Proposed tougher shotgun licensing rules have been criticised, with claims they could end up causing real problems for crofters, farmers and even distilleries across the Highlands and Islands.
The UK Government is looking at merging Sections 1 and 2 of the Firearms Act. This would mean that ordinary two-cartridge shotguns get treated the same as rifles and high-capacity guns.
Right now, shotguns sit under Section 2, where you just need to show a sensible reason for owning one. Section 1 is stricter and involves more checks, inspections of the land you shoot on, and a requirement to justify every single firearm individually.
During a recent parliamentary debate, Torcuil Crichton MP pointed to the “significant damage to crops and grass” caused by thousands of marauding greylag geese. For crofters dealing with those birds year after year, he argued, making shotguns harder to license could make an already tough situation even worse.
MPs from every party pushed back against the idea of merging the two licensing systems. Not a single MP spoke in favour of the proposal.
In all, 24 MPs argued that the current setup should stay as it is. They highlighted how essential shotguns are for farmers, crofters and gamekeepers, and questioned whether tightening the rules would actually do anything to improve public safety.
Mr Crichton warned that the stakes are especially high in places like the islands, where greylag geese are a persistent threat to crops and now feed on pasture at all hours and in every season. The impact, he said, is becoming dangerous, not just for crofting but even for local distilling. North Uist Distillery, which makes Downpour Gin, uses locally grown grain.
Keeping goose numbers under control relies on having enough trained local marksmen, said Mr Crichton, and that means people need regular practice with a shotgun. Tougher licensing, he warned, could create new administrative barriers that make it harder to respond quickly when goose numbers surge.
There will now be a public consultation on the changes proposed to the Firearms Act.
