Air gun law

[cartridge]

On the first of october you have to be 18 to buy a air gun i have a sgc can i still buy a shotgun at 17.

[Tom Janaway]

Yea. i think that it's stupid that you can buy a shotgun at 17, but there putting the age of purchasing an air gun up to 18. thats really really stupid in my opinion.

 

And in answer to your question i'm 100% sure that you can still buy a shotgun.

[pin]

I think its a move in the right direction, not stupid at all. To be able to buy a Shotgun you need to be vetted. To buy an air gun you don't need to be vetted, just old enough. If you apply for an SGC and you are a little scrote this will come across and you won't get one.

 

In exactly the same way as the drinking age is 18 you will still have under age kids drinking. Everyone knows some older kid who will just buy it for them, same with this.

[beatingisbest]

I think its a move in the right direction, not stupid at all. To be able to buy a Shotgun you need to be vetted. To buy an air gun you don't need to be vetted, just old enough. If you apply for an SGC and you are a little scrote this will come across and you won't get one.

 

In exactly the same way as the drinking age is 18 you will still have under age kids drinking. Everyone knows some older kid who will just buy it for them, same with this.

 

 

Agree 100%

[loopy bunny blaster]

I think its a move in the right direction, not stupid at all. To be able to buy a Shotgun you need to be vetted. To buy an air gun you don't need to be vetted, just old enough. If you apply for an SGC and you are a little scrote this will come across and you won't get one.

 

In exactly the same way as the drinking age is 18 you will still have under age kids drinking. Everyone knows some older kid who will just buy it for them, same with this.

 

 

i was just going to say that pin

 

once again you've hit the nail on the head.

[AIRARMSTX200]

Yea. i think that it's stupid that you can buy a shotgun at 17, but there putting the age of purchasing an air gun up to 18. thats really really stupid in my opinion.

 

And in answer to your question i'm 100% sure that you can still buy a shotgun.

 

 

no licence for airguns so they put age up to make harder to obtain one. shotguns however your vetted by the police your not vetted for airguns how many times lately you heard in the news someone been indiscriminatly shot with a 12 bore or the like.

[roadkill]

airguns should carry the same vetting as shotguns if you ask me

[peter-peter]

Yea. i think that it's stupid that you can buy a shotgun at 17, but there putting the age of purchasing an air gun up to 18. thats really really stupid in my opinion.

 

And in answer to your question i'm 100% sure that you can still buy a shotgun.

bit of difference here tom, some little ****s round my area are shooting air guns at innocent people,

they have been seen and are estimated to be about 14/15 years of age not good for the true shooters.

bad for the genuine air gunners.

its time the law regulated air guns, they can kill just as a shotgun can and without the noise, to many air guns are in the wrong hands.

if some little **** shot your mother in the back of the neck whilst mowing her lawn.

I don't think you would find the law so stupid.

[berettaman1]

As usual spot on there Pete, around here there has been several instances of Swans and even people who have been shot by idiots with air rifles,I hope the new law cuts down such incidents, if not then people will probally have to be licenced as with Shotguns .

[Popgun]

I think airguns need the same controls as shotguns any problems with airguns is logged by the police as gun crime and used against all gun owners

[Wookie]

I'm guessing that they won't take airguns away from the existing under 18 owners. Basically, another knee-jerk reaction from Labour.

[paulos]

I don't think raising the age limit by a year will prevent misuse of airguns at all. If I were to hazard a guess at what age the people who misuse them are, I doubt if they are 17 or 18, nore like 13-16. Licensing theoretically, would reduce the problem, however so many are in circulation that it would only be the ones used responsibly that would be registered.

If it were up to me, I would allow only registered firearms dealers to be able to sell them. That way it would cut down on the number of angling shops and market stalls selling cheap chinese B2's, which any real sportsman knows, are absolute rubbish. They are too inaccurate for target shooting and lack the power for hunting. Playing is the only thing are good for.

[pin]

The main problem with any moves to restrict airgun usage or ownership or to impose tighter controls is the number of weapons already out there. There is no register of these guns and there are probably millions of them. Having an amnesty would be as successful as the handgun one, all legal and responsible owners ending up handing them in because they don't want the hassle of applying to keep them. Then there will be the people who have one and don't bother registering it, or those who for nefarious reasons won't register them.

