Recommendation 81

However, it may not be necessary to make GPs’ involvement mandatory. We heard from Superintendent Steven Duncan, Head of National Firearms and Explosives Licensing for Police Scotland, that the number of GPs who choose not to provide medical reports as part of the licensing process is “incredibly low”199, which was echoed by other witnesses. Dr Shedden estimated that “[m]aybe 10 or 20 of them are doing that in Scotland just now, 190 British Shooting Sports Council (FLR0010) 191 Q181 192 Q159 193 British Medical Association, The firearms licensing process, accessed 13 September 2022 194 Home Office, Firearms licensing: statutory guidance for Chief Officers of Police, December 2021, page 6 195 British Medical Association, The firearms licensing process, accessed 13 September 2022 196 British Association for Shooting and Conservation (FLR0015) 197 Q72 198 Q72 199 Q139 26 Firearms licensing regulations in Scotland out of over 1,000 GP practices” - concluding that “it is a low proportion”.200 Rt Hon. Chris Philp MP, Minister for Crime, Policing and Fire for the Home Office, told us that, in Scotland, 95% of GP practices do engage with the process.201 This suggests that the current process works adequately. The Minister stated: “I hesitate somewhat for the Government to intervene with regulation or statute where it is essentially working already”, but said that “I am always happy to keep it under review”.202