On 16 December, without prior notice, the Home Office launched a 10‑week public consultation on proposals to introduce a licensing system for sellers and importers of knives and bladed articles. You can review the full consultation at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/licensing-for-knife-sales
The new Policing Minister Sarah Jones MP is a longstanding knife crime campaigner. This consultation is a reflection of her personal political priorities.
The Home Office is seeking views on the potential introduction of a licensing scheme for the sale of non‑domestic knives, similar to the system already operating in Scotland. The aim is to gather evidence to inform the design and scope of such a scheme.
The consultation is open to the general public as well as directly affected stakeholders, including Police Forces, the Crown Prosecution Service, community groups, businesses, and organisations involved in the manufacture, import, or sale of bladed articles. The consultation closes at 11:59 pm on 24 February 2026.
Under the proposals, the licensing scheme would apply to businesses, private sellers, second‑hand sales and importers, ensuring that all routes of sale fall within a licenced framework. The Home Office suggests that the police would be the most suitable body to administer the system, drawing on their experience operating the firearms licensing framework for Registered Firearms Dealers. Police would review applications, conduct suitability checks, and make decisions on granting licences. Larger businesses would be required to appoint a designated licence holder, similar to a designated premises supervisor under alcohol licensing, who would act as the main contact and hold responsibility for compliance.
The proposed scheme would be self‑funding, with fees covering the full cost of operation. Licences would need to be renewed every three years, with renewal fees payable. Conditions attached to a licence may include mandatory staff training for anyone selling, supervising, or approving the sale of knives, with training refreshed at regular intervals. Failure to comply with licence conditions could lead to revocation.
Importers of knives and bladed articles would also fall under the licensing scheme. As many such products enter the UK from overseas, the Home Office is consulting on regulation to ensure that only legal products are imported and that import routes comply fully with relevant legislation. This measure also aims to prevent sellers relocating abroad to avoid domestic regulation.
For the gun trade, especially RFDs who sell knives, it remains essential to engage constructively, present evidence, and ensure that legitimate business concerns are properly expressed and understood within the policy process. If you face potential costs or losses to your business as a result of such proposals, we urge you to spell these out in detail in any submission you make.
Although the consultation takes the form of an online survey, we do not believe the questions allow respondents to set out their positions fully.
Our advice to GTA members: if you wish to make a submission, do not complete the online form unless you support the idea of a licensing scheme for knives.
If you oppose the idea of a licensing scheme for knives, then send in your views by email at [email protected].
The GTA has agreed in principle to coordinate a joint response with several sister organisations, including the British Shooting Sports Council, the Countryside Alliance, the British Association for Conservation and Shooting and the Deactivated Weapons Association.
This joint response will be submitted by email, allowing us to present our views clearly and on our own terms. The submission will be cross‑organisational and coordinated.
For the record, GTA does not believe police firearms licensing departments as presently constituted have the capacity to manage a national knife licensing scheme. GTA also opposes additional compliance costs being imposed on retailers and others. We are doubtful such a licensing scheme will enhance public safety.
If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch with GTA Technical Director Paul Green at [email protected].
Stephen Jolly
CEO, Gun Trade Association
