Published: 05 August 2025 | The English Chronicle Online
In a powerful testament to the enduring strength of human grief turned into activism, Emma Ambler – whose twin sister and two nieces were murdered in a tragic murder-suicide – has welcomed sweeping new government measures aimed at tightening gun control laws in the United Kingdom. After years of relentless campaigning, Emma says for the first time she believes her voice, and the voices of countless others failed by a broken system, are finally being heard.
The tragedy that changed her life occurred in March 2020, when Kelly Fitzgibbons, 40, and her young daughters, Ava, 4, and Lexi, 2, were shot dead by Kelly’s partner Robert Needham at their family home in Woodmancote, West Sussex. Needham, who also killed the family dog, turned the weapon on himself in what would later be revealed as a preventable massacre. He had acquired a shotgun licence despite lying on his application form about previous criminal convictions and treatment for mental health issues, including depression.
Emma, a 45-year-old NHS worker and mother of two from Birmingham, described the horror of discovering how easily the system allowed a man with red flags to access deadly weapons. “When I found out how easy it was for him to get that gun, despite certain circumstances, that’s what motivated me to do some campaigning – because it just felt so wrong,” she said. She recalls the chilling moment when she asked police how the licence was granted and was met with a shockingly casual response: “Loads of people lie on gun applications for various reasons.” That moment, Emma said, epitomised a systemic failure – one that deemed dishonesty on a gun licence application as almost routine.
After years of lobbying, Emma has now seen a glimmer of change. On Monday, she met with Home Office Minister Jess Phillips at the minister’s home in Birmingham to discuss long-overdue reforms. Among the changes, people with a known history of violence or domestic abuse will now be automatically barred from owning firearms. Crucially, police will be required to interview partners or family members of applicants to assess risk factors – a measure that directly responds to the concerns raised in Emma’s case.
From Tuesday, applicants for shotgun licences will also be required to provide two references instead of one, bringing the system in line with the more rigorous standards already in place for other firearm licences. Furthermore, new guidelines will treat dishonesty and omitted health disclosures as significant grounds for denying an application, closing the loophole that allowed Needham to obtain his weapon.
Emma, who has become a fierce advocate for victims’ rights in the wake of her family’s murder, said, “For the first time I did think someone is starting to listen a bit and appreciate that the guidance just isn’t good enough.” She described the pain of losing her “wonderful” sister and nieces but said she draws strength from seeing reform that could one day spare another family from enduring the same nightmare. “When you see some changes being made, it makes you think at least something is going to change for someone else hopefully,” she added.
The government’s new approach comes in the wake of multiple high-profile gun tragedies that have laid bare the failings of the UK’s licensing system. In August 2021, 22-year-old Jake Davison shot and killed his mother and four others, including a three-year-old girl, in the Keyham area of Plymouth. An inquest later found that “catastrophic failures” in the system allowed Davison to legally possess a shotgun despite a documented history of violence.
Further reform is on the horizon, with an upcoming consultation expected to address private firearms sales – a move prompted by the case of 19-year-old Nicholas Prosper. In 2024, Prosper murdered his mother and two siblings in Luton using a shotgun he acquired by forging a firearms licence. He was sentenced earlier this year to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 49 years.
Speaking to Minister Jess Phillips underlined the importance of treating gun ownership not as a right, but as a privilege. “It’s a real privilege in our country to hold a gun licence. It’s not something that the vast majority of people in our country do – and it’s not an innate right, either. It comes with caveats, because it can be – in Emma’s family’s case – potentially lethal.” Phillips, who has worked closely with Emma over the years, said the new guidelines reflect the input of victims’ families and aim to centre their lived experiences, rather than solely considering the interests of gun owners.
“This guidance ensures we aren’t just listening to those who hold firearms, but also to those who are at risk of suffering the consequences of unsafe access to guns,” Phillips added. She also challenged stereotypes that domestic violence and family homicides only affect certain kinds of people, emphasising that these tragedies can and do happen across all walks of life.
The changes have also received the support of coroners, victims’ advocacy groups, and mental health organisations – all of whom have long called for a more robust, transparent, and accountable firearms licensing system.
Emma’s campaign is a painful but powerful reminder that behind every statistic lies a story – a family torn apart, a future stolen, and a society that failed to act in time. But today, through her courage and commitment, there is hope that the country is at last taking the steps necessary to ensure that such a failure is never repeated.
