The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

How did this GP thing come about in the first place?
It seems to me it was one force a couple of years back and now a few others have joined in.
Is it enacted within the firearms act?
How come its only a few forces making it compulsory?
TVP is now mandatory - I got in my renewal a few weeks prior to implementation.

mag41uk wrote:How did this GP thing come about in the first place?
It seems to me it was one force a couple of years back and now a few others have joined in.
Is it enacted within the firearms act?
How come its only a few forces making it compulsory?
TVP is now mandatory - I got in my renewal a few weeks prior to implementation.

Police Scotland started the no GP involvement, no FAC malarkey and the rest followed suit...

Scroll down to the medical info section here:
https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ar/appl ... s/#medical
This has been valid for some years now, so has anybody been personally refused a grant/renewal simply because their GP doesn't like guns?
We keep hearing about the "mate" who's had to go searching for a sympathetic GP, but I'd like to hear it from the horses mouth...............

Pete

Pete wrote: We keep hearing about the "mate" who's had to go searching for a sympathetic GP, but I'd like to hear it from the horses mouth...............

Pete

As there are less than 500 members in this forum and roughly 591,000 FAC/SGC holders , the odds of
someone here having to search for a sympathic GP are very small .

Apart from that I am not sure if I would post here about it if my GP was anti gun .

Fairly sure one of our Welsh members has documented his battle regarding it on a thread last summer.

Hello
BASC confusing information starts by saying that a number of forces are in breach of Home Office guidance, but then goes on to say that you must conform when asked for the medical information from your GP.
The site below gives a listing of all forces insisting on this medical information before applications are dealt with.

https://basc.org.uk/med

RDC wrote:Fairly sure one of our Welsh members has documented his battle regarding it on a thread last summer.

Indeed.

Not too difficult to find the thread either.

I have had a few battles with firearms licensing over this very topic.

My Doctor had sent the questionnaire back twice. They wanted more information. Doctor supplied it, then they wanted more. I then had to pay. I kicked up a fuss to my detriment as it turned out.

The police then went another route and decided to revoke my FAC on a friday afternoon at 3pm. My son has autism and because he contacted the police....once....about someone throwing stones, this started the ball rolling.......I could contest it in court, but I would have to pay.

RDC wrote:Fairly sure one of our Welsh members has documented his battle regarding it on a thread last summer.

I think that might be me!

Afraid I didn't update my thread with the outcome.....so, to continue... https://www.full-bore.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35595

After a lot of backwards and forwards with the head FEO, we came to an agreement where I got a complete copy of my medical records from the GP (you have a right to this free of charge), 'junior' FEO then came around my house to review the records. This just involved reading the first page of a pile of paper that must have been an inch thick - turns out the first page has a summary of previous and current conditions ever diagnosed or treated.

By the time I'd turned the kettle on, let alone made the tea, the FEO had said 'fine by me, ok if I take a photo of the summary page for my records?' I said 'sure', he said 'ok, that'll do for your renewal' - all over.

To be clear, while I disagreed with Gwents' head FEO and with my GPs (the whole practice) atitude, I can understand their individual point of view; the way the system is at the moment is an a$$ covering, finger pointing exercise designed to aportion blame in case one of us ever goes on a rampage.

The government should admit all the firearms acts and amendments are a mess and the licensing system needs a complete overhall; I don't mind a medical check being part of the system as long as it is done in a well thought out manner that helps protect public safety while enabling responsable shooters to carry on their sport.

On an unrelated note, I can't praise Gwents head FEO enough for the way he handled things when a member of my family had a mental health breakdown (unfortunately requiring police involvement); instead of a heavy handed approach, it was suggested I could log my firearms for a couple of months with a friendly RFD while my FAC and SGC were 'stored' in the FEOs desk draw until things settled down. This all happened bang in the middle of my renewal nightmare as well ! Things settled down, my renewed certs were returned after a month or so and after another month after an informal chat, I was told there were no objections if I 'unlogged' my guns. All informal, no revokations or seizures, and once mental health treatment was in place my guns came home...

These GP reports are I think (in principle), a good idea.
An extra safeguard to stop people who may be mentally disturbed from gaining / renewing an FAC- SGC, 'might' just stop another tragedy.

In principle, who could argue that's not a good idea?
Those of us who shoot in clubs are known to our shooting companions and Club secretary.

So potential mental issues should hopefully be flagged up

However, those with independent certificates, game keepers, pest control officers etc (vets for that matter) could potentially be on the verge of a dangerous mental collapse and go completely under the radar, if a GP wasn't consulted and the applicant lies.