POLICE LICENSING BACKLOG 'PUTS PUBLIC AT RISK'

We need to talk about the reality of this police firearms licensing backlog because it’s a mess. Look, we’re a patient bunch. We wait for the trap to reset. We wait for our turn in the cage. But the current state of renewals and grants is getting beyond a joke. We’re seeing mates who are safe, responsible and seasoned shots having to put their guns in storage or hand them over to dealers because a piece of paper didn’t land on the doormat in time.

The stats are pretty grim. Recent reports show that in some areas – like the Beds, Cambs and Herts collaboration – the backlog became so bad that applications were taking up to two years to process. Imagine that. Two years of waiting for permission to go shooting while your gear sits in a locked cabinet.

When the system stalls, it creates a massive safety gap with firearms owners left in limbo through no fault of their own. If a license expires before the renewal is processed, the licence holder is technically in illegal possession of a firearm. That is a serious criminal offence that can carry a minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment. To avoid jail, the only choice is to surrender our gear. It’s a total bird-away. It’s not just a delay; it’s a threat to our livelihoods and reputations.

Even if the shooter has applied months in advance, they’ll be the ones left sweating when the reality of the backlog kicks in. The police might give verbal assurances that they won’t prosecute, but that’s cold comfort if you’re stopped by a traffic officer who can’t verify your status at 11 PM on a Sunday.

Then there is the Section 7 permit issue. These temporary permits are meant to be a safety net, but they’re being used as a default because Police firearms departments can’t cope.

It’s a sticking-plaster solution for a broken bone.

Here’s the kicker: a Section 7 permit usually only authorises possession of a firearm, not purchase or acquisition. This means that while you can legally keep your guns in the cabinet, you can’t buy a fresh slab of cartridges for the weekend. If you are a rifle shooter, it’s even worse; you can’t buy the expanding ammunition needed for deer stalking or pest control. It effectively grounds us.

It’s a logistical nightmare that punishes one of the most law-abiding communities in the country. We’re being sidelined by administrative failure.

We’re a community built on safety and soul. That’s what makes the Clubhouse special. But the social side of the sport relies on a functioning legal framework and if the police can’t vet new shooters or renew existing licences efficiently, the whole structure of responsible ownership is under pressure. New shooters can’t get started and the regulars will start to disappear. We lose the very thing that makes this hobby our passion.

We aren’t asking for shortcuts. We’re asking for a system that actually functions. Shooting is our therapy, our social life and our obsession. We shouldn’t be put at legal or financial risk because of a backlog.

Keep your heads up and your leads long. Let’s hope the powers that be find their aim soon because we’ve got too many clays to smash to be sidelined by paperwork.

See you at the ground (with a valid cert in your pocket).

So, are they police actually trying to sort this out? The short answer is: they say they are, but the proof is in the pudding.

There are some big changes on the horizon for 2026. The Home Office is currently talking about a massive reform of the National Police Service which might finally move licensing away from 43 different, inconsistent local forces into one central body.

We’re also seeing some forces finally getting called out by watchdogs – Beds, Cambs and Herts were recently given an “accelerated cause for concern” by inspectors. This has forced them to cough up extra cash for staff and triage systems to clear the 2,000+ unanswered emails they had sitting in their inbox.

There’s also talk of a new national IT system to replace the ancient infrastructure that’s been in use since the 2000s. It sounds promising, but we’ve heard “the system is updating” before, haven’t we?

So, how do we make sure we aren’t the ones caught in this legal dilemma? It’s all about the “8-week rule.”

Most forces now state that if you submit a valid, complete renewal application at least 8 weeks before your expiry date, they will automatically extend your current certificate for 8 weeks if they haven’t finished the paperwork. This keeps you legal and keeps your guns usable. But – and this is a big “but” – it only works if the application is perfect.

That means getting our medical proformas sorted with the GP at least four months before they expire. It means having our two referees (yep, it’s two now for shotguns as of late 2025!) ready to go. We need to be proactive. Apply at the 16-week mark. Chase the GP. Don’t give them an excuse to reject the file on a technicality.

We also need to keep a paper trail. If you apply online, save the confirmation. If you post it, use recorded delivery. If the expiry date is looming and you haven’t heard a peep, start making noise. Polite, persistent noise. Contact your local Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC). They’re the ones who hold the Chief Constable to account for these service failures.