Farmer murdered family members with shotgun

[Rewulf]

Such a waste of life, from the news report is sounds as if the old boy was a bit of a loose canon, literally. He probably had not seen his doctor in years so any mental issues would not be revealed. We don't know the whole story and his partner might have been the sort to taunt him to despair, who knows but as said earlier guns don't kill people, people do. A gun does make it easier to kill someone in a mad explosion of temper, killing with a knife or clubbing someone to death does give the victim more chance to escape. As long as there are guns these things will happen and the gun hating masses gain more strength to ban everything. What is important are the things that don't make the news, the many killings with illegal guns, mainly handguns, and the low percentage of carnage with licensed firearms. The police made a fatal error in their judgement this time but how many of us know people with firearms that may not have the best of temperaments to do so ? Our thoughts must be with the family of the victims, as for the police, maybe we should have a little more sympathy for them to, I would not want to make a decision on firearm ownership on someone I don't really know.

 

Good points here.

Whereas an accusation of threats to kill (with or without a firearm) are quite rightly, taken very seriously by licensing,they are extremely difficult to prove.

As is mental instability,his doctor could have seen him on a regular basis,but if he does not exhibit ,or admit to, violent temperament ,how would the doctor know to inform licensing ?

In the case of murder being easier with a firearm ?

As a spontaneous ,unplanned act, yes probably, but then again the firearm has to be recovered from storage/cabinet ,loaded and used,perhaps a small amount of time for reflection?

If premeditated murder is on the mind,it matters not,knife, hammer or pointy stick will accomplish the deed.

As said the percentage of murders committed with legally held firearms is mercifully low, and pales into comparison with all other murders.

But people have agendas,and one of them is the removal of private firearm ownership.

[BrowningB525]

The problem is that licensing officers are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

 

I've seen posts on facebook where people who I wouldn't trust with a potato peeler are asking for advice on their application. The instant response is join basc and they'll help you. The police have to deal with a help of a challenge every time they revoke or decline a cert. Unfortunately, some (but not many!) Will slip through the net.

 

It's not a job I envy. Especially for the money.