The government has fired the starting gun on a debate about restrictions on the ownership of shotguns, in a bid to align them with other firearms.
The proposal that has long been championed by gun control campaigners, with the government set to soon announce a consultation on it.
The thrust of the policy is to license shotguns in the same way as rifles and other guns currently dealt with under Section 1 of the Firearms Act.
This would mean that an applicant would have to show good reason for owning a shotgun and each gun would have to be licensed separately.
Purchase and holding of ammunition would also be limited, and there may be additional restrictions around the storage of shotguns.
On top of the hike in licence fees the government has already announced, the policy is likely to reduce gun ownership by making it more restrictive and expensive.
The Countryside Alliance, which campaigns on rural issues, said the proposal was a "significant and unjustified burden on legitimate gun owners".
"[It would ] have a huge impact on a sector that contributes £3.3bn to the economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs - many of them in the most marginal areas of the countryside," the body warned.
"This policy is, in large part, driven by reaction to the horrific killings in Keysham in 2021, although calls for shotguns to be licensed under Section 1 long pre-date that.
"However, as anyone who has looked at that awful case objectively knows, the police’s failings were so appalling that the licensing system was largely irrelevant."
The government's new consultation is due to take place later this year.
