Scotland. 2014 ‘Firearm Licences and Firearms Registered, 2005 - 2014.’ Firearms Certificate Statistics, Scotland, March 2014. Edinburgh: Scottish Government. 7 October

Relevant contents

Table 1: Firearm Certificates - number of firearm certificates on issue and items held on firearm certificates in Scotland as at 31 December, 2005 to 2013 and as at 31 March 2014

Year: Firearm certificates on issue - Firearm certificates on issue per 100,000 population(1) - Items held on firearm certificates - Average number of items held on each firearm certificate

March 2014[3]: 26,101 - 490 - 91,863 - 3.5
2013[3]: 26,020 - 488 - 84,358 - 3.2
2012: 25,702 - 484 - 72,005 - 2.8
2011: 25,831 - 487 - 71,860 - 2.8
2010: 26,035 - 495 - 70,410 - 2.7
2009: 26,072 - 498 - 70,856 - 2.7
2008: 26,415 - 508 - 69,481 - 2.6
2007: 26,056 - 504 - 66,893 - 2.6
2006[2]: 26,234 - 511 - 66,164 - 2.5
2005[2]: 26,511 - 519 - 63,710 - 2.4

Notes:
(1) Mid-year population estimates are from the National Records of Scotland:
http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/population/estimates/mid-year/index.html.

(2) A software problem in 2005 and 2006 affected the data submitted by the legacy Fife Constabulary. For further information please see Note 5.2.3.

(3) Due to a change in recording practices relating to sound moderators, there was an increase of around 10,000 in the number of items held on firearm certificates in 2013. At the end of March 2014, the same change in recording practice resulted in a further increase of around 7,100 items held on firearm certificates. For further information please see Note 5.2.6

Note 5.2.3

A software problem in 2005 and 2006 affected the data submitted by the legacy Fife Constabulary. Subsequently, the number of applications, variations and cancellations for both firearm and shotgun certificates are not wholly consistent with the totals reported. The legacy force resolved the problem for the provision of the 2007 data.

Note 5.2.6

The previous bulletin reported that there were differences in what the eight legacy police forces had included in the miscellaneous category for the type of items possessed and authorised to be purchased or acquired on firearm certificates. This in turn affects the total number of items recorded as being held on firearm certificates. The issue related to sound moderators, which are designed to suppress noise and flash. They are not firearms in themselves but are subject to certification and as such, are included in the count of items held on firearm certificates. These should be included in the miscellaneous category but only the legacy Fife Constabulary and Strathclyde Police force areas had included them in previous returns. After further discussion with Police Scotland, it was established that the legacy Tayside Police force had also been including sound moderators in their items held on firearm certificates, but they are unable provide the breakdown of items held on firearm certificates.

For the data as at 31 December 2013, two additional legacy force areas, Grampian Police and Northern Constabulary, also included sound moderators in the miscellaneous category for the first time in the series. The inclusion of sound moderators from these two additional legacy force areas resulted in an artificial increase of around 10,000 in the number of items held on firearm certificates and 2,500 authorised to be purchased or acquired, when compared with the figures as at 31 December 2012.

For data as at 31 March 2014, sound moderators are now included in the miscellaneous category for the remaining legacy force areas: Central Scotland Police, Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary and Lothian and Borders Police. This resulted in around 7,100 additional items held on firearm certificates and around 1,500 authorised to be purchased or acquired on certificate.

Last accessed at:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/firearms-certificate-statistics-scotland-march-2014/pages/10/#n5
.2.3