HOW EASY IS IT TO GET A GUN LICENCE IN THE UK?
Regulated mainly by the Firearms Act 1968, a certificate issued by the police is needed to possess, buy or acquire a firearm or shotgun, and also ammunition. Rules surrounding obtaining a firearm or a shotgun vary slightly in law.
Both licences can be obtained from a local police force and require an application form, passport photo and a fee. People applying for a firearm certificate need to give two references while a shotgun certificate requires one.
The referees must have known the applicant for two years and must be residing in the UK. They cannot be a family member, a firearms dealer, a serving police officer or employee, a police and crime commissioner, a member of their staff, or a member of, or a member of staff of, the Scottish Police Authority.
Applicants must also prove to the chief officer of police that they are allowed to have a firearms certificate and pose no danger to public safety. Police forces will often conduct a home interview with an applicant as part of the assessment.
Physical or mental health conditions and previous convictions must be disclosed in an application. Applicants must also give details of the guns and ammunition they intend to acquire.
A licence can be held for five years and then it must be renewed.
There have recently been changes to the laws on owning antique firearms, meaning some which could be previously possessed without a firearm will need one from September 22.