Blunderbust Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 How simple can this be, the press sell the papers and don't worry about the truth getting in the way of a good story. Not unlike a few on here. Some of the guns were airguns, fair enough, some were sub machine guns. They are very naughty. I like a laugh and a joke but don't knock trident, they target armourers, not many others do, hence they will cause issues with people selling guns. This is rare as mostly they are the pinnacle of covert policing and recover numerous weapons, I know as I have kept the pics of the guns I have seized, I know I have upset people in my day job, I also know I have helped people with items seized and made sure they are released asap so not to inconvenience law abiding shooters. Not often have I found someone lawfully in possession of a sub machine gun, or for that matter over a ton of drugs, it wasn't much fun moving that about to be fair. As an officer I realise everyone can do my job better than me. Why have you kept pics of the guns you have seized? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCat Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 Why not, when a .45 colt comes out a window and lands at your feet it's worth a quick photo to show you colleagues in the pub later. Only human you know. Remember the press releasese are done by someone else and not the officers so by the time the officer has got back and had a cup of tea someone who was never there and knows little about it has penned a release and pit it out for tender. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted April 19, 2014 Report Share Posted April 19, 2014 I don't think anyone is suggesting or implying that they can do the job better - more a case of disappointment that a good job done is being let down by poorly conceived tabloid-ish publicity. Illegal firearms (the sawn-off, submachine guns, if that's what they were, not deacs) off the street and out of the hands of scrotes - great. Publishing a trophy photo including starting pistols and airguns, all described as illegal firearms - not so great. Tends to lose you some sympathy and support from a law-abiding section of the community who could reasonably be expected to be right behind the aims of Trident, but are rather touchy about this sort of "All Guns Are Evil" publicity. I do realise that you can't necessarily control what the papers actually print, but the material released could be better chosen. Good post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzab Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) I love this forum and spend a great deal of time reading and commenting. BUT Ive more than had enough of the constant police bashing ********. With the pittance finances and resources avail they do the best they can which I think is very well. So theres a few air pistols etc in the pic. The scrotes that have them intend them to scare and intimidate people. So the fact they've been seized is a good thing. And most people like to see these articles. So im sorry but for **** sake stop moaning and bashing the poor ****. Its getting stupid now the amount of different threads full of it. Ill leave that as my last comment on this thread I think for fear of getting banned!!!! Edited April 20, 2014 by bazzab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 I love this forum and spend a great deal of time reading and commenting. BUT Ive more than had enough of the constant police bashing ********. With the pittance finances and resources avail they do the best they can which I think is very well. So theres a few air pistols etc in the pic. The scrotes that have them intend them to scare and intimidate people. So the fact they've been seized is a good thing. And most people like to see these articles. So im sorry but for **** sake stop moaning and bashing the poor ****. Its getting stupid now the amount of different threads full of it. Ill leave that as my last comment on this thread I think for fear of getting banned!!!! I don't think it's a case of 'police bashing' but rather annoyance at inaccurate and misleading information being released into the public domain in a deliberate to attempt to mislead and embellish what isn't really as big a story as either the police or media would have us believe. I get just as annoyed when our shooting organisations do similar to promote themselves, as I do when LACS do likewise to suit their agendas. I've said it before and I'll say it again; no one does anyone any favours (least of all themselves) when they resort to underhanded and misleading tactics to suit their agenda. The practice is dishonest and therefore worthy of our distrust. The police in the main do a good job in difficuilt circumstances, but the subject which brought about this thread isn't one of their better ones.I think Captain Beaky summed it up perfectly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srspower Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 Given how many air rifles and CO2 pistols there are as well as the distinct lack of photos of any actually cartridges I don't believe any of them are genuine firearms. Take that walther PP7? I bet you it's a 8mm blank firer, I had one as a boy very common back in the day. The rest like the Thompson are almost certainly deactivated. Because think about it, if you were the sort of gangland criminal to own sawn off shotguns, handguns and automatic rifles why on earth would you bother with air rifles and pistols? Someones been telling massive porkies IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aris Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 (edited) Perhaps there is another motive here: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/gangs-use-antique-guns-loophole-to-import-deadly-weapons-into-london-9267108.html Some better pictures at the mirror: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pictured-met-police-seize-assault-3423808 Edited April 20, 2014 by aris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosd Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 It's funny how so many posters on this thread want to belittle the haul because a large number of the find were "just an air gun" and some even boast they'd laugh if one was pointed at them! I wonder how the same people here would see it if their kids, had one of these "harmless" guns pointed at them to rob them of the mobile phone? Or if an elderly person, mum, dad, brother, sister suffered a stroke from the shock of having one of these "harmless" guns pointed at them? My guess is these harmless guns would then be seen somewhat differently. The sheer fact that there was a machine gun and sawn off shot gun in the find pretty much tells you what these are intended for. Taking these off the streets could only be a good thing, even though not everyone is that impressed!