What term describes police refusal of a firearms certificate when a conviction signals risk, even if there is no formal ban?

• A. Discretionary Refusal
• B. Automatic Refusal
• C. Conditional Refusal
• D. Prohibition

Answer: (A)

Discretionary refusal describes the police’s power to refuse a firearms certificate when a conviction signals risk to public safety, even though there is no statutory ban. The licensing decision rests on whether the applicant is a fit and proper person; a conviction may indicate risk, but the law allows the police to refuse if, after weighing all factors, issuing the certificate would be unsafe. This differs from automatic refusal, which would apply only if the law already disqualifies someone by statute; conditional refusal would involve granting with conditions rather than an outright refusal; and prohibition is a formal ban itself. Since there is no formal ban in this scenario, discretionary refusal is the best fit.