Guns given back to multiple domestic abuse suspects

According to police data, countless domestic abuse suspects have had their guns returned to them over the past three years, as revealed by the BBC.

A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said:

“Any individual who held a firearms licence, which was then revoked, would need to reapply for a new licence.

Applicants should be fully aware that the reasons a licence was revoked are recorded and are considered as part of any new application.

The legal process for anyone seeking a new licence is explicitly defined, and domestic abuse is one of the most serious factors taken into consideration in assessing an application.”

This claim comes as the data reveals that over 26% of returned licenses went to people accused of domestic abuse between 2019-2021.

In an interview with the BBC, Farah Nazeer, CEO of Women’s Aid, said that this highlights an “inexcusable tolerance” of abusers, demanding that the government investigates these findings, suggesting an “automatic ban on returning gun licenses to those accused of domestic abuse”.

Nazeer said:

“Would society accept guns being put back in the hands of burglars? Of muggers? In cases of domestic abuse, more often than not the perpetrator lives in the same residence as the survivor.

Even if the perpetrator has never used the gun against their partner, just possessing the weapon, its presence in the house, is a form of intimidation and control.”

Police say the licensees either “did not meet the threshold for prosecution or if they were charged, the charges were dropped”.

These revelations come only months after Jake Davidson, a man with a violent history, had his gun and license returned to him before going on to kill five people, then himself, in Plymouth. The case is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.