Firearms Control

What the inquiry looked at

“Report The Committee's Report on Firearms Control was published on 20 December 2010 as the Third Report of Session 2010-12, HC 447. Additional written evidence has been published. Government Response The Government's Response ( Cm 8155 ) was published in September 2011. Follow-up correspondence: Home Secretary to the Chair, 2 February and 21 March 2012 Terms of Reference The Committee issued the following terms of reference on 15 July 2010: The extent to which legally-held guns are used in criminal activity and the relationship between gun control and gun crime, including the impact of the Firearms (Amendment) Acts 1997; Whether or not the current laws governing firearms licensing are fit for purpose, including progress on implementing the Committee’s recommendations set out in its Second Report of the 1999-2000 session; Proposals to improve information-sharing between medics and the police in respect of gun licensing; Information-sharing between police and prisons in assessing the risk of offenders who may have access to firearms; and The danger presented by, and legislation regulating, airguns. Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “In the light of the recent tragic shootings in Cumbria and in Northumberland, the Committee wishes to examine the legislation governing firearms. “It will seek to determine whether there are lessons to be learnt from recent events, including the role of doctors and criminal justice agencies in liaising with police to assess the risk posed by individuals. We also want to be certain that our gun laws are clear, transparent and enforceable.””

The committee's words, from the inquiry page on parliament.uk ↗.

What the government said

How the inquiry ran

What it recommended

The committee's recommendations are not listed here yet. Read them in 3rd report - Firearms Control ↗ and 3rd report - Firearms Control - additional written evidence ↗ on parliament.uk.