Dear GTA Member

Following our Parcelforce broadcast last week, the GTA received an overwhelming number of emails from members about the migration from WDM to Click & Drop. With only a very few exceptions, most members have experienced significant difficulty with Parcelforce. We have struggled to respond to member emails due to the sheer volume received. Nonetheless, I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who shared your experiences with us. The GTA finds itself in much the same position as its members: attempts to contact Parcelforce or obtain meaningful support have been met with indifference and a lack of understanding regarding the needs of the gun trade. In consequence, GTA Chairman Oskar Waktare has now written to the Parcelforce senior executive responsible for firearms accounts in the strongest possible terms, outlining the industry’s concerns. We await a response. To aid members, GTA has put together a basic support package (attached). This package covers the essentials: placing an order, arranging collection, managing delivery addresses, printing labels, and processing the manifest. You will still need to activate your own OBA and Click & Drop accounts. We apologise that – due to manpower constraints – we are unable to provide further support on issues beyond the scope of this package. GTA has also obtained an information sheet from Parcelforce (attached). In addition, Parcelforce has offered us a contact email for firearms‑related queries:

firearmshelpdesk@parcelforce.co.uk

We thank you for your patience. We will continue to do everything within our power to assist you. Paul Green, Technical Director tech@gtaltd.co.uk

Download: GTA Parcelforce Click Drop.pdf

Download: Parcelforce Useful Information .docx

Dear GTA Member

As Parcelforce account holders, you will be aware that Parcelforce and Royal Mail have been restructuring their operations, including streamlining their collection and delivery software. Unfortunately, these changes have been poorly administered and are affecting all of us.

Over recent months, RFD account holders have received multiple emails instructing them to activate an OBA account, then a Collect & Drop account. Most recently, RFDs were informed that the existing WDM online software will be switched off this coming Friday 13 March.

We fully understand the frustration these disruptions are causing. In response to your concerns, the GTA has been working tirelessly to engage with Parcelforce. However, the closure of the former Firearms Accounts Office has made communication extremely difficult.

The GTA has raised your concerns repeatedly, specifically requesting:

• A clear written procedure explaining how Firearms Account Holders should transition to the new systems.
• Reinstatement of the Firearms Accounts Office and helpdesk to ensure proper support during and after the transition.
• A postponement of the shutdown of the WDM online software until the issues affecting Firearms Account Holders have been properly addressed.

Please continue to share your concerns with us. We are collating a file for submission to Parcelforce management. We have also raised the potential risk to public safety posed by Parcelforce’s poor service. In particular, discussions are ongoing with the relevant authorities in light of the number of guns that have gone missing in transit.

Be assured we are doing everything humanly possible to resolve these problems. We are grateful for your understanding and support.

Best Regards

Paul Green, Technical Director

Feb 2026 – Latest update on lead restrictions

In 2021, DEFRA commissioned the HSE to examine the use of lead in ammunition. Following a series of public consultations and ongoing engagement with the British Shooting Sports Council, the HSE submitted its final recommendations to the government in December 2024.

This week, a statutory instrument was laid before Parliament, beginning the legislative process that will bring these recommendations into law. The new regulations will be phased in, with a full ban on possessing, using, or selling lead ammunition (subject to a few exemptions) coming into force on 1 April 2029.

Shotgun Ammunition

Shotgun shooters are likely to experience the most significant impact. Ammunition manufacturers will transition to non-lead alternatives and begin running down existing stock, meaning restrictions will become increasingly apparent well before April 2029.

• The possession, use, and sale of lead shot for live quarry shooting, as well as for indoor and outdoor target shooting, will be prohibited from 1 April 2029, with exemptions granted only for elite athletes.

Shotgun cartridge manufacturers have already heavily invested in R&D and machinery to produce effective steel alternatives to lead that meet the needs of most shooters. Only owners of guns with Damascus barrels and those using.410 shotguns are likely to require non-steel options.

