Countryside Alliance in Northern Ireland is a membership organization which exists to promote, protect and defend the rural way of life. As an umbrella organization we represent over 30,000 members.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  We believe that firearms legislation in Northern Ireland is too stringent and over complicated and should be brought more in line with equivalent legislation in Great Britain.

  With regard to the potential to amend the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, we recommend:

—  that the control of firearms should be arranged in strict categories;

—  that shotguns be subject to a lesser level of certification than rifles and that shotguns in Northern Ireland be subject to a more efficient system of certification similar to that already in existence in Great Britain;

—  an arrangement, allowing certificate holders to lend a shotgun or rifle to people under their supervision on private land;

—  the removal of the system of recording and accounting for the purchase of shotgun cartridges;

—  the de-regulation of low powered airguns, as proposed by the Northern Ireland Office, in 1998; and

—  that any further calls to prohibit the lawful possession of handguns for the purpose of target shooting in Northern Ireland be resisted.

  We also recommend that the minimum age for the grant of a firearms certificate and the unsupervised use of a firearm should remain at 18 years and that, in line with Great Britain, there should be no minimum age for the supervised use of shotguns and airguns.

  The benefits of the above would be:

—  freeing police time;

—  administrative burden would be considerably reduced;

—  more effective regulation of handguns meaning less frequent use in criminal activity; and

—  additional tourist income to the Northern Ireland economy.

1.  INTRODUCTION

  When the Northern Ireland Office in 1998 published proposals to review the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, the Countryside Alliance was pleased to comment. We understand that since that date, some progress has been made. However, this has not yet resulted in changes in legislation. We therefore welcome any further opportunity which exists to update the Order, and will be pleased to assist in that process.

2.  CATEGORIES OF CONTROL

  2.1  In Great Britain control of firearms is arranged in distinct categories which range from the most tightly restricted weapons to those which, whilst still covered by the 1968 Firearms Act, require no special certificate for their acquisition or possession. Thus rifles possessed for sporting or competition purposes are subject to a more stringent level of control than shotguns, which in turn are regulated more strictly than low-powered airguns.

  2.2  This principle is enshrined also in European legislation. Annex 1 of Directive 91/447/EEC on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons provides four categories (A to D) into which firearms may be classified. These range from Prohibited Firearms (category A) including military weapons of war, through to Other Firearms (category D) including smooth bore shotguns.

  2.3  Northern Ireland firearms legislation, however, groups all firearms within one classification. Thus everything from a centre-fire sporting rifle suitable for deer stalking, through to an airgun is subject to the same stringent level of control. This, we believe, is inappropriate and unnecessarily onerous. Furthermore the existing system makes demands on police time and manpower which are not commensurate with any improvement to public safety. We therefore urge the adoption in Northern Ireland of a similar multi-tiered system of firearms control to that which exists in Great Britain.

3.  SHOTGUNS

  3.1  Shotguns account for more than half of all firearms in private hands in Northern Ireland, and are extensively used for game and wildfowl shooting, pest control and competitive clay pigeon shooting. Many thriving game shooting clubs, game shooting syndicates and wildfowling clubs exist within Northern Ireland. In addition, private shoots offer sporting opportunity to visiting sportsmen, thereby benefiting the economy by bringing considerable tourist income.

  3.2  Currently in Northern Ireland shotguns may only be acquired or possessed by those who hold a full Northern Ireland firearm certificate. We recommend that shotguns be subject to a lesser level of certification than rifles because:

(a)  the level of shotgun use in crime is low in proportion to the number of guns in circulation; and

(b)  the amount of police resources required for their certification is very significant.

