Firearms Licensing Process

This resource provides an overview of the Firearms Licencing Process, in particular what GPs are asked to provide to assist police decisions

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Overview

Responsibility for granting and monitoring firearm and shotgun licences lies with the police, not GPs. 

GPs are asked to provide factual medical information to assist police decisions. No medical opinion is required. 

A standard national medical proforma is used. This is normally sent to practices by patients when applying for or renewing a licence. 

GPs may charge a private fee for this non-NHS work, commensurate with workload.

Key Points for Practices 

  • Any doctor completing the proforma must be GMC-registered (with a licence to practise).
  • If the applicant uses a non-GP doctor, full medical records must be provided directly to that doctor (not via the patient). 
  • No clinical examination is required. 
  • Only factual information about relevant conditions is requested.

Relevant conditions include (not exhaustive): 

  • Depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidal thoughts or self-harm
  • Psychotic illnesses, personality disorder, bipolar disorder 
  • Dementia, neurological diseases (e.g., epilepsy, MS, Parkinson’s) 
  • Alcohol or drug abuse 
  • Any other condition that could impact safe firearm possession 
Information:

Special attention should be paid to anyone previously detained under the Mental Health Act.

Fees

  • The work is non-NHS; GPs may charge a reasonable fee.
  • Fees should reflect business costs and workload (review of records and factual reporting). 
  • Patients should be informed of the fee and agree before work begins. 
  • Practices may set their own fees; benchmarking against a wider sample (not just local practices) is advisable. 
  • It is recommended that practices also update their website to include brief information about their approach to firearms licensing requests, including any standard fee information, to assist patient understanding and avoid confusion. 

Flagging (Firearms Marker)

  • When a licence is granted, police ask GPs to place a marker (“flag”) on the patient’s record.
  • This marker acts as a reminder: if the patient develops a relevant condition, the GP should consider notifying the police. 
  • GPs are not required to monitor licence holders actively. 
  • The marker should be removed if the licence is revoked, expires without renewal, or is otherwise cancelled. 

Important

  • The 2019 Memorandum of Understanding clarified that the flagging system is not a monitoring tool and cannot be relied upon as a failsafe alert system. 
  • GPs are encouraged (but not legally required) to place flags and act on relevant changes.
  • GPs should seek medico-legal advice if considering breaching confidentiality to warn police about safety concerns. 

Additional requests for information

  • At any stage (application or during licence validity), police may request additional information. 
  • At the application stage: any further fee is paid by the applicant. 
  • During licence period: if police request further information, the fee is paid by the police. 

Conscientious objection

  • GPs with conscientious objections can decline to complete proformas. 
  • Practices should make patients aware and signpost them to alternative providers if needed. 

Practical Changes to Note 

Purpose Requirement: Applicants must now demonstrate a valid purpose (e.g., work, sport, leisure). 
No 21-day Assumption: Previously, lack of GP response after 21 days implied no concerns; this no longer applies. 
Software Development: National systems for automated flagging notifications are being developed but not yet implemented.

Related content

Please note the Firearms Licensing Memorandum of Understanding (2019) — between the BMA, Home Office and Police is notnot publicly linked.