In one week’s time we will mark the grim anniversary of four years since the shooting in Keyham and Ford. I made a promise to the families of the victims and to our community that I would work hard to change gun laws to prevent a tragedy like we experienced from ever happening again.
Since then I’ve met with Ministers in the last and this government to argue for changes. I’ve taken family members and representatives of our community to Westminster to press for changes. I helped secure over a million pounds for Keyham in extra help and support. And I proposed Keyham’s Law, a piece of private members legislation to tighten gun laws.
I think we can all remember where we were when we heard about the shooting. It shook our city and forever changed the tight knit communities of Keyham and Ford.
That’s why I’m so pleased that today the new gun guidance kicks in that changes gun laws to adopt recommendations of the Coroner from the inquest into the tragedy.
The updated statutory guidance includes the recommendations made by coroners which the government accepted earlier in the year.
The revised guidance increases the number of referees required for a gun certificate to two – the same required for applications for firearms. It requires police to interview partners separately to deal with potential issues of domestic abuse. It looks at neurodiversity issues as part of medical assessment.
Since the tragedy I’ve campaigned for and secured other changes including the introduction of medical markers on health records showing if someone has access to a gun, and the introduction of mandatory training for police officers assessing licencing applications. I’ve campaigned and secured full cost recovery for gun applications so those applying for a gun certificate pay the full costs and help better fund a poorly funded system. And much more.
We can never bring back those we lost, nor can we forever heal the wounds of those who survived, but we can try to stop it ever happening again. We have taken a big step towards that today. I’m grateful to the Policing Minister, Dame Diana Johnson, for meeting me and restarting work in the Home Office on gun controls that had been long grassed before the last general election.