AIR GUN BAN NEARLY HERE

[reaper6]

Ian Swanson: Ban on airguns finally looks to be in Holyrood's sights

 

 

 

Published Date: 24 June 2009

By Ian Swanson

WHEN two-year-old Andrew Morton was killed four years ago after being shot with an airgun, there were widespread demands for a crackdown on the deadly weapons.

Andrew was being carried by his 13-year-old brother in Glasgow's Easterhouse estate when he was hit by a pellet in the head. An unemployed 27-year-old man, who had been taking pot shots from the window of his flat, was later sentenced to life imprisonment for murder

 

 

 

Andrew's parents collected 11,000 signatures calling for a ban on airguns.

 

Regulations were tightened in the wake of Andrew's death – the minimum age for possession of an air weapon was raised from 17 to 18 and firearms dealers were required to register with the police.

 

But moves to go further – for instance, piloting a licensing system in Scotland that would have restricted airguns to those involved in pest control or shooting clubs – were rebuffed by the Home Office.

 

However, after the publication of the cross-party Calman report this month, it now looks as if responsibility for legislation on airguns is going to be transferred from Westminster to Holyrood – and the SNP will act to ban them.

 

Despite previously opposing such a transfer of power, the UK government has now signalled it is ready to agree to the move.

 

And justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has promised he would use the new powers to bring in a ban on air weapons.

 

Exceptions would be made for those who use airguns in the course of their job – for example, farmers using them for pest control – and registered gun clubs.

 

But general sales would be outlawed and an amnesty would probably be declared in a bid to gather in most of the 400,000 air weapons thought to be held in Scotland.

 

Three Scots have died and more than 1,150 injured in airgun incidents over the past nine years.

 

Just a few weeks after Andrew Morton's death in 2005, a six-year-old boy in Edinburgh was shot in the head with an airgun near his home in Pennywell Medway, Muirhouse. Tyler Scott was playing outside with his eight-year-old sister Jodie when he felt a sharp pain. Doctors said if the pellet had hit him a millimetre to the right, he too could have been killed.

 

And in September last year, a young mother and her baby daughter had a lucky escape after a bus they were travelling in came under fire. Lynsey Wade, 20, and one-year-old daughter Rihanna were on the X95 First bus service approaching Edinburgh Royal Infirmary when the window they were sitting next to was shattered by what appeared to be an airgun pellet.

 

There have also been numerous attacks on animals using air weapons, including the case last year of a stray cat in South Queensferry that had been shot up to 40 times, leaving him so badly injured a leg had to be amputated.

 

Last summer, a pet cat in Tranent, East Lothian, lost an eye after being shot by an air rifle.

 

Soon afterwards, a champion showjumping horse was shot in the neck by gun-wielding thugs as it grazed in a field near Musselburgh. The pellet missed a main artery by inches.

 

And this month, the Evening News reported how Jinky the ginger and white moggy from South Queensferry lost his miaow after he was shot in the throat with an airgun.

 

An advertising campaign launched by the Scottish Government in March aimed to end any remaining myth that air weapons can be treated like toys.

 

Former first minister Jack McConnell wanted to go further than the UK restrictions on airguns, but his lobbying for a licensing or permit system fell on deaf ears at Westminster. And after the SNP took over at Holyrood, former home secretary Jacqui Smith repeatedly rejected proposals from Mr MacAskill for a pilot licensing scheme in Scotland and declined jointly hosting a summit on the issue.

 

Edinburgh City Council even considered passing a special bylaw to ban airguns in the Capital, before giving up the idea because of "legal, political and practical difficulties".

 

There were an estimated 145 firearms offences involving airguns in Lothian and Borders last year.

 

The Calman commission – set up by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Tories – said it was not convinced Scotland had a general problem with firearms, but it acknowledged there was "appetite" to deal with air weapons differently in Scotland and concluded that the advantages of enabling the Scottish Parliament to do so outweighed the disadvantages.

 

The SNP now wants the apparent unanimity on the transfer of responsibility to be put into action as quickly as possible. A Scottish Government source says: "No further debate is needed – there is now complete agreement between the Scottish Government and the Calman parties."

 

The switch could be effected under secondary legislation and the SNP says that means it could easily be completed before the end of the year. The government source believes there would also be cross-party agreement on a ban.

 

If powers were transferred sooner rather than later, the pressure would then be on the Scottish Government to act quickly.

 

Provided the SNP could find room for an airgun ban in its legislative programme – and one of the criticisms of the current government is that its list of forthcoming bills is rather light – then the measure could be passed before the next elections in 2011.

Edited June 29, 2009 by reaper6

[MPT1]

All the occurences you mention are of course reprehensible, so is running over a cat or a child with a car. Is there any rumour of banning cars in Scotland or anywhere else in the UK?

[Bazooka Joe]

Just a matter of time before a License System is implemented, or, a Total Ban,

 

BJ

[perfect]

licencing them would not be ideal but it would not really bother me to much if they added it as section 2 along with my shotguns.

[J@mes]

licencing them would not be ideal but it would not really bother me to much if they added it as section 2 along with my shotguns.

 

 

even tighter controls over the innocent is not a road we want to be going down. Tighter penalties on the guilty is the ONLY way forward.

