Thomas Docherty's Private Member's Bill will fail

3 February 2012

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A proposed Firearms (Amendment) Bill, introduced by Thomas Docherty MP, to ban under-14s from holding shotgun certificates has effectively run out of time in the Commons and will fail. Holding a shotgun certificate does not allow children unsupervised access to shotguns and children applying for a certificate must apply in the same way as an adult. BASC opposed the Bill because the current law works safely and well.

BASC has spoken to Mr Docherty on several occasions about his Bill and has briefed him on the current law and the advantages of introducing children to shooting at a young age. BASC has issued briefings to other MPs and, as the organising secretariat to the All Party Group for Shooting helped arrange for Mr. Docherty to discuss his Bill with group members.

BASC does not believe a minimum age for shotgun certificates is necessary, nor does the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). The police have argued that there are advantages to introducing children to shooting to encourage responsibility and habits of safety at an early age. 

What’s it all about?

Those who oppose the law on private ownership of firearms regard children and shooting as a productive subject for attacking the sport. Every few years local newspapers submit Freedom of Information requests to their local police forces to discover the number of children who hold shotgun certificates. This fuels the debate.

Thomas Docherty MP (Dunfermline & West Fife) introduced the Firearms (Amendment) Bill to Parliament on 25th January 2011 under the Ten Minute Rule. The Ten Minute Rule Motion allows an MP to make his or her case for a new Bill in a speech lasting up to ten minutes. An opposing speech may also be made before the House decides whether or not the Bill should be introduced. If the MP is successful the Bill is taken to have had its first reading. Most ten-minute rule Bills, as was the case with this one, receive their first reading without serious scrutiny. 

Click here to read Mr Docherty's speech in the Commons

Mr Docherty's Bill was scheduled to get its second reading on 27th January but as the House of Commons did not sit on this day it was not debated. 

What happens next?

As the sponsoring MP, Mr Docherty may choose another day for debate, but BASC does not expect the Bill to get a second reading by the end of this session. This means that the Bill will fall. Whilst its provisions could be included in future legislation whenever the subject is revived, BASC is confident that the government is opposed to making any undue changes to the current law.

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