  3.3  We believe that the system in use in Great Britain works satisfactorily in that it benefits public safety, does not impose a disproportionate administrative burden on the police, and balances a proper level of control with the reasonable requirements of the shooting public. We therefore urge that a similar system be introduced into Northern Ireland. We suggest that, applicants for a firearms certificate in Northern Ireland should be required to continue to demonstrate good reason for wanting to acquire and retain each firearm in their possession. The grant of a Northern Ireland shotgun certificate would entitle them to possess an unlimited number of shotguns (as in Great Britain), subject to being able to satisfy the appropriate storage requirements, which are subject to police approval. A certificate holder may acquire or dispose of shotguns without the need for a time-consuming variation to his certificate, although the police must be notified of transfers. If the police have reason to believe that an applicant has not good reason to possess shotguns, then they may withhold grant of a certificate.

4.  BORROWING OF SHOTGUNS

  We strongly recommend that certificate holders should be allowed to lend a shotgun to a person under their supervision on private land. No provisions currently exist in Northern Ireland whereby shotguns may be borrowed, and this creates considerable difficulties for the lawful shooting community. In particular it presents great obstacles to the training of shooters and to the introduction of newcomers to the sport. In 1998 the Northern Ireland Office suggested a change in the law to permit the borrowing of shotguns and this was welcomed by the Countryside Alliance in Northern Ireland.

5.  AMMUNITION FOR SHOTGUNS

  It should be sufficient for certificate holders to present their certificate to the dealer at point of purchase. There is not proven public safety benefit in the present system of recording and accounting for the purchase of shotgun cartridges. Very large numbers of shotgun cartridges are used in the course of a year, especially by clay pigeon shooters, and the arbitrary imposition of a maximum number which may be purchased at any one time is an unnecessary burden upon game or clay pigeon shooters who may easily exceed the number authorised on his certificate in a single day's shooting.

6.  RIFLES

  As with shotguns, we recommend a provision whereby certificate holders may lawfully lend a rifle to another person under their supervision on private land for use in accordance with any conditions on their certificate. At present the certification process for rifles in Northern Ireland is broadly similar to that in the remainder of the United Kingdom, although there is no provision in Northern Ireland for the borrowing of rifles. This places an unnecessary burden on shooters, especially with regard to marksmanship training and the loaning of rifles for the purpose of deer stalking.

7.  AIRGUNS

  In 1998 the Northern Ireland Office proposed deregulating low powered airguns and this was welcomed by the Countryside Alliance in Northern Ireland. We continue to recommend this sensible approach, and suggest that those airguns designed to operate at a kinetic energy of below 12 foot pounds (six foot pounds for air pistols) should be exempt for certification. Airguns are very extensively used by shooters throughout the United Kingdom. It is estimated that there are around six million airguns in private hands, and they are used for competitive target shooting at all levels, for the control of small pests such as rabbits and rats, and for informal target practice on private land. However, low powered airguns are subject in Northern Ireland to the same stringent levels of control as high velocity centre fire rifles, and we regard this as wholly disproportionate.

8.  HANDGUNS

  Almost 10,000 handguns held on firearms certificates in Northern Ireland are for personal protection, which is a welcome acceptance of the particular circumstances of Northern Ireland in this case. We recommend that any further calls to prohibit the lawful possession of handguns for the purpose of target shooting in Northern Ireland be resisted. When in 1997 handguns were prohibited in Great Britain, their possession by private certificate holders for the purpose of target shooting remained legal in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. At the time, the Countryside Alliance deplored the prohibition of handguns in Great Britain and welcomed the approach of the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which was more consistent with the recommendations in Lord Cullen's report. Since their prohibition, the use of (illegally held) handguns by criminals in England and Wales has soared[11], demonstrating the illogicality behind the ban and the fact that the use of firearms in crime is almost totally unconnected with lawful possession.

9.  AGE LIMITS

  We suggest the minimum age for the grant of a firearms certificate and the unsupervised use of a firearm should remain at eighteen years and that, in line with Great Britain, there should be no minimum age for the supervised used of shotguns and airguns in Northern Ireland. The UK Government has already admitted in its response to the Home Affairs Committee's inquiry into firearms controls in Great Britain that the introduction of a minimum age for supervised shooting would not improve public safety there. We agree with this and would make the point that Northern Ireland is surely no different in this regard.

October 2002