 

Main end result, I think, will be a significant reduction in numbers of completely safely held weapons with absolutely no impact to the fools who cause all the trouble.

 

Mind, to say "it's pointless" won't get us anywhere. I have said before and say again, ok then restrict the sale of guns but make the ammo harder to get hold of. Eventually people will run out of pellets and then the gun's are useless.

 

No?

[Axe]

I think people need to consider just what a law can do and what it cant do. I'm reading more and more statements like 'another nail in the coffin', 'another knee Jerk Reaction', 'It won't prevent crime', etc.. What is it that you expect a law to do? An illegal firearm will always be an illegal firearm, illegal use and or ownership will always be illegal use and or ownership. These illegal activities will always be performed by people who have a disregard for the law. So again I ask you, what do you expect the change of law to do?

 

The way I see it is, that whilst the VCR Bill has alot of holes whithin it, it is still a move in the right direction. Increasing the age limit and making it an RFD only face to face deal, removes the opportunist from the equation. Some kid walking through a market with £30 in his pocket see's an airgun and takes the opportunity to make his purchase. The guy on the stall couldnt care less and the kid goes off to create havoc with a gun he has little understanding about. If the VCR Bill stops this, then that MUST be a good thing surely.

 

Those of us among us that are under the legal purchasing age of 18 will surely be upstanding enough to have someone to vouch for them an make the purchase on their behalf. So how does it really affect you. I don't like the change more than the next guy but I do recognise that things must change if we are to keep our sport. Would you rather they just ban airguns like they did handguns? thought not.

[LEFTY478]

I have said before and say again, ok then restrict the sale of guns but make the ammo harder to get hold of. Eventually people will run out of pellets and then the gun's are useless.

 

No?

 

Agreed, restricting supply of airgun ammo may help, but unfotunately if, as it seems; your average school drop out can set up and run a Crack Lab in their council flat kitchen and produce class A drugs using toothpaste, shampoo and a little splash of Balsamic etc, it's not beyond the relms of possibility that the same ***** will just knock-out home made Bisleys using a bit of the nearest church roof, a saucepan and a pellet mould off fleabay. Is it?

[1 of 5]

With secondhand private sales totally unaffected that same kid can walk round a car boot sale with his £30 and buy one. The only people this bill will affect are the already law abiding. It will have zero effect on current airgun misuse. What is needed is more enforcement not more laws. All that this VCR bill has done is to kill off internet sales from UK businesses. This will mean huge price rises for airgunners as RFDs no longer need to compete with the mail order guys.

 

Whilst ever the gun itself is the target of legislation the laws will simply not work. The misuser must become the target of the law as they are in just about every other area. Take cars - are cars harder to buy because some drunk drives one into a bus queue? No - the misuser is dealt with. Until such an approach is used with guns legislation will continue to fail. It's depressing that so many shooters miss that point.

[Axe]

But secondhand sales are affected by the VCR Bill. It states very clearly that it is an offense to sell an airgun or ammunition to anyone under 18 years of age:

 

26 Age limits for purchase etc. of air weapons

 

(1) The 1968 Act is amended as follows.

(2) For section 22(1) (acquisition and possession of firearms by minors)

substitute—

 

(1) It is an offence—

(a) for a person under the age of eighteen to purchase or hire an air weapon or ammunition for an air weapon;

(B) for a person under the age of seventeen to purchase or hire a firearm or ammunition of any other description.â€

 

(3) In subsection (4) of that section, for “seventeen†substitute “eighteenâ€.

 

(4) For section 24(1) (supplying firearms to minors) substitute—

 

“(1) It is an offence—

(a) to sell or let on hire an air weapon or ammunition for an air weapon to a person under the age of eighteen;

(B) to sell or let on hire a firearm or ammunition of any other description to a person under the age of seventeen.â€

 

 

This also answers the question that Cartridge asked, yes you can still purchase a shotgun at 17.

[1 of 5]

Technically you are correct in that secondhand private sales are affected in that the age is raised to 18 but in reality they are going to continue as before. It's not 17 year olds causing problems though and do you believe the chap selling his old Meteor at a car boot will know about this law let alone care about it?

 

It's not the gun that's the problem - it's the thug and there's already plenty of laws in that area. It's the lack of belief they'll be caught and then the lack of belief they'll get a harsh punishment that is the problem.

