Gamekeepers kill animals. It is part of their day to day duties and to perform these they need guns.

Rightly, in our opinion, the UK has some of the strictest firearms laws in the world. They are intended to ensure that guns are only available to people who have a ‘genuine’ need for them and place serious restrictions on their storage and use. But how well are these laws actually enforced?

In a review of police raids conducted on gamekeepers over the last ten years well over half have also uncovered firearms offences. To be clear the subject of the raids was not suspected firearms offences but other matters. During those searches firearms have been found unsecured and sometimes loaded in areas where anyone, including children could access them. Ammunition, some un-authorised, has been found scattered around kitchens and living rooms, in bathroom cabinets and vehicles etc etc. If so many cases are coming to light as incidental results of other investigations then there is surely something seriously wrong with the current system. Is it only gamekeepers who are raided on suspicion of wildlife crime offences who ignore the firearms laws or is there an deeper problem of which these incidents are just the tip?

Firearms are designed to kill. The rules on their possession and use are strict for good reason. If these rules are being ignored and the enforcement is inadequate then there is a serious risk to society not just to wildlife and this should concern us all.