What could go wrong?

The difference in ages between firearms licences – which apply to rifles and pistols – and shotgun licences is an “anomaly”, he said. Asked by Keith Vaz, the committee chairman, what he thought the age limit should be, he replied: “The minimum age would be 10.”

“Because children as young as 10 have been able to shoot perfectly safely with a shotgun certificate, there is no reason to interrupt that. The evidence in relation to young people shooting does not give any cause for concern.”