Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative, Bridgwater and West Somerset):
… But the MP – a descendant of Queen Victoria – blames “utter incompetence” at Avon and Somerset Police and plans to raise the matter with Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
Mr Liddell-Grainger has even accused police of blaming the Government for the delay.
He said: “When I mentioned the fact that I was a MP it was suggested that if the Government gave the force some more money they might be able to get these things done more quickly.
“Forgetting to check and renew a licence in time is a simple mistake that anyone can make – and I make mistakes like everyone else.
“I’ve told the police I am handing the guns in for safe keeping and they are happy with that.
“But I cannot believe how long it’s going take to deal with a simple renewal of an existing certificate.
“I’ve got the form and I’ve filled it in but you cannot simply hand these things in at your local police station anymore, they have to be posted off.”
Mr Liddell-Grainger said the 16-week timeframe to renew a licence is unacceptable.
“When I rang the police to see how long it would take to get the new permit I was absolutely appalled,” he said.
“Sixteen weeks to complete one piece of paperwork looks like utter incompetence.
“I told the officer I thought it was an unrealistically long time and he just said the police had lots of other things to do. I could almost hear the shrug down the phone.
“It’s not so serious for me because I only shoot for a hobby. But for gamekeepers or farmers with vermin problems who could easily find themselves in a similar situation 16 weeks is a totally unacceptable delay.
East Devon Watch 
So its alright for me to blame HMRC if I am late paying my tax because they take too long with my calculations and alright to blame the DVLC if I forget to tax my car?
Yes – we all make mistakes. But most of us are not MPs who should know better than to slag-off hard-working parts of our public services, and who can hassle the Home Secretary to sort things out for them.
This is just yet another example of Tory MPs, who are members of the huntin’ and fishin’ brigade, whose names match their shotguns – both double-barelled – and who think it is OK to use their mates in even higher positions to sort things out when minor delays happen in their private lives. They appear to have nothing in common with the majority of people in the UK who work hard to make ends meet and can neither afford nor would want to go out and shoot innocent animals with a firearm.
If this is Ian Liddell-Grainger’s reaction to having to wait 16-weeks just to be able to go out and maim and kill innocent wildlife, goodness knows what he would do if he had to wait 16-months rather than 16-weeks for an NHS operation to remove (say) an ingrowing toenail. Can you imagine the invective? However, like all Tory MPs, he undoubtedly has health insurance which will spare him the annoyance of waiting and spare us the sound of his whinging.
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