The Gun Trade Association (GTA) has issued a formal response to the Home Office consultation on licensing knife retailers and importers, warning that the proposals risk creating an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy for legitimate trade while placing further strain on already stretched police firearms licensing departments.

The consultation, published on 16 December 2025 and open until 24 February 2026, seeks views on proposals to introduce a licensing system for sellers and importers of knives and bladed articles. 

In its submission, the GTA said it has “significant concerns” about the consultation itself, objecting to what it described as leading questions within the online format. The association said it has “serious reservations” about the introduction of a knife licensing scheme and questioned whether the approach would deliver meaningful public safety benefits.

The GTA argued that applying the scheme to Registered Firearms Dealers (RFDs) would be disproportionate, stating that RFDs already operate under strict police oversight and comply with existing legislation. It warned that an additional licensing layer would increase costs and administrative burden for law-abiding businesses without clear evidence that it would reduce knife crime.

The association also raised concerns over delivery, stating that placing responsibility on 38 police firearms licensing authorities to administer an additional licensing regime could overwhelm capacity and cause systemic failure. It said firearms licensing departments are already under pressure and that expanding responsibilities, alongside ongoing policy discussions around the potential merger of Sections 1 and 2 licensing, would increase operational risk.

On the evidence base, the GTA criticised what it described as an overly simplistic distinction between domestic knives and other bladed items, warning the approach fails to reflect legitimate use across trades, religious practice and outdoor pursuits. It highlighted Office for National Statistics data for the year ending March 2024 showing kitchen knives accounted for 44% of knife-related homicides, arguing this undermines the consultation’s underlying assumptions because kitchen knives would sit outside the proposed controls. 

The GTA urged the Home Office to re-evaluate the evidence supporting retailer and importer licensing, ensure any measures are proportionate and enforceable, and prioritise investment in police-led interventions proven to reduce violence.

https://www.gtaltd.co.uk

The Great British Shooting Show, which is being held 13-15 February at the NEC Birmingham, has become such a fixture in the shooting calendar that it’s easy to forget just how far this event has travelled. What began as a modest outdoor gathering has evolved into the UK’s premier shooting exhibition, and behind the scenes there are fascinating stories, practical tips and surprising facts that even regular attendees might not know.

The journey to the NEC

Founded by the late John Bertrand in 2008, the inaugural show took place in 2009 in Newark, where exhibitors and visitors alike braved February weather in marquees that offered minimal protection from the elements. It was small, it was cold, and it was undeniably popular. The event soon outgrew its Newark field and relocated to NAEC Stoneleigh, offering international brands a reputable venue whilst providing visitors with heated halls. In 2014, John Allison of FRL Media purchased the show and continued nurturing its growth. By 2018, the show required more space, better connectivity and superior logistics. The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham became its new home, cementing the show’s status as ‘the jewel in the crown’ of shooting events. In 2026, Simon and Selena Barr of Time Well Spent Group acquired it, promising continued growth whilst maintaining the quality and community spirit that made it successful.

The group booking hack

Booking 10 or more tickets unlocks substantial savings. Instead of paying £31.80 per person in advance, group bookings drop to £26.80 each. For a club of 20 members, that’s a £100 saving. Head to shootingshow.co.uk, select group tickets, and coordinate your club members. Rifle clubs, airgun clubs, clay grounds and game shooting syndicates should all be taking advantage of this offer.

The launchpad for innovation

The Great British Shooting Show has established itself as the venue of choice for manufacturers launching new products. This year will feature Vector Optics’ Veyron Gen2 with LaREE HD glass, the upgraded Tauron Compact HD moving to 34mm, and AGT’s Manul air pistols in new Cerakote finishes. A mysterious new EPIC air rifle is also making its debut. Baleta Knives will unveil ‘The Scrope’. Being present for these launches means making informed purchasing decisions based on hands-on experience rather than internet speculation.

More space to explore

This year, even more exhibitors have increased their stand sizes, giving visitors more room to explore products and engage with professionals. It’s a virtuous cycle: as the show grows, exhibitors invest more heavily, which creates a better experience for visitors.

Trade and public under one roof

Unlike some industry events with trade-only days, the Great British Shooting Show welcomes everyone throughout its three-day run. Whether you’re a dealer, manufacturer’s representative, or enthusiast, you’re equally welcome. A member of the public can discuss a product with both the retailer and potentially the manufacturer, all in the same conversation. With numerous stands being fully retail-ready, the show functions as an enormous shooting superstore.

Parking and showguide

Car parking and a showguide are included in your ticket. Simply follow the signage, park up, and head to the halls. Better yet, take advantage of the free shuttle bus service running throughout the day.

