Source · Select Committees · Scottish Affairs Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Not Addressed
We have heard concerns about the current UK legislation regarding firearms in the context of...
Conclusion
We have heard concerns about the current UK legislation regarding firearms in the context of Scotland. Firstly, Superintendent Duncan stated that the age of legislation could cause issues. Superintendent Duncan told us that: “legislation is now over 50 years old… there have been amendments to that legislation over that time, but the existing legislation was an amalgamation of legislation dating even beyond that. I think that, if we were rewriting it from scratch, it would be done in a slightly different way.”24
Government Response Summary
The UK Government has noted the Committee’s recommendation in relation to advertising avenues to mental health support for the shooting community and also the points made about the particular challenges faced by rural communities traumatised by fatal shootings, recommending that the UK and Scottish Governments work together to provide more mental health resources in these areas or that could be easily accessed when tragedies involving firearms happen. The Scottish Affairs Committee recommended that the Government should support the shooting community in advertising avenues to mental health support, to build on the recent release of leaflets in Scotland about mental health in that community, and that the UK and Scottish Government work together to support the distribution of materials such as the mental health leaflets produced by shooting organisations. We are consulting and would welcome views on this recommendation as to whether and how a similar form of leaflet on mental health coul
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The UK Government has noted the Committee’s recommendation in relation to advertising avenues to mental health support for the shooting community and also the points made about the particular challenges faced by rural communities traumatised by fatal shootings, recommending that the UK and Scottish Governments work together to provide more mental health resources in these areas or that could be easily accessed when tragedies involving firearms happen. The Scottish Affairs Committee recommended that the Government should support the shooting community in advertising avenues to mental health support, to build on the recent release of leaflets in Scotland about mental health in that community, and that the UK and Scottish Government work together to support the distribution of materials such as the mental health leaflets produced by shooting organisations. We are consulting and would welcome views on this recommendation as to whether and how a similar form of leaflet on mental health could be made available throughout the United Kingdom, and we have been in discussion with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland about the work already undertaken in Scotland.