stuartyboy

Shooting is in for a rocky ride as there's no public support for it. Shooters arguing over different types of guns won't make a difference in the great scheme of things. If you break down the figures, and humour me here as there will be some guesswork, I will try to explain why public perception is so important. In my opinion anyway. Around 1% of the UK population is licensed to hold a firearm/shotgun. Say, for talking sake, another 9 % support shooting as their businesses may depend on it, family members shoot, they may have air guns that aren't licensed etc etc etc. Thats 10% of the population that support shooting sports in some form. And then you might have another 10% totally against shooting and guns for whatever reason. Might be a higher percentage, might be lower, but its a reasonable guess. So laws are generally changed by public opinion influencing politicians who in turn change policy or law. There's no point in reaching out to the 10 % of shooters. They support shooting and understand the benefits. Theres no point in reaching out to the 10 % of antis. There minds are made up and unlikely to be influenced. So that leaves the 80% of the population who have no knowledge, bias or interest in shooting. They are the ones who would support further restrictions or not, which would ultimately influence policy and law. And it will always be easier for them to say 'ban guns' as their default position as they don't use them, need them or have any interest. Thats why shooting has to come across in the best possible way for everyone. I'm not just referring to the picture, though I don't think its well chosen and does give the wrong impression. But we need to promote all aspects of what we do sensibly. Starting from the organisations pushing forward a good environmental reason to each and everyone of us acting as ambassadors for our sport.

I think you're right in what you say regarding who the picture is aimed at but still don't see what having a fixed bayonet has to do with any form of shooting.

Seems like a poor choice of picture. Regardless of personal views on the look of certain guns, to have a bayonet fitted in the picture is a bit stupid. How can anyone counter the negative image of firearms ownership commonly portrayed by the media, and argue for the benefits shooting and gun ownership can bring when a Shooting Show advert has a picture of an AK lookalike with attached bayonet. Makes you wonder who the target audience is? I'm guessing the picture won't appeal to the vast majority of shooters.

Agree, this clip sums it up

What range would the Pard work out too with the onboard IR?

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Badger Protection Act 1992. Section 1, subsection 3. Offence to be in possession of dead badger, any part thereof or anything derived from badger without lawful reason or authority etc etc

Its an offence to be in possession of a dead badger unless certain conditions are met. One of our more obscure laws. Also illegal to be in possession of part of a dead one or anything derived from it 🤔 . Few defences to that but too long winded to go in to. Badger Protection Act 1992 i think?

Fair enough but I think if anyone wants to debate gun control or similar, a new thread should be started and I will happily contribute. This thread should be left to commemorate the tragedy that occurred without being clouded by arguments of the rights or wrongs of law changes after.

Don't be so pedantic. Handguns have been banned in mainland UK. Sure, there's exemptions but by and large they are banned for the vast majority of people. I know you will come back and say you can get black powder handguns, long barrel pistols, mag restricted handguns etc but handguns as we used to use are no longer available to the vast majority of shooters. Just like semi automatic rifles were banned after Hungerford. The only exemption being .22 rimfire. What happened at Dunblane was horrific and the law change after was understandable. Unliked by shooters but after what happened there was never going to be anything else. Personally, I think its bad taste for anyone to use a thread started to remember the atrocity and the victims to debate the rights or wrongs of gun control.

I'm currently using Medcert after my doctor refused to sign the forms. Have to say, very impressed with the service provided so far, though still in the process. Its £60 but think there are reduced rates for members of some organisations?

Thank you, will have a look at that when I get the chance to read it properly

Magpies are indigenous to the UK and their spread is a concern but they've not been released artificially. Unfortunately, their spread is nature taking advantage of a void. And a void that magpies can take advantage of as they're thriving for various reasons. In regards to the Goosander, grey squirrels have been present here for about the same time. Both can be considered to be problematic. However, its of no concern in regards to this debate as there's no need for them to be 're-wilded' as they're already present. Which leads you to the question, what species should be re introduced? Obviously, you want species that will have a positive and beneficial impact. My initial point was that I support re wilding. Certainly to a point anyway. I like the thought of seeing species like beaver, re introduction of otters in places they are scarce, even apex predators like lynx. There's an argument that they will help the bio diversity and balance of nature which can only be a good thing.

