THE FIREARMS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
211. The Firearms Consultative Committee was established
by the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 to advise the Secretary of
State on matters relating to the implementation of the Firearms
Acts, and to keep the working of the provisions of those Acts
under review. Membership is by annual invitation from the Home
Secretary: the Act provides for the appointment to the Committee
ad hominem of persons who "have knowledge and experience"
of firearms matters.[312]
These are normally representatives of shooting organisations and
law enforcement bodies, although in 1998 two members of the Gun
Control Network were appointed to the Committee. The Committee
was initially appointed for five years, renewable by order of
the Secretary of State. Its life was prolonged by a further three
years in 1994 and 1997. Mr Clarke announced in evidence to us
on 11 January that the Committee was to have its life extended
until January 2002.[313]
212. The work programme of the Committee is determined
by the Secretary of State, to whom the Committee reports annually.[314]
The Committee has in the past delegated various elements of its
programme to sub-groups which may in turn co-opt experts to assist
in the consideration of a particular technical issue. Mr Penn,
Chairman of the Committee since June 1999, believed that the Committee's
statutory nature was beneficial in two respects: its annual report
was published and made widely available, and it was easily able
to call upon evidence.[315]
213. The FCC has, over the ten years of its existence,
made a number of detailed recommendations for changes to the substance
or to the administration of the Firearms Acts. These have been
in response to the work programme set annually by the Secretary
of State. Mr Penn told us, however, that of the many recommendations
made for changes to primary legislation, only two had been implemented;
the record of Governments in implementing recommendations for
secondary legislation was better.[316]
214. The FCC's Tenth Report shows that the Gun Control
Network was at variance with the rest of the membership on two
of the key issues considered— the licensing of low-powered
air weapons and the possession of firearms by young people—though
on other issues (such as the discipline of practical shooting)
the Committee was more evenly divided. The GCN believed that the
FCC should be "abolished or radically reconstituted":
the ideal constitution of the Committee would be one-third representatives
of shooting organisations, one-third representatives of law enforcement
bodies and one-third representatives of groups with "an interest
in violence in society", such as victim organisations, community
organisations and the medical profession.[317]
Professor Taylor, for the GCN, believed that similar consultative
committees in the United States and Canada had far more representation
from interest groups representing "the social, individual
. . . psychic . . . [and] economic consequences of gun violence".[318]
215. The Minister appeared to favour a broader composition
to future committees: not to create a "quasi-ideological
division" between the pro- and anti-shooting lobby, but to
attract the interests and the views of all interested parties.
He believed it was important to include a strong representation
from the shooting organisations. He also believed that a future
committee should be given a slightly broader remit.
216. We believe that the Firearms Consultative Committee
has operated effectively to its remit of reviewing the operation
of the Firearms Acts, and has provided a valuable forum for contact
and discussion between representatives of shooting organisations,
the police and other interested parties. We regret that successive
Governments have not found it possible to implement some of the
Committee's more detailed recommendations for the operation of
firearms legislation, and we hope that this Government will, in
reviewing the Firearms Acts, keep the full range of those recommendations
in mind.
217. While we respect the technical expertise
of the Firearms Consultative Committee, we conclude that there
is merit in constituting a consultative forum with a broader remit,
and including representatives of organisations with interests
in the safe use of firearms in society. We recommend a two-tier
structure:
(i) a smaller
consultative committee, constituted on a statutory basis and along
similar lines to the present model, with a remit to consider the
technical aspects of the operation of firearms legislation and
to report directly to the Secretary of State;
(ii) a broader, non-statutory body,
which may include ex officio the membership of (i), composed
to reflect the interests of shooting organisations, law enforcement
agencies, public safety bodies and other organisations with an
interest in shooting issues, with a remit to consider the operation
of firearms legislation in the round, with a particular emphasis
on public safety.
312 Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988, s. 22. Back
313
Q 375. The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1998 (Firearms Consultative
Committee) Order 2000 (S. I., 2000, No. 177) was made on 27 January
2000. Back
314
The Committee's Tenth Report, 1998-99 (HC 88) was published
in December 1999. The FCC submission to the inquiry was made
in October 1999 (Appendix 19). Back
315
Q 338. Back
316
Q 341: "where legislative change is required it is
a significant problem." Back
317
Q 330. Back
318
Q 331. Back
| 
