Firearms Certificate Statistics, Scotland, 2013

2. Main Points

• There were 26,020 firearm certificates on issue at the end of 2013, an increase of 1% compared to the end of 2012. This is the third lowest number of firearm certificates on issue over the ten year period covered by this bulletin (Table 1 and Charts 1 and 2).
• The 26,020 firearm certificates on issue at the end of 2013 covered the possession of 84,358 firearms. Due to a change in recording practices relating to sound moderators, there has been an increase of around 10,000 in the number of items held on firearm certificates. For further information please see Note 4.2.6. (Table 1 and Chart 2).
• There were 48,779 shotgun certificates on issue at the end of 2013, an increase of 1% from the end of 2012. Despite the increase in the most recent year, there has been a 7% decrease in the number of shotgun certificates on issue over the ten year period covered by this bulletin (Table 5 and Charts 1 and 4).
• The 48,779 shotgun certificates on issue at the end of 2013 covered the possession of 141,923 shotguns, the highest number of shotguns held on certificate over the last ten years. This is an increase of 10% in the number of shotguns held on certificate compared to 2004 (Table 5 and Chart 4).
• The average number of shotguns held on each certificate issued has increased from 2.5 in 2004 to 2.9 in 2013 (Table 5).
• There were 350 registered firearm dealers in Scotland at the end of 2013, a decrease of three since the end of 2012. This is still the second highest number of registered dealers in the ten year period covered by this bulletin, an increase of 25% from the 280 registered dealers at the end of 2004 (Table 8).