Rifle Ammunition

Rifle Ammunition for Live Quarry Shooting

• The use and sale of large-calibre bullets (≥ 6.17 mm /.243 and above) for live quarry shooting will be prohibited from 1 April 2029.
• Small-calibre ammunition (< 6.17 mm /.243 and below) will remain unrestricted for live quarry shooting.

Rifle Ammunition for Target Shooting

• The use of lead bullets for outdoor target shooting will be prohibited from 1 April 2028, with a two-year transition period.
• However, a derogation will be available for ranges able to implement a lead management and recycling system approved by the competent authority (Environmental agency). This exemption will allow established facilities such as Bisley to continue operating as normal.
• Ranges unable to implement any recognised lead management and recycling control measures will be required to transition to non-lead alternatives within the two-year timeframe.

Airguns

After initial consultations with the HSE and subsequent recommendations to DEFRA, it was agreed that airguns would be removed from the scope of the lead restriction.

• Consequently, the sale and use of lead airgun pellets remain unrestricted for both target shooting and live quarry purposes.

Exemptions

The statutory instrument outlines several specific exemptions, including:

• Indoor shooting activities using bullets. These are exempt because bullet use can be controlled, and the lead can be collected and recycled effectively.
• Use by the Armed Forces and Police. The GTA has expressed concerns regarding potential supply-chain impacts, as civilian and government ammunition production is closely interconnected. It is not yet clear how the lead restriction may affect long-term availability.
• Athletes competing at national and international levels, such as the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics. Competitors will be required to provide evidence of their participation and carefully manage their ammunition usage.
• Shooting activities on registered ranges that have approved lead management and recycling systems in place. These ranges will be able to continue operating
• under the exemption.
• Museums and other specialist applications, where lead ammunition forms part of a collection or serves a specific technical purpose.

Paul Green, Technical Director

tech@gtaltd.co.uk

The Gun Trade Association (GTA) and British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) have jointly responded to a Home Office consultation to introduce a licensing system for sellers and importers of knives and bladed articles.

Describing the proposals as ‘doomed to failure’ GTA and BASC do not consider that any licensing regime for knife sellers would be effective in targeting knife crime.

If implemented the Home Office proposals would require private sellers of knives, specialist cutlery dealers, gun trade wholesalers, distributors and retailers to apply to the police for a licence that could cost up to £466 for a three-year period. 

BASC’s director of firearms, Bill Harriman, said: “Kitchen knives are the most commonly used item in homicides involving sharp instruments. Introducing a licensing system for sellers and importers of all knives and bladed articles ignores the obvious uncontrollable ease of access to kitchen knives in every home in the country. These number in the hundreds of millions. 

“If the Government wants to effectively tackle knife crime it needs to reject these proposals and address the root causes of some young people using kitchen knives and other bladed items as weapons”.

Stephen Jolly, GTA chief executive added: “The imposition of further costs on registered firearms dealers and other retailers already struggling with a heavy tax and regulatory burden is deeply undesirable. It is unlikely that private sellers and smaller traders would consider the cost of a license to be justified.

“The police service’s enforcement and administrative capacity appear not to have undergone any realistic form of assessment before this proposal was made. Most forces struggle to discharge their firearms licensing function leading to long delays and backlogs. Adding a further licensing burden for knives to already overstretched police services for firearms is unrealistic and doomed to failure”.

GTA and BASC and have recommended that the Home Office should conduct an in-depth review of the evidential basis for licensing those who deal in or import knives. When the results of that are known, the proposition should be reassessed against it.
 
Integrating law enforcement with social services, health, and education – a public health approach – is considered the most effective way to address the root causes of violence.

For more information, please contact the BASC media team at [email protected]

Numbers often tell the story more clearly than commentary ever could. When the proportion of gun crime committed by licensed firearms holders amounts to just 0.00006 per cent of all recorded criminal offences, it raises a fundamental question: what problem are policymakers attempting to solve?