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzab Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 It's funny how so many posters on this thread want to belittle the haul because a large number of the find were "just an air gun" and some even boast they'd laugh if one was pointed at them! I wonder how the same people here would see it if their kids, had one of these "harmless" guns pointed at them to rob them of the mobile phone? Or if an elderly person, mum, dad, brother, sister suffered a stroke from the shock of having one of these "harmless" guns pointed at them? My guess is these harmless guns would then be seen somewhat differently. The sheer fact that there was a machine gun and sawn off shot gun in the find pretty much tells you what these are intended for. Taking these off the streets could only be a good thing, even though not everyone is that impressed!! Well said sir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srspower Posted April 20, 2014 Report Share Posted April 20, 2014 It's funny how so many posters on this thread want to belittle the haul because a large number of the find were "just an air gun" and some even boast they'd laugh if one was pointed at them! I wonder how the same people here would see it if their kids, had one of these "harmless" guns pointed at them to rob them of the mobile phone? Or if an elderly person, mum, dad, brother, sister suffered a stroke from the shock of having one of these "harmless" guns pointed at them? My guess is these harmless guns would then be seen somewhat differently. The sheer fact that there was a machine gun and sawn off shot gun in the find pretty much tells you what these are intended for. Taking these off the streets could only be a good thing, even though not everyone is that impressed!! Nobody is disputing that are they? The point is misrepresentation, sure if they are replicas and used as a way to rob people they probably should be off the streets. But if they were honest about it this wouldn't of made the news and we wouldn't be having this discussion would we? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenwolf Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 Some of you sound just like the anti-gunners. The article lies massively when it reckons you can just carry these antiques down the street at your waist without any repercussions which is rubbish. If you want to fire a section 58 gun it needs to be transferred to your section 1 license, so yeah criminals aren't probably going to get a firearms license. "The sheer fact that there was a machine gun and sawn off shot gun in the find pretty much tells you what these are intended for. Taking these off the streets could only be a good thing, even though not everyone is that impressed!!" Are you for real? It's a friggin deact! I suppose if you bash someone's head in with it it might be dangerous, but otherwise just use a 4*4 or a metal bar, same result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mighty Prawn Posted April 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 I never started this thread to bash the police and have nothing but respect for them doing a very difficult job in very difficult times, what I was hoping to raise for discussion, and I think it has, is the fact that we as a shooting community are constantly having to defend our sport from people who see no difference between pigeon shooting and a rampage at a junior school - all just nutters with guns! And here we have a report from the police that a large number of firearms have been seized, many of which are not firearms, would it not be more honest and therefore useful installing trust in the police statements if they qualified which were genuine, capable of firing, firearms, and which were air guns or similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenwolf Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 The problem is that the problem is with the media reporting things as they would like it to be, sensationalizing things, the police are generally anti-gun as well. I remember a quote by the head of London Met one year who said that they hoped to restrict and limit the number of legally held weapons in London. I wonder why that would be, if these people have been vetted and checked why would they want to restrict access to guns to law abiding people, this smacks of a more snister agenda. This article with antiques is part of the same agenda, the fact that in thier eyes antiques are not as regulated, meaning these can be posessed by anyone without a license, they are trying to make it out to be that everyone is carrying or posessing them for nefarious purposes and that they should be banned or more tightly controlled. IN efect it is the same argument that is happening north of the border with low powered airguns and which I beleive is going to coe here as well judging by the many anti-airgun articles out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyatt Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 Does a weapon have to be able to be fired to threaten or intimidate someone? I would say not. I've been around firearms for over 20 years, if someone waved a gun at me I'd still soil myself and hand over my wallet/wife/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steppenwolf Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 No but if you are talking in these terms, I am sure that a good woodworker could make a replica gun, paint it blackand then use it to threaten someone. This is a moronig argument since anyone could be threatened by a myriad of objects in common use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzab Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Made, adapted or intended if I remember correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norfolk dumpling Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Anyone see anything of the so called "haul of firearms/explosives" found in Suffolk? Head of the local council arrested and a controlled explosion took place. Seems to have gone very quiet. Obviously Suffolk police have a different PR team to the one which sparked off this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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