Recommendation 73

GPs’ involvement is key to the firearms licensing process. For example, Superintendent Steven Duncan, Head of National Firearms and Explosives Licensing for Police Scotland, told us: “We are quite clear that if your GP practice is not willing to put a flag on to your medical records, you are not getting granted a firearms certificate”.182 For this reason, further consultation with GPs on areas like medical assessments for firearms licence applicants and the flagging system would be valuable. The responsibility for the NHS in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Parliament183, so the UK Government and Scottish Government should work together on consulting GPs working for NHS Scotland about areas like medical assessments and the flagging system. The GP flagging system