The central conclusion drawn by HMICFRS is that the current firearms licensing system is not fit for purpose, with its inspection revealing inconsistent firearms licensing processes and variable supervision across forces, resulting in inconsistent decision-making, risk management and overall service across England and Wales. From your own experience in the trade none of this will come as any surprise.

The report makes a total of 23 separate recommendations, the key elements being:

  • A single national firearms licensing authority, with locally based personnel to carry out suitability visits, to replace the 38 firearms and explosives licensing units currently servicing the 43 police forces in England & Wales.
  • A secure integrated online national firearms register and licensing system, including digital verification to supplement physical certificates, to replace the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS).
  • A national training scheme for all firearms licensing personnel.
  • Alignment of the licensing rules for shotguns with the licensing of section 1 firearms.
  • A complete overhaul of firearms licensing legislation to simplify and modernise this area of law.
  • A national firearms licensing tribunal for appeals.
  • All applications and renewals to require an in-person medical assessment.
  • A statutory requirement for all certificate holders to notify within seven days any relevant change to their medical circumstances.
  • A legally enforceable set of rules for firearms licensing, including greater powers to remove firearms from certificate holders.
  • Annual fees increases and no refunds for refused applications.

Which recommendations are already under way?

In relation to the first four recommendations above, the Government had already expressed at the very least an intention to implement such proposals. Indeed, the national training course for FEOs has already been rolled out by the College of Policing and it is now working on a course for more senior personnel and decision makers. Likewise, the government tender process has been completed and the contract awarded to Palantir Technologies, the company which will create a national firearms licensing system to replace NFLMS. Some of the key weaknesses in the system are therefore already being addressed.

It’s worth noting that many of the other recommendations now made by HMICFRS are not new. They were made before in their previous report “Targeting the Risk”, published in 2015, when HMICFRS found similar shortcomings in firearms licensing across England and Wales. It should not therefore be assumed that all of these recommendations will be approved and implemented by a government which currently has rather more pressing political priorities.

Where the inspection found police falling short

In compiling this latest report, HMICFRS inspected the work of the Firearms & Explosives Licensing Units (FELUs) in the following police force areas: Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Kent, Northamptonshire, and finally the three force collaborated licensing unit for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabularies. Case files were examined, FEOs and other firearms licensing and police personnel interviewed, as well as certificate holders and representatives of shooting bodies. In relation to the three force unit, HMICFRS was so unimpressed by the unit’s poor performance that it issued an accelerated cause for concern report to the three Chief Constables requiring urgent improvements to their processes, as detailed in my article for the February 2026 issue of this publication.

However, digging into the detail of their latest report, what their inspection revealed was often police failures to apply or follow existing rules and procedures as set out in the Statutory Guidance or elsewhere, for example, no home visit to the applicant, not contacting one or both referees, decisions made by staff without delegated authority etc. The underlying causes were shown to be inadequate training and supervision of FEOs and other decision-making personnel, and under resourcing of FELUs in terms of low staffing levels and obsolete IT systems. The fact that the administration of firearms licensing is still not working effectively over a decade after HMICFRS made a lot of these recommendations has far more to do with this continued lack of investment than the rules not being strict or precise enough.

Aligning shotgun licensing with section 1 firearms

The report also does not adequately explain how aligning the licensing of shotguns with the licensing scheme for section 1 firearms would achieve an improvement in public safety. A requirement to obtain authority for each shotgun before purchase would massively increase the administrative burden on FELUs and certificate holders, driving more people out of shooting, and leading to a drop in trade for dealers, yet without any clear evidence it would improve public safety. Either an individual is suitable to possess shotguns or they are not. The HMICFRS cites the Keyham shootings in Plymouth as an example of where a licensed shotgun was used by a certificate holder to shoot multiple people. However, there was ample information available indicating Jake Davison was inherently unsuitable to be a certificate holder.

Would a national licensing body work?

There is wide support amongst the shooting community for firearms licensing being removed from local police forces and transferred to a national firearms licensing body. I would broadly agree, but only if there is adequate investment in recruiting and training both the staff at national level who will be responsible for decision-making, and also the local staff who will carry out suitability visits. There also needs to be genuine scrutiny and evaluation at national level of the reports from local officers. To draw an analogy, responsibility for making decisions on the grant of Section 5 authorities, and also approval of rifle and pistol clubs, rests at national level with the Home Office, informed by a report from the local police force where the dealer or club is situated. In the vast majority of cases, this seems to be an exercise of the Home Office simply accepting and approving whatever recommendation the local force has made, with little sign of any independent or critical evaluation.

What the recommendations could mean for the trade

Some of these recommendations, if implemented, will undoubtedly bring practical benefits for the trade. The ability to check the validity of certificates in real time and to record the details of sales directly onto the national database will help to reduce fraud and administrative errors.

However, other proposals from HMICFRS would add to the downward pressure on the trade and the shooting community, without any clear evidence as to how it would actually improve public safety. No amount of tinkering with or tightening the legislation, Statutory Guidance, or other rules is going to ensure public safety and also a proper service to the shooting community without substantial investment in the administration of firearms licensing.

Frequently asked questions

What did the HMICFRS firearms licensing report recommend?

The report, published on 28 August 2026, makes 23 recommendations. The key ones include a single national firearms licensing authority, a new online national firearms register, national training for licensing staff, aligning shotgun licensing with section 1 firearms, a licensing appeals tribunal, in-person medical assessments for every application and renewal, and annual fee increases with no refunds for refused applications.

Who is building the replacement for NFLMS?

The government tender has been completed and the contract awarded to Palantir Technologies, which will create a national firearms licensing system to replace the National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS).

Which police forces did HMICFRS inspect?

The inspection covered the firearms and explosives licensing units in Cheshire, Gloucestershire, Gwent, Kent and Northamptonshire, and the collaborated unit serving Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

Related articles

Licensing overhaul goes on record: what the Chief Inspector’s report means for the trade – What the Chief Inspector’s annual report adds to the picture.

One licensing authority: what it would change for dealers – How one licensing authority would change life at the counter.

BSSC response to HMICFRS firearms licensing report – The British Shooting Sports Council’s response to the same report.

Home Office consultation on shotgun licensing. Reducing Danger to the Public? – The Home Office consultation on aligning shotgun and section 1 licensing.

National firearms licensing system set for replacement – Background to the replacement of NFLMS.