Licensing problem in Scotland
> In your November issue in the Q&A section there was a question about a doctor’s signature not being needed for the police to issue you with your certificate. I am sorry to say that up here in Scotland we have a different ruling from England and Wales.
In Scotland the police advise you that if the doctor does not sign it, they cannot complete renewal. So you go round in circles with no help from police or doctors, during this time your firearms certificate runs out and you then have to put your guns into storage.
The police will not issue a Section 7 because they say that they are not at fault for the delay.
The only options are to change your GP, or pay for a private doctor to sign, so good luck with that.
I am a member of SACS and they have been tirelessly working to make sense of this situation. Alex Stoddart is the director there and he feels like the last crusader on this quest to help guide firearms holders here in Scotland. This is going to affect all firearms holders across the country and we need to be on the same page. Iain Leslie, via email
David Frost says – The procedure agreed between the Home Office, police, shooting organisations and BMA at the working group, of which I am a member, was that if the police did not hear from the GP within 21 days they were to process the application. That now appears in the official Home Office Guidance. Police Scotland, who is represented on the working group, is flouting the Guidance although they were happy to sign up to it at the time. The BMA also agreed there is no expectation of a fee being charged for the initial trawl of medical records, but some GPs are ignoring this and demanding a fee. My advice, and that of BASC, is that if a fee is charged you should politely decline to pay it. The official BMA guidance is now that GPs should return the police letter and say they are unable to respond due either to lack of funding or to a conscientious objection. It’s disappointing that both the police and the medical profession are ignoring an arrangement to which they originally agreed. I understand that GP practices in Scotland are being persuaded of the need to cooperate with the police, but actually it would be better if Police Scotland followed the agreed guidance. I can offer no instant solution to your problems.