This is how many people in Lancashire are legally allowed a gun

More people are applying for gun licences in Lancashire with police across the country warning background checks are draining their resources.
Lancashire Constabulary passed 194 new gun licences last yearLancashire Constabulary passed 194 new gun licences last year
Lancashire Constabulary passed 194 new gun licences last year

The latest Home Office figures show that 759 people applied for a new firearms licence or renewed an old permit in the 12 months to March 2018 in Lancashire. This is compared to 558 applications three years earlier.

Of those, Lancashire Constabulary passed 194 new gun licences and renewed 549. A further 16 applications were refused, with three of those renewals.

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Research carried out by West Midlands Police estimates England and Wales police forces will lose £10m this year, because the cost of administering licences is not covered by fees.

A new firearms certificate costs £88, and holders have to pay £62 every five years to renew their licences.

That means Lancashire Constabulary received £51,100 in fees in 2017-18, up from £39,600 in 2014-15.

In March 2018, there were 3,137 firearms permits in Lancashire, covering 12,135 guns.

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That’s an average of four firearms per certificate. Holders only need one licence for multiple weapons.

The National Police Chief’s Council said current fees “may not cover the cost of checking backgrounds before issuing gun licences”.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Orford said: “We have raised concern that the current fees may not reflect the full cost to administer firearms licensing when taking into consideration additional costs such as home visits and inspections, administering changes and renewals.

“Regardless of fee level, we are committed to ensuring that we deliver firearms licensing in the best way possible.”

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Gill Marshall-Andrews, of the Gun Control Network, said with the current fees, police and taxpayers are “subsidising” shooters.

She added: “What we need is a licence for every gun, with the fee set at £200 and renewable every two years.

“If shooters can spend £1,000 for a day’s shooting and champagne they can certainly afford to pay more to licence their guns.”

In March 2018, there were 157,600 licences across England and Wales, covering 577,500 guns.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation said the claim that police were subsidising licensing “has no basis in fact”.