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GUN LICENSING
Graham Downing’s article on firearms licensing [Comment, August issue] was well timed. Firearms offences with legally held weapons draw huge media and public interest due to their rarity, whereas knife crime these days barely registers.
The length of time a licence or certificate is valid for is a regular topic of discussion. When I served as marine engine officer on HMS York several years ago, the ship deployed to the South Atlantic. The operations officer and I took our shotguns, a clay trap and many clays for Saturdays on passage. While in the Falkland Islands, we were invited to the Stanley Clay Club. Our UK shotgun certificates were not valid on the islands, so the local police chief issued us with Falkland Islands certificates – a quick and painless process. These are valid for life and I still have mine. You never know when it might be needed.
I do not agree that one’s GP should provide a medical declaration as part of their remit. Gun
