Merseyside Police handed gun owners 131 new firearms licences in the 12 months to March this year but stated the force was committed to stopping weapons "falling into the wrong hands".
Gun crime has reduced significantly in Merseyside compared to recent years, although there have been a number of serious injuries from shootings recorded this year - including two men shot in recent weeks. The UK has some of the tightest gun control laws in the world, but it is still possible to obtain a licence for certain kinds of firearms with strict conditions.
The law has also recently changed following a mass shooting in Plymouth on August 12 last year. Self-declared 'incel' Jake Davison, 22, killed five people, including a three-year-old girl, with a legally owned shotgun which he then turned on himself.
