Recommendation 79

If a GP conscientiously objects to firearms, they might refuse to engage with the licensing process.193 In this case, applicants must obtain a report from another licensed medical practitioner.194 The British Medical Association supports GPs’ right to conscientiously object to engaging with the firearms licensing process, and further states that “conscientious objectors do not need to arrange for alternative provision of a report”.195 We heard calls to make GPs’ involvement in the firearms licensing process a “statutory obligation” (in the words of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation).196