[pin]

It's not the gun that's the problem - it's the thug and there's already plenty of laws in that area. It's the lack of belief they'll be caught and then the lack of belief they'll get a harsh punishment that is the problem.

 

Bang on. Comes back to the simple principle that if the punishment fit the crime, nobody would do time

[Lancs Lad]

Its about time I think.

 

Im all for people shooting, but air guns are often used by idiots with no permission to go on land and we always hear of the horror stories.

 

Idiots with air guns, at least this way the shop have some form of vetting.

 

I would like to see the sale of them restricted unless given a clerance, not to the same full effect as a SGC but something along the lines.

 

No more trakky cladded rockport wearing idiots with SMKS.......

[Gamekeeper]

{The way I see it is, that whilst the VCR Bill has alot of holes whithin it, it is still a move in the right direction. Increasing the age limit and making it an RFD only face to face deal, removes the opportunist from the equation. Some kid walking through a market with £30 in his pocket see's an airgun and takes the opportunity to make his purchase. The guy on the stall couldnt care less and the kid goes off to create havoc with a gun he has little understanding about. If the VCR Bill stops this, then that MUST be a good thing surely.}

 

GK: Perhaps, but the bad effects of a law must be balanced against its supposed good effects. Often the one outwiehgs the other.

 

 

{Those of us among us that are under the legal purchasing age of 18 will surely be upstanding enough to have someone to vouch for them an make the purchase on their behalf. So how does it really affect you.}

 

It means I can't buy mail order any more. Mail order is much more convenient, much cheaper, much more choice with the ability to compare prices and specifications across a wide range of rifles.

 

{ I don't like the change more than the next guy but I do recognise that things must change if we are to keep our sport. Would you rather they just ban airguns like they did handguns? thought not.}

 

But the new Act and a total ban are not the only two alternatives, are they? So your question is irrelevant.

[Axe]

GK it doesnt reduce your choice or the ability to compare prices nor does it stop an online purchase from a registered dealer and then have it transfered to another registered dealer for your collection. I do agree however, that it does make it more inconvenient but thats a small price to pay.

 

The question isnt irelevant, it makes you consider the alternatives and in my view that would be the full licensing of airguns. Which will at least keep any problems from our door step so to speak.

[njc110381]

The trouble with these laws is that they do nothing for the guns already on the streets. Any decent rifle that is used to shoot an old lady will still be going strong in ten years time as long as it's not confiscated. These thugs need a ******* good kick up the ars* when caught, and a good stint of community service. If that doesn't work, some kind of military style camp for six months should sort them out. If they were made to labour all day, they may even cover the wages of the guys that are watching them. Free justice

[Gamekeeper]

GK it doesnt reduce your choice or the ability to compare prices nor does it stop an online purchase from a registered dealer and then have it transfered to another registered dealer for your collection. I do agree however, that it does make it more inconvenient but thats a small price to pay.

 

Is it though? How do you know how much it will cost shooters, in time and money, to collect from a registered dealer? Do you know how many of them have a car, for example? Or how many are more than 20 miles from a dealer?

 

And anyway, it's a small price to pay for *what*? What do I, or anyone else, get in return for this price that I pay? As has been pointed out, this law won't stop idiots shooting people with airguns already in circulation, or with airguns "borrowed" from by their dad or elder brother.

 

The question isnt irelevant, it makes you consider the alternatives and in my view that would be the full licensing of airguns. Which will at least keep any problems from our door step so to speak.

 

It's a slippery slope. Ultimately the authorities would like to licence everything, and no wonder. They can brag to the "Something Must Be Done About This Evil Practice" lobby that they're making us all safer. Also lots of lovely extra taxes and a whole load of new civil service jobs. They're even going to licence sea fishing now. And what do we get in return? Sweet FA.

 

It is just a con.

[Axe]

I respect your opinions but will have to agree to disagree. The small price to pay is to be rid of a looming ban and have attention drawn to the correct area that is the 'real' problem. This being a lack of Police/CPS effort to enforce what Law we have. At the risk of repeating myself, a Law can not stop any individual/s from breaking it. Licensing is the only way forward in my opinion, it will bring airguns inline with current FAC/SGC requirements, which is where they should be.