A firearm or shotgun certificate is a type of licence, issued by the police, which allows the holder to possess firearms or shotguns and associated ammunition ...
In the year ending 31 March 2022, 439 firearms and shotguns were reported as lost or stolen, of which 165 were lost and 274 were stolen. Statistics on lost and stolen firearms and shotguns are included in this release for the second time. These areas are consistently the police force areas with the highest number of firearms and or shotguns per 100,000 people. - Data on ‘gender’ is derived from information supplied by the person applying for a certificate and is based on their sense of self. There were 3,007 registered firearms dealers in England and Wales as at 31 March 2022. Figure 2 shows that 50 to 64 year olds are more likely to hold a firearm and or shotgun certificate than those in younger age groups. As at 31 March 2022, an average of 2.6 shotguns were held on a shotgun certificate. As at 31 March 2022, an average of 4.1 firearms were held on a firearms certificate. The number of firearm certificates on issue have also decreased over the last three years, following a steady increase prior to 2019. This release covers certificates on issue in England and Wales as at 31 March 2022, as well as historical trend data and police force comparisons. There were 522,627 shotgun certificates on issue as at 31 March 2022, a 5% decrease of 25,894 compared with the previous year (548,521), and the lowest number of shotgun certificates on issue since comparable records began following the introduction of the NFLMS in 2007. Some figures presented for the previous year (year ending 31 March 2021) will have been affected by this, particularly those relating to new grant applications and visitor permits.