30/1/04………………………………immediate release

The Home Office has dissolved its expert committee on firearms - the Firearms Consultative Committee (FCC.)

Condemning the move, BASC said this is the wrong action at the wrong time.

The FCC, whose membership includes the police, shooting representatives, Customs, the RSPCA, lawyers, and even anti-gun campaigners, has an excellent record of providing balanced, expert advice to the government. The Home Office have made vague proposals about replacing it with two committees but have given no details of composition or timing, nor have they consulted any of the stakeholders. It does not inspire confidence that the Home Office is about to undertake a review of firearms legislation without the benefit of advice from an independent expert committee.

BASC’s director of firearms, and former member of the FCC, Bill Harriman said: “The FCC represented a broad spectrum of expert opinion which is now being jettisoned in favour of some vague panel on the whim of a minister. Despite the eminence of its members the FCC has seldom been given the credence it deserves by the Home Office, which ignored the committee’s advice while gun crime soared. “

BASC  is urgently seeking a meeting with the Home Office.
ENDS.

Note to editors:

More than 1 million people in the UK enjoy shooting sports
BASC is the national representative organisation for country shooting with more than 117,000 members
Between 1992 and 2003 firearms crime rose by 80%

Click here for a list of FCC members.


For more information call the BASC press office on 01244 573031.