The UK has long maintained an outstanding record for public safety in relation to legally held firearms, supported by a gun control framework widely regarded as robust and effective. Yet proposals to re-align Sections 1 and 2 of the Firearms Act 1968 continue to gather momentum despite data suggesting that lawful ownership presents a negligible risk.

Set against a national backdrop of declining gun crime, the case for sweeping structural change becomes harder to reconcile with the available evidence. Indeed, the figure is so tiny that it is not recorded as a standalone category by the Office for National Statistics — less a measurable trend than a statistical anomaly.

The statistic sits within a broader national context that is often overlooked in the licensing debate. As of March 2025, gun crime accounted for just 0.1 per cent of all recorded crime in the UK, continuing a downward trajectory observed over the past six years.

Gun Trade Association CEO Stephen Jolly argues the data raises serious questions about the rationale for aligning shotgun controls with those governing rifles. The organisation argues that such a move could carry profound economic consequences, estimating a potential impact of £2.38 billion across the gun trade, the wider shooting sector, the Exchequer and the UK economy as a whole. The Exchequer alone could face lost tax revenues in the region of £600 million per annum.

Beyond the financial implications, the GTA warns that further regulatory complexity risks placing additional strain on already stretched police firearms licensing departments. More critically, it suggests that systemic overload could introduce new public safety risks — a concern sharpened by lessons drawn from the Plymouth shooting in 2021, where licensing failures were subject to intense scrutiny.

From the Association’s perspective, the issue is not the strength of existing controls but the effectiveness of the licensing infrastructure itself. Current safeguards surrounding legally owned firearms are characterised as robust and effective, while the licensing system is described as being in urgent need of structural reform.

Central to that argument is a call for the creation of a National Police Firearms Licensing Authority, supported by a modernised National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS) and aligned with the proposed introduction of a National Police Service in 2034.

To better understand the origins of the data, Gun Trade Insider spoke with Tim Cooper of TDC Research about the sources behind the gun crime figures and the methodology used to arrive at such a striking conclusion. TDC Research was retained by the GTA late last year to conduct its members’ survey on the potential economic impact of re-alignment of Section 1 and 2 licensing on the trade.

Cooper is quick to stress that the figure is not the product of speculation or advocacy, but of working within the scope of publicly available evidence. The analysis draws primarily on Office for National Statistics crime data, parliamentary written answers and a Freedom of Information response obtained in March 2024 relating to firearms-related homicides involving certificate holders.

“The key point is precision,” Cooper explained. “There is very little data that directly links offences to the licensing status of an individual or the legal status of a firearm. Where that distinction exists, it tends to appear only in very specific categories.”

For the year ending March 2025, police in England and Wales recorded approximately 6.6 million crimes across all offence types. Of those, firearms offences accounted for around 0.1 per cent, a reduction from 0.2 per cent the previous year.

Separate ONS datasets show offences in which a shotgun was reported to have been used have also declined significantly over time, falling from 687 incidents in 2018–19 to 346 in 2024–25. Those figures combine longbarrelled guns and sawn-off weapons and do not distinguish between licensed and illegally held firearms.

The 0.00006 per cent figure is derived from the only category where licensing status can be identified: homicide. In the year ending March 2024, four homicide offences were recorded in England and Wales in which a licensed firearm was used. A Freedom of Information response covering the same period also identified four firearms-related homicides committed by certificate holders in the same time period.

While it cannot be definitively proven that the two datasets refer to the same incidents, Cooper said the overlap represents a reasonable working assumption when attempting to establish a worst-case scenario.

Newly published data from ONS was released as this article went to press. Drawing on information from national policing intelligence streams, it shows offences involving firearms across England and Wales have now fallen by approximately nine per cent between September 2024 and September 2025, measured on a year-on-year basis (February 2026).

This means that January of this year recorded the lowest level of firearms discharges since 2018, accelerating the broader downward trajectory observed in recent years. While regional variations remain, particularly in metropolitan areas facing organised crime challenges, the national trend points towards declining levels of firearms-related offending.

For policymakers considering structural changes to licensing legislation, those figures sit alongside the statistical rarity of offences involving certificate holders.

