In the latest Home Office Firearm and Shotgun Certificates statistics (as of 19 June 2025), a total of 496,904 people across England and Wales held either a firearm certificate, a shotgun certificate, or both. This represents a 3% decrease (13,813 people) from the previous year.
Of those certificate holders, 6.4% (31,747 people) were women — the highest ratio of female to male certificate holders on record.
Looking beyond the headline figures
While the overall number of certificate holders has declined, there are some genuinely encouraging insights within the data.
The number of female certificate holders dropped by just 1.7% (542 fewer women), compared to a much steeper 3% drop in male certificate holders (13,271 fewer men). So, proportionally, female participation in shooting sports and firearm ownership is holding up better than male participation.
Age breakdown
Digging into the age-related stats:
- In the 18–34 age group, certificate numbers fell by 3.1% (174 people)
- In the 35–49 bracket, the drop was far more modest — just 0.5% (down by 41 people)
- The largest group of certificate holders remains the 50–64 age range, with 11,548 people, though this is down by 447 from last year
- But perhaps the most striking figure comes from the 65+ age group, where certificate numbers have actually increased by 2.1% (up by 145 people) — reaching 7,207, the highest number since comparable records began in 2019.
Firearms and female participation
When it comes to women holding firearm certificates, there’s more good news.
Thanks in part to the fantastic work being done by women’s shooting organisations, the number of women obtaining firearm certificates is on the rise. As of March 2025, 5,106 women held a firearm certificate — a 0.3% increase (16 more) on last year. That makes this the second consecutive year of growth, and the highest number of female firearm certificate holders since 2022.
The 65+ female age group also saw an impressive rise, with a 7% increase (up by 68) in the number of firearm certificates held.
Still work to do
While female participation is at a record high, there's still a long way to go. As of March 2025, just 98 out of every 100,000 women in England and Wales held a shotgun certificate — roughly 0.1%. That’s still far behind men, where 1,515 per 100,000 (or 1.52%) held a shotgun certificate.
Overall, while certificate numbers have slightly declined, the increasing engagement of women and older adults is a positive sign for the future of shooting sports and responsible firearm ownership in the UK. With continued outreach, education, and support from community groups, there’s a real opportunity to make shooting more inclusive and accessible than ever before.
