Member

In Committee, I indicated that the Government were sympathetic—very sympathetic, I might even say—to the intent behind the noble Lord’s amendment, having already given a public commitment in June 2025 to deregulate these devices when parliamentary time allowed. These are entirely inert objects which contain no moving parts and do not in themselves create a risk to public safety. There was much support from noble Lords who spoke in Committee in favour of removing these items from the legal definition, thereby alleviating the administrative burden on police firearms licensing departments. It would also benefit certificate holders, who would no longer be required to apply for, and pay for, a variation of their licence each time they acquire or dispose of a sound moderator.