Taken together, they raise questions about whether proposed regulatory changes – most notably, a re-alignment of Sections 1 and 2 – are addressing the areas of greatest demonstrable risk.

0.00006 Per Cent

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Dear Member

This broadcast is specifically for those RFDs located in the Metropolitan Police force area.

One of the GTA’s core responsibilities is to attend Police Firearms Licensing stakeholder meetings. These meetings, typically held two to three times per year at the relevant Police Force headquarters, provide an opportunity for the Licensing team to present their performance, outline challenges, and explain future plans. Shooting organisations – including the GTA, BASC, BSSC, NRA, NSRA, and others – participate to monitor performance, offer informed feedback, and work collaboratively with the Police to ensure that licensing processes remain balanced, proportionate, and not unduly burdensome.

Last week, I attended the Metropolitan Police shareholder meeting at New Scotland Yard, where I continued to raise concerns about medical certificates for servants and the increasing regulatory burden surrounding explosive storage. The Firearms teams have appointed a new senior officer, Toby Noer, who was keen to make an early impact. As a result, two new issues were raised that I wish to bring to your attention:

Firearms Records & Storage Mr Noer was very clear that he is unhappy with the condition of certain firearms registers and the resulting impact on storage and security. His view was that some dealers are struggling to accurately trace firearms through their registers and armouries, which he considers unacceptable.

Black Powder Requirements Although the main focus of the discussion was on individual shooters, the Metropolitan Police are proposing new requirements for the storage of black powder. These include the installation of comprehensive fire alarm systems for anyone storing less than 1kg, and a 24-hour monitored fire alarm system for those storing more than 1kg in semi-detached, terraced, or apartment properties. Should these proposals be adopted, dealers holding more than 1kg could face the additional cost of installing and maintaining a dedicated 24-hour monitored fire alarm system.

While neither proposal has been finalised, the Metropolitan Police have repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to act outside the Statutory and Police Guidance. We therefore advise maintaining a degree of preparedness to avoid any unexpected compliance issues.

Best Regards

PAUL GREEN Technical Director, Gun Trade Association

tech@gtaltd.co.uk

Dear GTA Member

With our full support, colleagues at BASC are presently briefing MPs who plan to speak during the Westminster Hall debate on Home Office proposals to merge Section 2 shotguns with Section 1 firearms.

While the debate, tabled in response to an online petition, will not have any direct impact on Government policy, it offers an opportunity for the gun trade to make its voice heard loud and clear.

As a GTA member, you can therefore play an important role by contacting your local MP and urging them to attend the debate.

If you receive a response from your MP, please forward it to [email protected]so our team can monitor engagement and provide further support where needed.

You can find out who your MP is and how to contact them here: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons

It may also be helpful to inform your MP how many people in his/her constituency signed the petition. You can find constituency-level petition data here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/750236

WHAT SHOULD I WRITE?

The GTA has developed an official position on the S1&2 issue (below). You should feel free to rehearse any or all of our statement in your correspondence with your MP:

“The UK has an outstanding record of public safety when it comes to the ownership of legally held firearms. Realignment of Sections 1 & 2 of the Firearms Act 1968 on the grounds of public safety is simply not justified by current data on legal gun ownership.
 
Overall, gun crime at March 2025 represents 0.1% of all crime in England and Wales. Against a national backdrop of falling gun crime over the past six years, licensed shotgun holders account for a vanishingly small proportion. This is in the region of 0.00006% of all recorded crime in England and Wales. This is far too tiny to be recorded as a separate category by the Office of National Statistics.

In re-aligning shotguns with rifles, this ill-judged re-alignment will: 

• cost the gun trade, shooting, the Exchequer and wider UK economy in the region of £2.38 billion and in effect, destroy the sector. 
• overwhelm already struggling police firearms licensing departments. 
• endanger public safety by driving failures in police licensing, as tragically demonstrated in the Plymouth shooting of 2021.  

