Northern Ireland has agreed a new system for firearms licence fees. A figure of £98 pounds has been agreed between BASC, the department of justice, and the police. A variation will cost £30 – far less than the £89 originally proposed by politicians. The cost of a firearms dealer’s certificate will increase from the current £150 to £300. However, this will be an interim fee pending further discussion. It is likely that the new fees will be implemented around November/ December 2015.
There will also be a banded system that allows a certificate holder to exchange any rifle for another, provided it’s in the same band. Once implemented, the bands will cover a wide range of firearms and calibres, including air rifles, rimfire rifles, and the more common fox and deer calibre rifles. Dealers will have to undergo training before they can carry out banded system transactions.
The system should be implemented in the spring of 2016. BASC Northern Ireland director Tommy Mayne said: “This has been a lengthy and time-consuming process and we are happy with the outcomes.
“We thank the Minister and his department for their recent efforts to resolve these issues. We note that the Minister hopes to deal with them in this Assembly mandate, subject to the will of the Assembly. We sincerely hope that this will be the case.”
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