Firearms licence numbers (FOI)

Request

In respect of the recent news on the level of firearms in Jersey can you provide details of:

The total individual firearms licence holders and furthermore:

Provide an analysis of firearms by category (Rifles, Shotguns, Carbines, Semi-Automatic Pistols, Air Rifles, and disaggregate each category to firearms into those held on one licence only and those where the central firearms index has noted that they are held across multiple certificates. 

Please provide details for 2022 and 2021.

Can it be confirmed that the Central Firearms Index when reporting statistics disregards firearms that are noted on multiple certificates. in other words., where a member of a club may place their firearm on the club certificate in order to facilitate travel for example. So as not to “double count” a firearm that persons may have registered on their certificate to be in their possession.

Response

¹ An individual is able to hold both a personal certificate in their own name, and as a named person on a club certificate. 

The categories of firearms on issue can change on a daily basis and only live data are held. It is not possible to conduct a search of such records held in 2021 and 2022 and Article 10(1) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

An assessment was conducted on 1 March 2023 in preparation for this response, which can be found on the attached spreadsheet. A total of 8,767 components are licensed, of which 1,790 appear on more than one certificate.

Firearms by type.xlsx

Article applied

Article 10 - Obligation of scheduled public authority to confirm or deny holding Information

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if –

(a) a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority; and

(b) the authority does not hold the information, it must inform the applicant accordingly.