These proposals are the wrong answer to the wrong question at the wrong time. The Home Office needs to create a new National Police Firearms Licensing Authority, supported by a renewed National Firearms Licensing Management System, as part of its introduction of a National Police Service in 2034.

Existing controls on legally owned firearms are robust and working. The police firearms licensing system is broken and in need of urgent reform”.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

STEPHEN JOLLY
CEO, Gun Trade Association

ceo@gtaltd.co.uk

A new Gun Trade Association commissioned economic impact report warns aligning Section 1 and Section 2 firearms licensing could drive a £2.35 billion loss to the gun trade, shooting and the Exchequer, with businesses forecasting turnover decline and job losses, while GTA chief executive Stephen Jolly says the policy risks overwhelming an already stretched licensing system and is not supported by robust national gun crime data.

The Gun Trade Association (GTA) has published a new economic impact report assessing the potential consequences of aligning Section 1 and Section 2 firearms licensing, with survey findings indicating widespread concern across the gun trade and forecasts of reduced turnover and employment if reform goes ahead.

The report also references wider estimates of a £2.35 billion loss in economic value across the firearms and ammunition sector and related final-demand sectors, including induced effects, warning of significant impact to the gun trade, shooting and the Exchequer.

GTA chief executive Stephen Jolly said the association’s survey and analysis is intended to provide government with an evidence-led assessment of the likely consequences of S1 and S2 alignment, and to strengthen the trade’s ability to challenge policy proposals that he believes are not grounded in reliable public safety data. Jolly warned that the debate around further controls is being advanced without credible, consistent national data on gun crime and argued the current approach risks tackling the wrong problem.

Jolly also argued that high-profile incidents cited in support of change point to failures in the administration and management of licensing rather than a need to restructure the licensing categories. He raised concerns about inconsistency in firearms certificate formats across forces and said this undermines confidence in checks during private transfers, adding that standardisation would be a practical reform.

The report, conducted by TDC Research and published in January 2026, is based on a survey of 211 businesses across the UK gun trade and connected sectors, with responses gathered between 24 September and 15 November 2025. GTA members and subscribers to Gun Trade Insider were invited to participate, and the respondent group included 139 GTA members, 69 nonmembers and three who were unsure.

SURVEY RESULTS SHOW WIDESPREAD CONCERN ACROSS THE TRADE According to the findings, 93 per cent of respondents said they were aware of the potential alignment, 70 per cent said they were very concerned about its impact, and 75 per cent forecast a reduction in turnover if alignment proceeds.

Respondents were based across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the South-East and South-West of England the most represented English regions. The survey suggests the sample was predominantly retail and dealer-facing, with 73 per cent describing a retail focus and 51 per cent a dealer focus. Nearly all respondents reported serving sports and leisure shooting (97 per cent), while 53 per cent also supplied the conservation and pest control sector and 5 per cent reported supplying defence and law enforcement customers.

Turnover data was provided by 147 businesses, totalling £310.7 million for the reporting period, including VAT where relevant. The leading sales categories reported were firearms and airgun parts and accessories (£77.4 million), firearm sales (£70.5 million) and ammunition sales (£64.0 million).

The report also outlines how the trade activity reported by respondents is split between Section 2 and Section 1 markets. It found 180 businesses supplied shotgun certificate holders and 191 supplied firearm certificate holders. Based on turnover data shared, it estimates 42 per cent of reported firearm turnover value is linked to Section 2 activity and 58 per cent to Section 1 activity, while noting the industry-wide split may differ due to the larger number of shotgun certificate holders relative to firearm certificate holders.

Within the sample, the report estimates £53.4 million turnover linked to new and second-hand shotguns and related products and services, with respondents reporting 38,641 new shotguns and 40,209 secondhand shotguns supplied in the past year. For Section 1, it estimates £73.7 million turnover linked to new and second-hand firearms and related products and services, with 29,707 new firearms and 29,523 second-hand firearms supplied in the past year.