The comparison opportunity

There’s still no substitute for physically comparing products side by side. The show is one of very few places where you can shoulder multiple rifles or shotguns from different manufacturers within minutes, compare optics under the same lighting, and assess build quality with your own hands. This extends beyond firearms to clothing, hearing protection and accessories. It’s the antidote to buyer’s remorse.

Plan for more than a day

First-time visitors often underestimate how much time is needed to visit. The Great British Shooting Show is enormous, with hundreds of stands and thousands of products across multiple halls. Budget at least a full day. Many seasoned visitors arrive when doors open and don’t leave until closing, and even then feel they haven’t seen everything. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bag for goodies.

Britain’s best-connected venue

The NEC Birmingham sits at the heart of the UK’s motorway infrastructure, accessible to 75% of the British population within a three-hour drive. Birmingham Airport and Birmingham International train station sit on the doorstep. You can disembark from a plane or train and be in the halls within minutes. Megabus and National Express services run directly to the NEC daily, offering affordable travel from across the country.

All types of shooters welcome

There’s no other UK event where all major manufacturers from all shooting disciplines gather under one roof. From bespoke British shotguns to entry-level airguns, from precision rifles to clay equipment, everything exists in one place for three days. This concentration creates opportunities for conversations and comparisons that wouldn’t happen elsewhere.

Where disciplines overlap

The shooting world often operates in silos. The show breaks down these barriers. You’ll find clay shooters browsing game guns, pest controllers comparing notes with competition airgunners, and newcomers discovering that the step between disciplines is more natural than they imagined. This cross-pollination is healthy for shooting sports as a whole.

The shooter’s superstore

Many visitors arrive with a specific shopping list and leave with what they came for, plus several items they didn’t know they needed. The retail aspect transforms the NEC into Britain’s largest shooting shop for three days, with everything available for immediate purchase, often with show-exclusive pricing.

Valentine’s weekend shooting

The show falls on Valentine’s weekend, which makes it either the perfect date or grounds for divorce, depending on your partner’s enthusiasm for firearms. Who needs overpriced restaurants and wilting roses when you can spend 14 February comparing shotguns and arguing over which thermal scope offers better value?

Senior figures on the stands

It’s surprisingly common to encounter senior brand figures actually working on stands during the show. CEOs, chief designers and company founders often attend, making themselves available to discuss products, share insights and gather feedback directly from users.

Thousands of brands represented

The exhibitor count tells only part of the story. Each exhibitor often represents multiple brands. Walk through the halls and you’ll find products from manufacturers across Europe, North America, Asia and beyond.

Daily competitions and giveaways

Various exhibitors run competitions throughout the show. Castbullets will operate a daily “guess the bullets in the jar” competition with ammunition as prizes. Vector Air will run a tablet-based entry system with an EPIC TWO KLiNSKY air rifle as the main prize.

The Great British Shooting Awards results

Friday 13 February marks the announcement of the Great British Shooting Awards winners. This year saw record-breaking participation with over 150,000 votes cast across 17 categories. Results will be revealed via @gbsawards on Instagram and Facebook, plus ShootingUK.co.uk.

Custom services while you wait

Several exhibitors offer services completed during your visit. Custom in-ear hearing protection can be moulded and fitted while you wait, meaning you leave with perfectly fitted, bespoke hearing protection ready to use. Some gunsmiths and stock fitters can perform basic services on the spot.

International flavour, British heart

While the show has become genuinely international in its exhibitor base and visitor demographic, it remains firmly rooted in British shooting tradition. The atmosphere and culture feel distinctly British, even as products and people from across the globe converge on Birmingham.

Adult one-day tickets cost £31.80 in advance or £35 on the day. Group bookings of 10 or more reduce tickets to £26.80 each when booked in advance.

Visit: shootingshow.co.uk

The Gun Trade Association (GTA) has delivered an updated notice to members confirming that a police amnesty will take place in February 2026 for five Bruni blank-firing imitation firearms which are now illegal to own in England and Wales.

The GTA said it, along with the National Crime Agency (NCA), issued a cease-and-desist order on 2 September 2025 requiring retailers to immediately stop trading the specified Bruni blank firers, which are manufactured in Italy. The association said the five affected models are top or side-venting and are now illegal to possess.

The models listed by the GTA are:

8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 92 – blank firing self-loading pistol
8mm PAK Bruni BBM New Police – blank firing self-loading pistol
8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 96 – blank firing self-loading pistol
8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model ‘GAP’ – blank firing self-loading pistol
.380R (9mmK) PAK Bruni BBM ME Ranger – single-action blank firing revolver

The amnesty will run for the full month of February, starting on 1 February and ending on 28 February 2026. The association said individuals will not face prosecution if they hand in any of the listed blank firers at a police station before 27 February 2026.

