Weapon licensing laws in need of urgent overhaul, says expert

A FIREARMS expert last night called for an overhaul of gun licensing laws in the wake of Jake Davison’s murderous rampage.

Under the current system, would-be gun-owners are assessed by their local police, who judge whether they have a ‘good reason’ to own a firearm and whether they pose a threat to the public.

But an expert last night said police forces were failing to visit people in person at home, and that there were insufficient mental health checks.

Weapons expert Mike Yardley said: ‘There is a glaring error in the way the licensing system works. We need to have more people laying eyes on people in their own home.’

Davison, 22, who was autistic, was stripped of his shotgun licence last December, following a violent altercation with his father Mark. The gun was returned to him in July after he attended an anger management course. A month later, he blasted to death five people – including his mother -– before turning the gun on himself.

It is unclear what checks were made on Davison before his licence was reinstated, but Mr Yardley said someone would have had to vouch for him.

He queried why vetting officers had overlooked Davison’s disturbing YouTube videos, in which he described himself as a ‘Terminator’ and said he had been ‘defeated by life’.

He said: ‘This was clearly a disturbed young man. It does not take an awful lot of research to work that out. How on earth could he be given a licence? There will be a lot of questions for everyone involved.’