Firearms (Fees)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 10:16 pm on 25 June 1986.

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Photo of Mr Clive Soley Mr Clive Soley , Hammersmith 10:16, 25 June 1986

As you will recall, Mr. Deputy Speaker, some time ago I was making a speech. As I was aware of the nature of the order, I was trying to phrase my comments in a way that would be within the rules of the House and helpful to it. Although the order can be debated simply in terms of cost, you rightly pointed out that one of the difficulties of the Prayer procedure is that the Opposition have to lead the debate without first having heard the Minister.

I have already said that the underlying point is whether the Government are attempting to raise the fees in order to pay for the service or whether they are raising them in order to control the number of firearms. Within the rules of the House and within the limits of the order, I hope to describe the way in which the Minister should approach this problem instead of by an order that simply increases the fees. The availablity of firearms in society is an important issue. The rights of legitimate users of firearms are also important. By "legitimate users" I mean those who use firearms during their work or for pleasure. Those two uses must be kept in proportion.

Continuing from the point at which the trout rose to the evening fly, the shooting sports lobby needs to take on board society's concern about the increasing availability of weapons of all types, including crossbows and firearms. The Government need to take on board the fact that they must face the problem of how to deal with phasing the increases in fees and also the problem of how to control the number and type of firearms that are available.

On previous occasions I have written to the Minister about this problem and have pointed out to him that books are available on British bookstalls that advertise certain types of weapons. Not only do they do that, but they publish articles which advise people on how to use weapons in specific situations. One of the magazines I quoted had an article on how to turn a neighbourhood watch committee into a vigilante group. That magazine and a number of others of the same type are freely available in bookshops. They also describe how to get weapons and give details of the fees. I know that the Minister is aware of those things because I made him aware of them when I met him, and I also wrote to him recently.

Underlying this order is a legitimate concern of the Government: that at a time of dramatically rising crime, firearms and other weapons like crossbows and paramilitary courses that are advertised in the magazines that I am talking about, are freely and easily available in society.

On 26 February the Home Secretary said that he was setting up a review of the use of guns by the police. In response to that, I asked the Minister to include a wider review of the whole issue of' firearms—their availability, the costs of certification, and the conditions of security in which weapons were kept, and so on. In his written reply, the Home Secretary said: When the review is completed I shall advise the House of its conclusions."—[Official Report, 26 February 1986; Vol. 92, c. 564.] My letter to the Home Secretary on 26 March was about the costing of firearms certificates. I emphasise that. The answer to the question asked in the intervention by the hon. Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg) is partly contained in that letter. My letter said: We strongly recommend the establishment of a Standing Advisory Committee set up by the Home Office to review and make recommendations on such matters as firearm licensing; the number and type of firearms, replica gun and other dangerous weapons (crossbows, airguns and certain types of knife) in circulation; the number of registered firearm dealers; the growing trade in more general combat gear and training courses; the importation of firearms and other weapons; the use of weapons in crime; the minimum conditions of security in which legitimately held weapons are kept; the question of registering each shotgun with a number to ensure that they can be traced when necessary; That point was raised by the hon. Member for Grantham. I emphasise this part: and the desirability of creating a separate licensing authority to take the burden off the police.