I support rewilding with indigenous species. For me personally, the more wildlife I see and varied the better. The benefits are numerous both enviromentally and financial. I appreciate that for a minority it may cause some issues but on the whole, for a healthy countryside we need as much diversity as possible. Obviously some species such as grey squirrels are enormously harmful but not as harmful to the environment as humans. Its people who have changed the landscape to a theme of monoculture as a whole with very little biodiversity, not the absence or inclusion of certain species. Take your example of the otters. You had concerns but now they are present they have greatly helped restore the balance in favour of a healthy water system which benefits the trout.

To me, a bigger concern is why the Police post out your unsigned certificates through the normal mail. Its obvious through the envelopes 'window' what it is by the print, paper and colour. Any one working with Royal Mail could easily identify it and steal it. That would be an easier method of getting a certificate rather than a forgery. Obviously it would need the picture changed but that would be relatively easy to do.

Not allowed. You would need to deactivate it. And spend money on proof houses to get a de act certificate. However, you could keep the barrels and forend. But, as always, check with your licensing branch first to confirm.

Often wonder how the rural fox population survives on some places. When I started, it was a .22lr and lead acid battery. Now its thermal to spot, NV scope on top of a centrefire and all manner of expensive calls.

Sure others will be along to recommend but you may have hit upon a stumbling block with your point 4 that will cause you an issue. A valid shotgun certificate in Scotland only allows you to possess any air guns already in your possession when legislation was brought in to licence air guns. If you wish to acquire an air gun you need an air weapon certificate. When your SGC expires, you will need a separate Air Weapon Licence to possess any air guns. Put simply, an existing FAC or SGC covers you for any airguns you already have. Until your licence expires then you will need an AWC. Not sure how it stands if you are to buy an airgun south of the border.

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The majority of dogs aren't trained for shooting though, why would they? Majority of people don't shoot, their dogs are pets. Fair enough, that a shooting dog will cope with fireworks but the average pet dog won't. My (pet) dog is a rescue dog and struggles with any loud noises. I've tried to train him but the damage was done before he came to us and is deep rooted in him. To see him shaking in fear and stressed when fireworks go off is a shame. I also know a dog that died due to the stress of fireworks.

I got my license at around 18 and no one else in the family shot. It would help greatly if you had someone who could take you under their wing, like a mentor. You would learn from them, gain more from the experience. Licensing would be more inclined to look at your application positively if you had the support from another license holder. They could also countersign your application. Best bet is to contact your Licensing department for advice. You will get a lot of advice from sites like this, but only the FEO can offer proper advice based on the information you give him. Good luck with it all, and even if you have to wait a couple of years before applying, its worth the wait.

No problem at all with folk enjoying the countryside in a responsible way. Would appreciate though if they didn't litter, set fires, leave gates open, run dogs off the lead etc. Disturbance of my personal shooting is a nuisance but not much I can really do about. Something I now have to allow for.

Very good gun

Has anyone else noticed a massive increase of the public walking through their permissions since Covid? One piece of ground, I used to see an average of someone out for a walk one time out of ten. Now, everytime I go out, I'm seeing up to a dozen folk out walking in groups of 3 or 4. Another piece of ground, I've got dog walkers, wild swimmers, bird watchers etc etc. I don't mind others enjoying the countryside but I'm having gates left open, rubbish left not to mention good shooting ruined.

Been disappointing for me since I added my last tally. My shooting has been spoiled by the amount of people walking through the woods since the initial lockdown. Before, I never seen anyone, last time I was up, 9 people in different groups out for a walk. So 27 to add. All on the feeder and mostly with the air rifle. To be fair, there does seem a lot less about so hopefully the years of control has taken effect. TOTAL 1916