The landscape of liThe British Shooting Sports Council (BSSC) is heading into 2026 with little sign of a quieter agenda. Speaking to Gun Trade Insider, secretary Jeremy Hinde set out a crowded list of live issues, spanning the lead ammunition transition, proposals to align shotgun licensing with Section 1 firearms, knife sales, explosives regulation, and the creation of a new national campaign structure intended to coordinate the sector’s response.
Lead ammunition remains the dominant concern. Hinde confirmed that the BSSC has reconvened its lead working group and agreed four key points to put to DEFRA. Chief among them is opposition to any attempt to shorten the transition period from five years to three. The council’s position is that manufacturers need time to retool plant, secure components and rework supply chains. Since the original consultation, Hinde noted, the operating environment has materially worsened, with new tariffs, disrupted trade routes and the war in Ukraine all having a previously unanticipated effect on propellant costs.
The second issue centres on the proposed definition of large calibre. As drafted, the threshold would treat .243 (6.17mm) as a large calibre, removing the current exemption below that line.
Hinde said manufacturers are still struggling to deliver practical, affordable non-lead options in .243, and warned that if the cost of a single round exceeds the value of the venison taken with it, the economics of professional deer management start to collapse. While he was realistic about government’s apparent reluctance to shift on either the transition period or calibre threshold, he argued that targeted derogations remain both necessary and defensible.
The definition of “elite” shooting formed the third strand of concern. What began as a discussion about elite disciplines has, in Hinde’s view, seen some change in terminology towards mention of “Olympic shooting” alone. That risks excluding high-level international disciplines outside the Olympic programme, as well as para and disability shooting. He warned that such a narrow interpretation could limit the UK’s ability to host major competitions and send an unhelpful signal to athletes operating at the highest level beyond the Olympic cycle.
The final lead-related issue raised was historic shotgun use. BSSC is seeking a clear derogation for a very small cohort of muzzle-loading and historic breech loading and antique shotguns, including modern replicas, that are still fired live. Hinde said the quantities of lead involved are negligible, and argued that without a derogation a distinct element of shooting heritage would be lost, with functional firearms reduced to static display pieces. An initial letter to DEFRA covering all four points drew a response indicating no appetite for change and no offer of a meeting. The issue has since been escalated, with the Chair, Mark Garnier OBE MP writing directly to request ministerial engagement; a response is awaited.
Beyond lead, Hinde highlighted the emerging knife sales consultation as another development with potentially wide-ranging implications. Government is exploring a licensing regime for knife sellers which, at its most expansive, could see knife licensing bought into the current Police Firearms and explosives licensing remit. Hinde questioned whether already stretched licensing teams could absorb further responsibilities, and warned of knock-on effects for retailers ranging from gun shops and re-enactment suppliers to general outlets selling kitchen knives. BSSC has undertaken a detailed review of this and has emailed its position to government recently, outlining the following areas of concern:
1) Police capacity
2) Misaligned focus (most knife crime involves kitchen knives which are exempt)
3) Further regulation on an already heavily policed sector (RFDs)
4) Trends show knife crime is already dropping, focus should be on proven interventions.
More immediately, the upcoming consultation on the possible alignment of Section 2 shotgun licensing with Section 1 firearms is seen as an existential threat to shotgun users at all levels of the sport. Hinde warned that a wholesale shift to a Section 1-style regime could spell the end of the “turn up and shoot” model for shotgun users, as well as a “turn up and buy” in relation to shotguns in retail premises. He pointed to mechanisms such as the 72-hour rule, temporary permits, instructor-led shooting and supervised taster sessions as structures that could be undermined. Transport, supply and handling of shotgun ammunition under Section 1 rules will also be dramatically changed, severely affecting shotgun shooting generally. The result, he argued, would be a sharp contraction in opportunities for newcomers, with serious consequences for grounds, dealers and the wider recruitment pipeline. Estimates suggest that if Section 2 shotgun holders became licensed in the same way that Section 1 holders are then over 30% of current licence holders would simply give up (BASC figures). For the trade, then the estimate may be as much as 40% of RFDs going out of business. If certificate holders simply walk away from the sport, then there will be predictable results on both game and clay shooting, but also in the amount of young people coming into a sport that is inclusive, disciplined and fulfilling. This would have a knock on effect on both retail and rural business, and also on the environment which is often managed in a sustainable way to support game shooting activities. Hinde also challenged the public-safety rationale often advanced in support of tighter controls on licensed firearms. BSSC’s reading of the data is that evidences the overwhelming majority of firearms crime involves unlicensed weapons, and there is little evidence that licensed holders are being systematically targeted for theft or that licensed firearms are being used in criminal activity. Where genuine risk exists, he suggested, it lies in the dysfunction of the current licensing system itself, with mounting backlogs, prolonged reliance on temporary permits and waits of a year or more for grants and renewals in some forces. In his view, a properly resourced, nationalised licensing system would do more to improve public safety than layering additional burdens onto compliant certificate holders.
Explosives licensing has become another flashpoint. Hinde said one police force has adopted an unusually expansive interpretation of explosives regulations, applying commercial standards to private individuals and treating small quantities of small-arms ammunition as if they were bulk explosives. This has led to demands for costly alarm and fire-suppression systems in domestic settings and, in some cases, has prompted older shooters to surrender certificates rather than attempt to comply. BSSC is engaging with the College of Policing and will take part in an explosives working group scheduled for February, alongside organisations representing muzzle-loaders, re-enactors and reloaders. The aim is to develop proportionate, risk-based guidance, backed by training, that distinguishes between routine small quantity domestic storage and genuinely higher-risk materials.
Against this backdrop, BSSC is moving ahead with plans to mount a national campaign to unify evidence-gathering, messaging and engagement across all shooting organisations.
Hinde said the campaign will be grounded in verifiable facts rather than rhetoric, drawing on crime statistics, economic data and the practical realities facing ranges, retailers and certificate holders. With multiple consultations and legislative pressures converging, he argued that a coherent, well-briefed response from across the shooting bodies will be essential if the sector is to make its case across all the pending issues and especially the upcoming consultation in the months ahead.