The GTA added that all police forces in England and Wales have been made aware of the activity and will be prepared to accept hand-ins of the relevant models during the amnesty period.

After the amnesty concludes, the GTA warned that possession of the affected imitation firearms may lead to prosecution and imprisonment if convicted.

The GTA said the notification applies to England and Wales only.

Time Well Spent Group, Europe’s leading media group dedicated to outdoor pursuits, firearm owners and fieldsports communities, is delighted to announce the acquisition of the British Shooting Show, the UK’s largest retail shooting based exhibition.

The three-day indoor event, which is held annually at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, has established itself over 17 years as the flagship event for the UK shooting industry bringing together manufacturers, retailers, organisations and enthusiasts from across the country and beyond.

The acquisition forms part of Time Well Spent Group’s long-term strategy to invest in category-defining platforms that combine trusted content, community engagement and live experiences within the shooting, hunting and fieldsports sectors.

The existing organising team, led by John and Annie Allison, will continue to play an active role in the delivery of the 2026 event. They will work in close partnership with Time Well Spent Group to deliver next month’s event, which takes place Friday 13 to Sunday 15 February 2026.

This collaborative approach ensures continuity for exhibitors and visitors alike, while combining the operational experience and institutional knowledge of the founding team with Time Well Spent Group’s media reach, commercial infrastructure and long-term investment capability.

Simon K. Barr, CEO of Time Well Spent Group, commented, “The British Shooting Show is an outstanding event with a loyal audience and a strong reputation built through many years of hard work by John, Annie and their team. We are delighted they will continue to be closely involved as we work together to deliver the 2026 show and shape the event’s future. This deal has been very much a partnership rooted in continuity, trust and a shared ambition to further strengthen the UK shooting community.”

John Allison, former owner of the British Shooting Show, “The British Shooting Show has always been about the people, the exhibitors, the visitors and the wider shooting community. After nearly two decades, it was important to secure the show’s future with a group that genuinely understands our world. Time Well Spent Group shares our values, our respect for the community and our belief in doing things properly. Annie and I are proud to remain closely involved as we work together to deliver the 2026 show and beyond.”

Strengthening the UK shooting platform

Under Time Well Spent Group’s ownership, the British Shooting Show will benefit from:

• Enhanced content integration across leading print, digital and social platforms

• Greater year-round audience engagement and exhibitor support

• Expanded educational programming and community-led initiatives

• Increased visibility for brands through coordinated media and event promotion

The Group’s investment aims to protect what makes the British Shooting Show special, while ensuring it continues to evolve in line with the needs of the modern shooting market.

About Time Well Spent Group

Time Well Spent Group is the largest media business in Europe dedicated to passionate outdoor enthusiasts, firearm owners and the fieldsports community. Its portfolio includes leading specialist publications, digital platforms and industry channels serving millions of readers, viewers and followers across the UK and internationally.

Find out more about Time Well Spent Group here

About the British Shooting Show

The British Shooting Show is the UK’s premier retail and trade exhibition for shooting sports, hosted annually at the NEC Birmingham. The event showcases thousands of products and brands, alongside education, demonstrations and networking opportunities for enthusiasts, professionals and families.

Find out more about the British Shooting Show here

The UK Government has issued its formal response to the recent petition calling for Section 1 and Section 2 firearms licensing to remain separate. Given the level of interest across the trade, we are publishing the full statement below in order that readers can review the wording in full. No decisions have yet been made and the Government has confirmed that a consultation will follow.

Government statement:

The Government recognises that shotguns and firearms are used for a range of legitimate purposes, such as target shooting and hunting, and the vast majority are used safely and responsibly. We also recognise that shooting contributes to the rural economy.

The Government is, however, mindful that legally held shotguns have been used in a number of homicides and other incidents in recent years including the fatal shootings in Keyham, Plymouth, in August 2021. It is for this reason that we committed to having a public consultation on strengthening the licensing controls on shotguns, to bring them more into line with controls on other firearms in the interests of public safety. We announced this on 13 February 2025 when we published the Government response to the 2023 firearms licensing consultation which had been run by the previous Government.

Recommendations relating to strengthening shotgun controls had been made to the Government by the Coroner in his preventing future deaths report issued in May 2023 and followed the inquest into the deaths of those who were shot and killed in Plymouth in August 2021. Similar recommendations on shotgun controls were also made in the report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct following its investigation into the Plymouth shootings, and by the Scottish Affairs Committee in its report following a fatal shooting with a shotgun in Skye in August 2022.

