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Simon Clarke

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  1. Please see facebook and twitter feeds too - please spread the word, https://www.facebook.com/BASCuk @BASCnews We have written to the League, to local councils and to local MPs.
  2. We have just issued this press release and will be following up as detailed. Simon. BASC calls for resignation of North Yorkshire councillor over suicide comments The UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, (BASC) has called for the immediate resignation of an elected local councillor and animal rights extremist who posted comments on facebook mocking the suicide of a former soldier and game dealer. A further comment called for everyone who lawfully owns a gun and shoots live quarry to “kill themselves.” The comments were made by Thomas Woodward, an elected council member of Ryedale District Council and Pickering Town Council in North Yorkshire. Commenting on facebook on a news report on an inquest into the suicide of Allan Ellis from Bacup, Lancashire, Councillor Woodward said “Best use of a gun I can think of.” A second comment said: “If you choose to own a gun and kill for pleasure, then it’s best you kill yourself.” BASC’s chief executive Richard Ali said: “We are seeking the immediate resignation of this man from any elected office and a full apology to the family of Mr. Ellis for the distress he has caused. Mocking the suicide of anyone is absolutely unacceptable. Going further and stating that lawful gun owners should “kill themselves” is despicable behaviour. This man is not fit to hold a public office.” “In a register of financial and other interests Councillor Woodward has declared himself to be a member of the League Against Cruel Sports and the Hunt Saboteurs Association. BASC is calling for the League Against Cruel Sports to distance itself from these comments from one of its members and to confirm they are a breach of the values of the organisation.” BASC is contacting Ryedale District Council and Pickering Town Council to inform them of the facebook comments and to ask them to also publically distance themselves from Councillor Woodward’s comments and to take disciplinary action. BASC will also be contacting party group leaders on the council. The comments were published on a facebook page run by the Hunt Saboteurs Association and littered with sick comments such as “one scumbag less”, “he deserved it” “he did the right thing” and “a true coward till the end”. Richard Ali said “We know from past actions that animal rights extremists will stop at nothing in their misguided hatred of anyone involved in lawful shooting activities. These facebook comments and attacks show their true colours and will be roundly condemned.” ENDS For more information please call the BASC press office on 01244 573052 Comments can be viewed on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/HuntSaboteursAssociation
  3. Cannon, this is for GB but could be an important marker for NI
  4. Dan - your application should be unaffected. This consultation runs until 29 December and we hope the changes can be introduced in this parliament.
  5. like for like FAC variations will remain FOC. One-for-one will go down from £26 to £20 BASC believes this is a fair deal and should be supported in the online consultation. Police costs and procedures have been examined by BASC, BSSC, ACPO and the Home Office as part of a Home Office Fees Working Group. The initial police bid was for far higher fees. No-one can foresee what the next government will look like, or what they might do. This is the deal on the table. Fees have not been reviewed or changed since 2001. This will put in place a process of review to avoid long delays then calls for huge hikes in price. There is a short section in the consultation asking: The fees and costs for firearms licences administered by the police have to be reviewed annually. Do you have any comments on how the review process should be taken forward? BASC recommends: An annual inflation-linked review with a five year full review of police costs, procedures and service delivery.
  6. Variation fee proposal has now been corrected from £21 to £20 in the short consultation.
  7. Home Office now looking to correct the discrepancy : straight from Pigeon Watch to the Government.
  8. Variation fee is shown as £21 not £20 so still cheaper Appears to be a discrepancy in the HO figures - £20 mentioned in the full consultation. Well spotted - I will bring it to the attention of the HO Thanks, Simon.
  9. BASC's advice to members and a link to firearm security advice can be seen here
  10. Listen to BASC's Ian Danby on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning with John Humphrys - talking about conservation and invasive species. (Item starts at 49:19 on the slider bar) http://bbc.in/TELlL7
  11. Airgun licensing in Scotland a costly and bureaucratic mistake To see this press release on the BASC website, please click here. A system to license the estimated half-a-million airguns in Scotland will be a costly and bureaucratic mistake, brought in as airgun crime has fallen by 75%, according to Scotland’s largest shooting organisation, BASC Scotland. BASC Scotland says airgun licensing is unnecessary, costly and impractical, despite the Scottish Government’s publication of the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill. It flies in the face of evidence, the results of the public consultation and fails on every principle of good regulation. BASC says a licensing system will place unnecessary burdens on police time and budgets, will only be taken up by already law-abiding airgun users, and will have little effect on criminal misuse. Dr Colin Shedden, director of BASC Scotland, said: “Offences involving air weapons in Scotland have fallen by 75% in recent years. In 2006-07 there was a ten-year-peak of 683 air weapon offences. In 2012-13, after six years of steady decline, there were 171 offences. In addition, all firearms offences are now at the lowest level since records began. Airguns are already extensively regulated by law, with more than thirty offences on the statute books. Bringing in this legislation will not deter those who are already determined to break the law.” “The drop in crimes has been achieved by the Scottish Government, Police Scotland and shooting organisations such as BASC working together to improve education and enforcement of existing legislation. Further work in this direction would reap greater benefits than a disproportionate, expensive and bureaucratic licensing system that would have to accommodate the estimated 500,000 air weapons in Scotland. Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill recently announced that this “education and enforcement” approach has also proved successful in reducing knife crime in the west of Scotland. If this is good enough for knife crime why would anyone think that licensing of all air weapons in Scotland, and all those brought in by visitors, is proportional, practical or affordable?” “Currently, 60,000 people in Scotland already hold firearms licences. Increasing the licensing requirement to cover hundreds of thousands of people in Scotland plus visitors will place existing Police Scotland licensing staff under a massive administrative burden when offences have fallen significantly and the police are subject to pressure on both budgets and staffing.” ENDS
  12. Do you have gamekeeping expertise? BASC is looking for a game and gamekeeping officer with personal experience in gamekeeping and great organisational skills to join our team. More details: http://bit.ly/1uYEYBe
  13. Do you know your deer? BASC is recruiting a deer officer to join our team. We are looking for someone with experience in deer management and with great communication skills. More details: http://bit.ly/1l8ep5W
  14. Do you have gamekeeping expertise? BASC is looking for a game and gamekeeping officer with personal experience in gamekeeping and great organisational skills to join our team. More details: http://bit.ly/1uYEYBe
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