the type of shotgun or ammunition that can be purchased or where they are stored.
Mr Pollard has already successfully argued for reforms – including 'full cost recovery' of fees, mandatory police training, and digital firearms markers so GPs can identify which patients have firearms certificates and raise any concerns about their mental health with the police.
‘Full cost recovery’ came into force in February.
It means applicants for firearms licences must pay the full cost of their application, including safety checks, which the Policing Minister said will free up £103 million for police forces over the next decade to help fix 'shortcomings in firearms licencing'.
Mandatory training for firearms licensing officers at the College of Policing was introduced across all police forces in November.
A new digital marker was rolled out across GP surgeries in England in 2022, allowing doctors to identify patients with a firearms licence and flag mental health problems with the police.
Luke Pollard MP, Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said:
“Shotguns are no less lethal than other firearms. That’s why I want to see the same licencing controls on firearms also applied to shotgun applications.
“I’m grateful to the Policing Minister for her commitment to hold a public consultation on aligning shotgun and firearms controls, something the previous government ruled out.
“We must ensure that a tragedy like Keyham’s never happens again. We have secured important reforms in recent years but there is more to do.”