'The online system for a gun licence is just too hard to use'

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has been asked to consider if it is doing enough to provide an alternative for people struggling to access the online-only firearm registration system.

All firearm permit applications in Northern Ireland have had to be completed online since 2018. However, BBC News NI understands a recent update to the portal has led to some gun owners giving up their licences.

The Equality Commission has urged any gun owner who feels they have been "discriminated against" to contact it. To date, nobody has.

The PSNI said that, while it knows the new system would be big change for some, it is part of a "major upgrade" that was "sought by the firearms community".

Wilbert Mayne, a 76-year-old farmer from Cookstown, is one of many finding it difficult to adapt to the updated digital system.

Speaking to BBC NI he said: "Registering and renewing your certificate used to be straightforward. It was a matter of filling out forms.

"With the new system, there are a lot of people - especially older farmers, men who've never used a computer in their life - who are not able to do it themselves."

When the registration system first went online-only back in 2018, Mayne said he "coped okay" because he was "not too bad with computers".

But when his licence ran out before Christmas 2025, he was unable to renew it using the updated My PSNI Portal - which requires both the applicant and the two people providing a character reference, known as referees, to log in with personal email addresses.

"The first problem was that one of my referees was in his 70s and the other was in his late 60s, and one of them didn't have an email address," said Mayne.

"The system was just hard to use. I couldn't do it, so I called my son, who is well up on the computers, and he came around and did it for me - and it still took him more than half an hour.

"I've had my licence over 50 years and that's the first time I've needed help."

As of January 2025, 53,000 people held firearms licences in Northern Ireland - and 97% were male.

The majority of legal firearms are used for sport or in the farming industry, but some are also held for personal security.

The Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) said it had "significant concerns" over the new digital portal introduced last September.

"The UFU are aware that there is a growing sense of frustration within the rural community, particularly among older firearms certificate holders or those who struggle with digital systems, as they face significant difficulties navigating the online-only firearms application portal," it said.

It said it was engaging with the PSNI to work to identify solutions.

BBC News NI has spoken to other gun owners who echoed sentiments expressed by the UFU.

One clay pigeon shooter who has dyslexia said he would not have been able to renew his licence since 2018 if it had not been for his wife.

"Anything to do with computers and I'm going to struggle," he said.

"Back when you had to fill out physical forms, it was awkward, but I managed."

The man, who did not want his name made public, said he was not the only member of his family who has found the transition difficult.

"My father, like many of his generation, is a pen and paper man," he said.

"Before 2018, when he had to re-register, he would have sat down at the kitchen table for an hour or two, and that would have been that.

"In 2018, even though me, my wife and the local firearms officer all offered to help, he said he was so fed up with the whole thing that he wasn't going to renew."

He added: "He's only in his early 60s and hunting has always been a big part of his life."

In November, Mid Ulster Council passed a motion calling on the PSNI and Department of Justice to rethink their system, claiming it disadvantaged older people and those from rural communities.

Chief commissioner of the Equality Commission Geraldine McGahey responded to Mid Ulster Council, saying the PSNI had a duty to promote equality of opportunity - including on the grounds of age.

"The PSNI also must not unlawfully discriminate on any of Northern Ireland's anti-discrimination grounds," she told the council.

Mid Ulster councillor Clement Cuthbertson said McGahey's response showed the commission had recognised "that there is discrimination in relation to the current system that the PSNI have adopted".

A PSNI spokesperson said the changes facilitated "many aspects of the applicant's personal details being auto-populated leading to a much faster and efficient process for many".

They added: "These changes had been sought by the firearms community for many years and we were keen to facilitate this once a secure IT solution was identified and created within PSNI.

"We have worked hard to communicate with dealers, club secretaries and the stakeholder groups all year regarding the new system and this communication has included outlining the requirement for email addresses and mobile numbers to be in place.

"This high level of online security verification allowed us to move forward and improve the system for users whilst protecting their data."

A firearms certificate in Northern Ireland costs £98. But the cost to the police of processing an application is usually much higher.

Last year, the Policing Board published figures that revealed the PSNI's firearms and explosives branch had lost £2m processing firearm certificates.

In response to a question asked in May 2025, the PSNI said it generated £1.3m through firearms registration payments, but that processing applications cost £3,295,000 - creating a financial shortfall of £1,995,000.