The report places this in the context of a longer-term decline in shotgun certificate numbers in England and Wales. It cites official figures showing shotgun certificates on issue falling from 572,488 in 2018/19 to 482,612 in 2024/25, a 16 per cent reduction over six years. The report suggests shotgun sales have dropped in recent years and links that decline to factors including an ageing user base, cost, bureaucracy and reduced popularity, adding that alignment is anticipated to remove the ability to conduct walk-in sales, creating further pressure on shotgun volumes.

On projected economic impact, the report records an average forecast reduction in annual turnover of 35 per cent across all responding businesses sharing turnover data. For businesses anticipating reduced turnover because of alignment, the average forecast reduction rises to 40 per cent, and the report records an average forecast reduction of 50 per cent among registered firearm dealer-related businesses anticipating reduced turnover.

The report also provides estimates scaled beyond the survey sample, projecting a £393 million reduction in annual turnover for affected GTA member businesses and a £627 million reduction for affected RFDrelated businesses. It further references wider estimates of a £875 million reduction in gross value added from the UK shooting sector and a £2.38 billion reduction in economic value across the firearms and ammunition sector and related final-demand sectors, including induced effects.

Employment impacts are also forecast in the report, with responding businesses sharing workforce data indicating an average projected reduction of 24 per cent in full-time employees and 39 per cent in parttime employees. The scaled estimates project potential losses of 892 full-time and 635 parttime roles across GTA member businesses, and 1,917 full-time and 1,524 part-time roles across RFD-related businesses.

GET IN TOUCH gtaltd.co.uk

Gta Report Warns £2.35 Billion Loss To Gun Trade, Shooting And Exchequer

G U N T R A D E I N S I D E R. C O M P A G E 2 2

• TALKING TRADE.indd 22 22. TALKING TRADE.indd 22 26/01/2026 14:45:47 26/01/2026 14:45:47

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

tech@gtaltd.co.uk

Home Office Knife Licensing Consultation Concerns Revealed

POLICE The Gun Trade Association has warned the Home Office knife licensing consultation could increase strain on police firearms licensing departments.

GTA warns knife licensing scheme risks overstretching police and burdening RFDs

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 alread 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 policeled interventions proven to reduce violence.

Chairman: Oskar Waktare, Tel: 07771 642444; oskar@gmk.co.uk; www.gtaltd.co.uk Formal response: Home Office Consultation on Licensing Knife Sales The Gun Trade Association (GTA) has significant concerns about the Home Office consultation on licensing knife retailers and importers. It objects to the use of leading questions in the online consultation. It has serious reservations about the proposed introduction of a knife licensing scheme.

• Registered Firearms Dealers (RFDs) The proposed licensing scheme for RFDs is unnecessary and disproportionate. RFDs already operate under strict police oversight, including compliance with existing legislation and, in many cases, additional recordkeeping and photographic ID requirements. Adding another licensing layer would create costly bureaucracy without improving public safety, while unfairly burdening law-abiding businesses that already meet and often exceed current standards.
• Police The Government’s plan to have 38 police firearms licensing authorities administer an additional licensing regime risks overwhelming capacity and causing systemic failure. These departments are already under strain, struggling to meet current demand and maintain service standards. With a potential merger of Sections 1 and 2 and the possible inclusion of knives, the challenge will only grow. As current police interventions have proven effective in tackling knife crime, the Government should focus on sustaining and expanding these measures rather than introducing broad, resource-heavy licensing regimes with limited impact, ultimately compromising public safety.
• Knife Crime Data and Proposed Controls The consultation’s simplistic distinction between domestic knives and all others is fundamentally flawed. Knives serve diverse, legitimate purposes for trades people, religious practitioners, and outdoor enthusiasts. Treating them as a single category ignores these practical uses. ONS data for the year ending March 2024 shows that kitchen knives alone accounted for 44% of all knife-related homicides. This exposes a critical flaw in the proposed licensing scheme; the knife type most frequently used in fatal incidents being excluded from both the consultation and proposed controls.
• Recommendations The GTA urges the Home Office to: • Re-evaluate the evidence base for licensing knife retailers, importers and specifically Registered Firearms Dealers (RFDs) to ensure measures are proportionate and evidence-driven. • Align policy interventions with the actual root causes and drivers of knife crime, rather than perceived or symbolic political actions. • Design a regulatory framework that is practical, enforceable, and deliverable within current policing capacity and resources. • Prioritise investment in police-led interventions that have a proven track record of reducing violence and improving community safety.

