You may recall that in 2019 the government published Home Office Circular 010/2019: Firearms Regulations 2019 and the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Rules 2019. These Regulations introduced a requirement to notify the Home Office of the possession and transfer of a deactivated firearm if it was held for more than 14 days.
On 16 January 2026, the government published a DRAFT of the Firearms (Revocation, Consequential Amendment and Saving Provision) Regulations 2026. It is therefore likely that this new instrument will revoke the Firearms Regulations 2019 (“the 2019 Regulations”) in respect of England, Wales, and Scotland. In Northern Ireland, however, the 2019 Regulations will continue to apply to ensure compliance with the Windsor Framework.
The 2019 Regulations were originally introduced to comply with EU requirements. Since the Police have no operational need for this notification data, and the UK has now left the EU, the Home Office no longer requires these notifications. Therefore, once this draft legislation is approved, there will be no ongoing requirement to notify the Home Office about the possession or transfer of a deactivated firearm.
However, until this draft becomes law, you must continue sending notifications as usual.
Strict standards for firearm deactivation will remain in place to ensure that any deactivated firearm is permanently rendered incapable of being reactivated.
The GTA will provide further updates as additional information becomes available.
Best Regards
Paul Green
Technical Director
