Finally some sound logic

After years of lobbying and more than 19,000 consultation responses — 94% of them in favour — the Government has confirmed that sound moderators will be removed from firearms licensing controls.

Dame Diana Johnson MP made the announcement, acknowledging that the current system creates an unnecessary burden for certificate holders and overstretched police forces. Currently, moderators are classified as firearms components under the Firearms Act 1968, meaning they require police authorisation despite posing no inherent danger.

The move vindicates years of campaigning by BASC and other shooting organisations, which argued that treating “a metal tube containing baffles” as a firearm was nonsensical.

Once implemented, the change will also end the variation procedure — eliminating the weeks‑long wait for police approval to upgrade what is essentially hearing protection. According to BASC’s Bill Harriman, the change will “reduce the police’s workload in licensing firearms by 32%”.

Sound moderators: progress with a caveat

However, there is a caveat. The Government has proposed making it an offence to own a sound moderator without holding a firearms certificate. Countryside organisations are calling for clarity to ensure the change does not result in what Harriman describes as “licensing by the back door”.

The Government confirmed it will pursue the change through primary legislation “when Parliamentary time allows”. For now, there is no set timeline, and the existing rules continue to apply.

Even so, this marks significant progress after decades of disproportionate regulation.

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