Firearms licensing newsletter - January 2026
We are delighted to bring you the latest firearms licensing updates. Stay informed and connected with everything happening this month.
Independent Chair
Following the recent HMICFRS Thematic Inspection, one of the key de-brief recommendations is for the Chair of the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) to be elected by the group itself, in order to strengthen partnership working. Correspondence has already been sent to IAG members to seek their support on this matter. A meeting is scheduled for the beginning of February to agree the group's remit, hear from the candidates, and vote in a new chair.
Update on criminal conversion of Top Venting Blank Firearms (TVBFs)
In February 2025, a national campaign combining a public amnesty with police activity resulted in nearly 3,500 Turkish TVBFs being withdrawn from the criminal market. This concerted effort has significantly reduced the threat posed by TVBFs in the UK. However, the National Crime Agency has recently identified five Italian-manufactured Bruni models that are also readily convertible and pose a public safety risk. A further national amnesty is planned for February 2026 to target the availability of these items for criminal conversion. We will provide more details when available, but in the meantime, we ask all stakeholders to help raise awareness of the issue and forthcoming activity. Links to background material and last year’s results are included below.
Mental health follow-up
Following last month’s article regarding engagement with regional NHS colleagues on mental health concerns, particularly those affecting armed forces veterans, Chris Garrett from ShootCert has shared an article on the same subject. Given the importance of this issue, we are sharing it more widely with our readership.
New Year - new approach to emails
Chief Inspector Chris Savage reports that the team is committed to improving communication in response to feedback.
Over the Christmas and New Year period, several changes are being made to boost responsiveness to email contact, much of which is submitted through Force websites. From 12 January 2026, a team member will monitor and triage all incoming emails during office hours, aiming to respond to all enquiries promptly. Routine enquiries about application updates will be directed to the website’s published timescales.
To assist this process, please use the website’s pre-formatted notification options whenever possible, as this greatly aids triage and processing. The option to telephone and leave a voicemail message will be suspended, as this method has not proved efficient compared to website submissions. Callers will be directed to use the website instead, and this will be reviewed in a few months.
We recognise that not everyone has internet access, but most people do or can be supported to do so. Your help in sharing these improvements and supporting this change is much appreciated. Further updates will be provided in future newsletters.