Figures reveal firearm levels
As ministers pledge to review gun laws after the Plymouth mass shooting, figures reveal nearly 22,000 people across Avon and Somerset hold a firearm licence.
Jake Davison, 22, shot and killed five people including his own mother and a three-year-old girl in Keyham, during the evening of Thursday, August 12 - before taking his own life.
Davison was a licensed gun holder and had his firearm returned to him by police weeks before the shooting spree, after it was taken away last December following an assault allegation.
All police forces across England and Wales are being asked to urgently review their practices around granting firearms certificates in the wake of the attack.
Figures from the Home Office show 21,876 people in the area covered by Avon and Somerset Police held a similar firearm or shotgun certificate, or both, at the end of March. That was up slightly from 21,803 a year earlier - bucking the national trend, which saw a drop that was at least partly due to the pandemic.
Anyone who acquires or owns a firearm or shotgun must hold a certificate issued by the chief officer of the police force area where they live, unless they are exempt.
To issue a certificate, the chief officer must be satisfied that the applicant has a good reason for having the firearm, they are fit to be entrusted with one, and that public safety or peace will not be endangered. Firearm and shotgun certificates are valid for five years from the date they are issued.
A Home Office source said the department will publish new guidance to improve how people applying for a firearms licence are assessed in future, including social media checks.
The source added: “But today, as a matter of urgency, we are asking the police to review their practices and whether any existing licences need to be looked at again.
“This will help reassure people that all necessary checks have been made to keep them safe.”
The appeal follows the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) announcement that it will investigate Devon and Cornwall Police decision-making in relation to Davison’s possession of a shotgun and shotgun certificate.