We intend to publish the consultation shortly. No decisions have yet been made on whether and what changes might be necessary. We will consider carefully the views put forward during the consultation once it is completed, before deciding what further action to take. We will also provide an impact assessment in relation to any changes that the Government intends to bring forward after the consultation, in the normal way.

Public safety is our priority, and our focus on shotguns and other firearms sits alongside the Government’s aim to halve knife crime in the next decade, which forms a part of the Government’s Safer Street Mission. We are driving an ambitious programme of work focusing on prevention and enforcement, as well as strengthening knife legislation. This includes banning weapons that have no place on our streets, targeting irresponsible sellers, giving the police more powers to deal with those supplying and owning weapons for violent purposes, intervening earlier to stop young people being drawn into crime, and bringing together experts through the Knife-Enabled Robbery Taskforce and the Coalition to Tackle Knife Crime.

With the Home Office preparing a consultation that could align Section 2 shotguns with Section 1 firearms, barrister Nick Doherty examines whether the proposals would genuinely improve public safety or simply damage the UK gun trade.

Readers will be aware that the Government intend to hold a Consultation on proposed changes to firearms legislation. We do not know yet when the consultation will launch, or the questions that will be posed. What has been trailed is the idea that the licensing of Section 2 shotguns will be ‘aligned’ with the licensing of Section 1 firearms. Taken at face value, that will decimate the gun trade as there will be no possibility of spontaneous purchase of a shotgun. It would also be impossible for police licensing departments to administer as they will immediately face having to consider good reason for some 500,000 shotguns.

The purpose of this article is to consider the broader picture. The principle question to consider is whether such a move would actually alter the risk posed by licensed firearms holders. These proposals are being justified, at least in part, by the fact that the tragedy in Plymouth was committed with a shotgun.

The first issue is that of suitability. The 2025 version of the Statutory Guidance applies rigorous tests as to whether an applicant is suitable to hold firearms. That test applies to all firearms and shotguns equally. The law is clear – suitability is the same whether you want a .410 shotgun or a .700 Nitro Express rifle. There is therefore no logical argument with respect to public safety to merge the licensing of shotguns and Section 1 firearms because the same test of ‘suitability’ is already applied.

A key difference between Section 2 and Section 1 is the requirement for good reason. There is a requirement that a shotgun certificate [‘SGC’] will not be granted if the police ‘are satisfied that the applicant does not have a good reason for possessing, purchasing or acquiring one’. The burden is reversed with Section 1, and furthermore the applicant has to demonstrate a good reason for each firearm, whereas once a SGC is granted it permits the possession of an unlimited number of shotguns, subject only to the capability to store them securely.

Does a ‘good reason’ requirement contribute to public safety? It no doubt restricts the number of Section 1 firearms held by certificate holders, but does that improve safety if they are properly stored? I suggest it makes no measurable difference. It really is quite difficult to fire more than one gun at once. Since we have to proceed on the basis that the certificate holder is suitable, and will not misuse his firearms, how is danger to the public increased by being able to purchase additional shotguns without prior authorisation, assuming he keeps them locked up?

The conditions for obtaining an SGC also includes circumstances ‘where [the] applicant intends neither to use the gun himself nor to lend it for anyone else to use’. Some shotguns are of considerable financial and sentimental value. This underlines the lack of a good reason requirement. However, more importantly, the incidents of lawfully held shotguns being used in armed crime is ‘statistically insignificant’, to use the language the Home Office might adopt. If these proposals are as is being suggested, what is the justification for such a change?

There may be a proposal that Section 2 ammunition will also be placed in Section 1. This would cause huge problems for dealers and clay grounds as well as individual SGC holders as the security for storing the ammunition would need to be much larger than is currently required. Such ammunition is already defined in legislation and I see no good argument for such a move. Even if the licensing of shotguns were merged with Section 1, there is no justification for doing the same with the cartridges. They are of no use without a gun.

As threatened, the proposed changes will have a serious adverse effect on a number of shooting sports in this country. In addition to the problems set out above, thought will need to be given as to how this would affect borrowing guns in the presence of others and when novices are under instruction. If the Government want to change the law, they should provide proper justification.

I would add that there are some other proposals which have been raised which might improve public safety. The transfer of firearms having to be conducted through a dealer, for example, which would prevent sale to criminals in car parks using false certificates. A proper online database of certificate holders might also improve the efficiency of licensing departments.  

If the purpose of the proposed changes is to significantly reduce shooting sports in Britain, then from what we know so far it will be very successful. If the purpose is to reduce the limited risk posed by certificate holders, then it should be properly justified. Let’s be presented with the facts, not emotional political arguments which cannot be justified.

When the Consultation opens, be ready with your reasoned arguments and respond as widely as you can.