New rules brought in to keep guns out of the hands of people who are medically unfit to hold a firearms licence will place undue burdens on practices, according to the British Medical Association (BMA).

Doctors debating the issue at the BMA’s annual conference argued that GPs would be placed in a vulnerable position when having to decide when to report any deterioration in the health of a patient who either had or was applying for a gun licence and said that the element of discretion in reporting depression was “too broad”.

The new referral system, which was drawn up after consultation between the police, the Home Office, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the BMA and shooting associations, will mean that the police will contact the GP of anyone who applies for a firearms certificate to check whether there is a history of conditions such as depression and dementia.

In the past, the police only contacted an individual’s GP if an applicant declared a relevant medical condition, which one GP described that as like “closing the stable doors after the horses have bolted”. However, he added that GP involvement in the new licensing arrangements would impose further burdens on already hard-pressed surgeries, as one check could take up the time of six patient appointments.

GPs will also have to keep a record of patients who already own a gun and must inform the police if any of them develop mental health issues, such as depression. In addition, practices are supposed to have a reminder on the patient record so that a GP is aware if the individual is a firearms certificate holder.

However, one local medical committee (LMC) has issued a template letter for practices to turn down requests for information on firearms licence applications, which states that GPs do not have the expertise to diagnose a personality disorder, described as the “major clinical issue giving rise to the improper use of firearms”.