Chairman: Oskar Waktare, Tel: 07771 642444; oskar@gmk.co.uk; www.gtaltd.co.uk My colleagues and I are happy to respond in greater detail should any clarifications be required. Yours faithfully Oskar Waktare Chairman, Gun Trade Association

Dear Member

Happy New Year!

I am writing to invite you to renew your membership with the GTA.

The gun trade is under threat like never before. We need your support to protect the future of our industry.

In practical terms, you can expect a small delay in the sending out of your invoice for 2026. This is because we’re in the process of moving over to a new CRM system as part of the re-launch of the GTA website.

This aside, if you paid by yearly or monthly direct debit in 2025, we aim to process payments in the same way for 2026.
 
If you wish to use an alternative method of payment, or if your bank details have changed since we last took payment by direct debit, then please inform us of your new bank details ASAP.

Monthly direct debit payments will be taken on or around the last day of this month.  Annual direct debit payments will also be taken at the end of January.

Those members paying by monthly Standing Order, may we kindly remind you to adjust your existing payment in line with the new fees for 2026.

Should you wish to make a BACS payment prior to receiving your invoice, may we kindly ask that you use your membership number and company name as the bank payment reference.

Please find attached the fee schedule for 2026. We have sought to keep fees as low as possible in what are challenging economic times both for you as members and for your Association. 

If you have any queries, please contact the GTA’s Operations Manager, Elaine Gallen at office@gtaltd.co.uk; tel: 01684 291868; 07503 186897.

Thank you for continuing support.

Stephen Jolly
Chief Executive

2026 Fee Schedule

	Yearly	Monthly
Full Membership
Sole Trader	£336.00	£28.00
Small (1-4 Employees)	£510.00	£42.50
Medium (5-10 Employees)	£900.00	£75.00
Large (11+ Employees)	£2,220.00	£185.00
Very Large	£3,750.00	£312.50
Affiliated Membership
Sole Trader	£276.00	£23.00
Small (1-4 Employees)	£402.00	£33.50
Medium (5-10 Employees)	£708.00	£59.00
Large (11+ Employees)	£1,800.00	£150.00
Overseas Membership
Overseas Membership	£222.00	£18.50
RFD Course
GTA Member	£198.00
Non GTA Member	£324.00

Please note the above prices are inclusive of VAT where applicable.

Dear Member

Important Notice: Bruni Blank Firing Imitation Firearms – Amnesty

On 2 September 2025, the GTA together with the National Crime Agency (NCA) issued a cease-and-desist order requiring all retailers to immediately stop trading certain Bruni blank firing imitation firearms manufactured in Italy. As a result, the following five top or side-venting Bruni models are now illegal to own:

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 for these Bruni blank firers has now been announced. It is scheduled to take place across the month of February, commencing on 1 February and ending on 28 February 2026. You will not face prosecution if you hand in any of the above listed blank firers at a police station before 27 February 2026.

All Police Forces in England and Wales are aware of this activity and will be prepared to accept hand-ins of the relevant Bruni blank firers during this period.

After the amnesty ends, possession of these firearms may lead to prosecution and imprisonment if convicted.

Please note: This notification applies to England and Wales only. Please let me know if you have any questions. I can be contacted at tech@gtaltd.co.uk; 07966 309296; 01684 291868. 

Paul Green
Technical Director

Dear GTA Member

The office will be closed for Christmas holidays from noon on Wednesday 24th December 2025 and will reopen on Monday 5th January 2026.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
 
Elaine Gallen
Operations Manager

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