[mossy835]

put a licence on them and it still wont work.

[Joe99]

Regulations were tightened in the wake of Andrew's death – the minimum age for possession of an air weapon was raised from 17 to 18 and firearms dealers were required to register with the police.

Were they not already licenced?

Soon afterwards, a champion showjumping horse was shot in the neck by gun-wielding thugs as it grazed in a field near Musselburgh. The pellet missed a main artery by inches.

Cue some knobhead claiming to have killed a horse at 200 yards, with a B2

[bobt]

airguns are already on licence in northern ireland

[shot shot]

airguns are already on licence in northern ireland

don't we know it

[bullet boy]

Its People who do the damage!They banned handguns-people are still being killed by these!There`s a ban on carrying knives and still people on our streets are still being killed by these!This country needs to take crime seriously!If a life is taken then whoever commits that crime should be locked up for life-until they die,not just for 10-15 years,or less in some instances!!LIFE SHOULD MEAN LIFE!Theres no justice!People in our government need to get a grip because -It`s People who do the Damage!

[Guest]

"Cue some knobhead claiming to have killed a horse at 200 yards, with a B2"

 

Haha what utter rubbish, I tried shooting a seagull at 30 yeards in the neck and still didn't kill it, however I don't think your regular .22 cal air rifle can kill a horse at 200. If there is an unlicenced non fac rifle which can do so, I have one request: where can I buy one? :blink:)

Edited July 5, 2009 by Guest

[perfect]

"Cue some knobhead claiming to have killed a horse at 200 yards, with a B2"

 

Haha what utter rubbish, I tried shooting a seagull at 30 yeards in the neck and still didn't kill it, however I don't think your regular .22 cal air rifle can kill a horse at 200. If there is an unlicenced non fac rifle which can do so, I have one request: where can I buy one? )

 

You tried killing a seagull with an air rifle why? what kind of seagull was it? some are actually protected.

Edited July 6, 2009 by perfect

[Ozzy Fudd]

put a licence on them and it still wont work.

 

seems to work ok here in northern ireland, we just use armalites and ak's to shoot each other instead

[Guest]

The regular seagull the one with the grey tail, not the one with the black feathers because I know those are protected.

[rigwallet]

They should licence them cause any idiot can get one as with guns they should have to report if they sell them. Ive had many problems over the years only a couple of years me and a friend was lamping rabbits with dogs soon after i got home the police arrived sayin i was shootin which was rubbish but they had to come as there had been a lot of problems with kids shooting cats and dogs.DONT BAN THE GUN BAN THE IDIOT WHO FIRES IT IRRESPONSABLY

[gixer1]

The sooner they licence them the better, it will help prevent scum getting thier hands on them so easily in the future, if you are using an airgun for a genuine reason then licencing it shouldn't be a problem....

 

End of story afaic....

[Ferret Master]

The regular seagull the one with the grey tail, not the one with the black feathers because I know those are protected.

 

'The regular seagull'

 

 

OH DEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[beatingisbest]

'The regular seagull'

 

 

OH DEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Thats what i thought too Ollie, not sure which is scarier, someone shooting "a regular seagull" or Perfect advising on quarry ID.

[J@mes]

The sooner they licence them the better, it will help prevent scum getting thier hands on them so easily in the future, if you are using an airgun for a genuine reason then licencing it shouldn't be a problem....

 

End of story afaic....

 

 

Like banning handguns stopped criminals using them?

 

wakey wakey.

[mossy835]

that will be good, just keep it up there where you live then.

[libs]

The sooner they licence them the better, it will help prevent scum getting thier hands on them so easily in the future, if you are using an airgun for a genuine reason then licencing it shouldn't be a problem....

 

End of story afaic....

 

 

Like banning handguns stopped criminals using them?

 

wakey wakey.

 

When are our very backwards government goning to realise that 'banning', and 'making things illegal' (ohh scary) doesn't bother thoese who are going to commit crimes. If a shtihead wants an airgun, he will get one, same way he will get a pistol, or a can of CS or dope.............. the list goes on.

[chrispti]

''Easterhouse estate'' . . . . . . enough said

[Guest topshot_2k]

The sooner they licence them the better, it will help prevent scum getting thier hands on them so easily in the future, if you are using an airgun for a genuine reason then licencing it shouldn't be a problem....

 

End of story afaic....

 

that wont make a difference, genuine users will be out of pocket and have the trouble of more paperwork etc whilst the scummers who commit crimes will still get hold of them and still use them illegally.

 

Just bring in proper 5year minimum sentances to anyone caught using them other than for target shooting/hunting

[George1990]

The people who use them inappropriately just get them because they are so easy to get hold of. Licensing them would be enough to deter them from getting them. They would never think of getting a shotgun as they wouldn't know how or be bothered to find out. Be good if they thought of this about air rifles too.

 

And if people want to get guns and know how to do so illegally they aren't going to get a poxy air rifle!

 

 

Higher penalties for misuse would be a better plan, but then it's like locking the door after the horse has bolted. Be better to deter them from getting them in the first place.

Edited July 10, 2009 by George1990

[MPT1]

Quite right criminals hardly want air arms. It's not just a London thing I know but shot guns are not even considered by criminals any more. Uzis and other automatics are available on demand and they've never been legal or licensed.