Tightening of firearms licensing rules linked to Sussex shootings which left mum and her two children dead

Statutory guidance for the police will 'strengthen how they determine' who is suitable to hold a firearm or shotgun licence – 'better protecting the public and making streets safe', under the Plan for Change.

Effective from Tuesday, August 5, the government has increased the number of referees required for shotgun certificate applications from one to two, as well as providing new advice to referees on their responsibilities in supporting an application.

"This is in direct response to concerns raised by the senior coroner who held the inquests following the fatal shootings in Plymouth in August 2021,” a government spokesperson said.

"This will mean an additional person who has known the applicant well for at least two years will need to vouch for them, bringing shotgun referee checks in line with wider firearms and making sure there is greater opportunity for any concerns about an applicant to be raised or identified.”

The Plymouth shootings of August 2021 saw five people killed by a gunman using his licensed shotgun, before he turned the weapon on himself in the Keyham area.

One year prior – in March 2020 – Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, was shot at close range and killed in Woodmancote, West Sussex, alongside her two daughters Ava, four, and Lexi, two.

The killer, who turned the legally-owned gun on himself, was 42-year-old builder Robert Needham, partner to Kelly and father to the two girls.

Policing minister Diana Johnson explained: "Only those who meet the highest standards of safety and responsibility should be permitted to use shotguns or firearms, and it is crucial that police have full information about the suitability of all applicants for these lethal weapons.

"The events in Woodmancote in 2020, Plymouth in 2021 and other cases provide a tragic reminder of what can happen when these weapons are in the hands of the wrong people, and we must do everything we can to protect the public.

"That is why, as part of our Plan for Change, we are giving the police the tools and resources they need to make safe, timely and consistent decisions when it comes to firearms licensing.

"This is just one part of our mission to make our streets safer. We will also launch a public consultation on the controls on shotguns and other firearms issues later this year."

The UK Government has made this move to 'keep people safe and help the police apply the law consistently'.

The government said its changes will ‘improve the information’ the police have about an applicant’s suitability to possess a gun.

A spokesperson added: "The Home Office is also strengthening the guidance for how police should consider suspected domestic abuse or other violence, when someone is applying for a firearms licence. This includes making clear the police must speak to partners and household members to identify any signs of domestic abuse or any other factors which could indicate the applicant is not suitable to have a firearms licence.

"The updated guidance will mean officers must carry out additional checks before approving a licence to make sure those who perpetrate such crimes or have a record of violence are not permitted to access firearms."

The government said any evidence of dishonesty or concerns about a person’s integrity 'will also bring into question their suitability to hold a gun'. This 'could include lying' on the application form 'or withholding details' about relevant health conditions.

The spokesperson added: “The strengthened statutory guidance is just part of the government’s work to ensure firearms laws fully protect the public.

"In light of the weaknesses exposed by the tragic shooting [in Luton] of Juliana Falcon and two of her children, Giselle and Kyle Prosper with a gun which was bought fraudulently by her son, the government will be consulting later this year on measures to strengthen the existing controls on shotguns, alongside seeking views on measures to improve controls on the private sales of firearms.”