§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will, as a matter of urgency, introduce regulations under the Firearms Act to prohibit the issuing of firearms licences to persons convicted of criminal offences; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThere is no power for the Secretary of State to make such regulations. Under the Firearms Act 1968 there is already prohibition for life from possessing firearms or ammunition for persons sentenced to terms of three years or more in preventive detention, imprisonment, corrective training or youth custody. For sentences of three months or more but less than three years, there is a prohibition for five years from the date of release. Where an applicant for a firearm or shotgun certificate has convictions for lesser offences, it is for the chief officer of police to determine, in each case, whether these justify the refusal of a certificate. There is a right of appeal against a chief officer's decision, to the Crown Court.