Question
To ask the Chief Constable for his views on gun licencing laws and whether or not social media profiles should be part of the assessment process before granting a firearms licence in light of the dreadful events in Plymouth where 5 people were killed.
Response
Firearms and Explosives Branch (FEB) fully complies with all Home Office and Department of Justice guidance, in line with the Firearms Order 2004. FEB processes include criminal, intelligence, address, medical checks and visits to FAC holders or applicants.
At this point we will await the outcomes of the investigation of the Devon and Cornwall incident and the findings of the National Firearms Working Group, especially with regards to the comment that licensing should review the social media of FAC applicants. Any undertaking of social media checks would raise many questions such as; the scale of social media that needs to be reviewed, how it can be accessed lawfully, the minimum thresholds for what constitutes behaviour unfit to possess a firearm, how frequently persons need checked, how findings are recorded, and the resource required to undertake this role.
There is already national consensus that such checks are beyond the current resourcing of Firearms Branches, and beyond the resourcing of many police services. If this view is to be accepted and then accommodated this will likely have a long lead-in time. It would require additional resources and legislative changes. Any such additional checking would also need to be reflected in licensing fees.
Dolores Kelly - SDLP