Individuals with a history of violence or domestic abuse will now be barred from owning firearms under stringent new regulations introduced this week.
The guidance, issued on Tuesday, directly addresses concerns from coroners and campaigners following recent fatal shootings in Woodmancote, Sussex, and Keyham, near Plymouth.
Under the updated directives, police officers will be mandated to interview partners or other household members of firearms licence applicants.
This aims to uncover signs of domestic abuse or other factors making an individual unsuitable to possess a weapon. Forces must also conduct rigorous checks to ensure those with a documented record of violence are prevented from holding a firearms licence.
This policy shift comes two years after an inquest highlighted “catastrophic failures” within the licensing system, which allowed Keyham gunman Jake Davison to legally own a shotgun despite his violent history.
Davison, then 22, killed his mother and four others, including a three-year-old girl, in an eight-minute shooting spree in August 2021 before taking his own life.
Evidence of dishonesty will also count against an application, including withholding relevant medical history.
Robert Needham, who killed his partner Kelly Fitzgibbons and their daughters Ava and Lexi with a legally owned shotgun at their home in Woodmancote in 2020, was given a licence despite admitting that he had failed to disclose a history of depression and work-related stress.
Emma Ambler, Ms Fitzgibbons’ sister, welcomed the changes but said there was “still some way to go”.
She said: “I still believe that holding a gun licence is a privilege and not a right.
“The priority has to be the safety of society and it’s so important to stop these extremely dangerous weapons falling into the wrong hands, which these changes will go some way to doing.”
Tuesday’s changes will also mean applicants for shotgun licences now require two referees rather than one, bringing the process into line with the rules for other firearms.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Only those who meet the highest standards of safety and responsibility should be permitted to use shotguns or firearms, and it is crucial that police have full information about the suitability of all applicants for these lethal weapons.
“The events in Woodmancote in 2020, Plymouth in 2021 and other cases provide a tragic reminder of what can happen when these weapons are in the hands of the wrong people, and we must do everything we can to protect the public.”
Controls on shotgun ownership could be further toughened after another consultation, due to be launched later this year, that will also seek views on improving the rules on private firearms sales.
The new consultation follows the case of Nicholas Prosper, who killed his mother, Juliana Falcon, and siblings Giselle and Kyle Prosper in Luton in 2024.
Prosper, 19, had been able to purchase a shotgun and 100 cartridges from a legitimate firearms dealer after forging a licence.
He was jailed for life with a minimum term of 49 years after pleading guilty to the murders earlier this year.
