§ 78. Mr. Hurdasked the President of the Board of Trade how many licences for the export of 12-bore shotguns have been issued during the past year; and what is the purpose of maintaining this control.
§ Mr. BottomleyAbout 4,000 licences for the export of shotguns have been issued during the past year, but the exact number could not be ascertained without an inordinate expenditure of time and labour. For the same reason, I cannot say how many of these licences were for 12-bore shotguns. The control is part of the general control over the export of firearms and ammunition, and is maintained in order to prevent the unrestricted export of these firearms to areas where they might be misapplied.