Call for airgun licencing in England

[piggy589]

http://www.cats.org.uk/news/new-camp...paign=advocacy

Scroll down for the campaign video!

I rather like the earlier suggestion of licensing cats, especially if they are killing "275 million other animals a year"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz49mpNCYNz

Apparently the domestic cat shares 95% of its genes with a lion.

Hunting is therefore instinctive for them.

[StephenJH]

...Hunting is therefore instinctive for them.

So license them

[Black Beard]

To those that like the idea of licensing:

Imagine that you had to get permission for each and every air gun, justifying each one and paying a fee.
Imagine you had to pay �0„5200 for a secure cabinet.
Imagine you couldn't buy pellets mail order.
Imagine airgun shooting sports were a fraction of the size, so everything costs twice as much and you have to travel twice as far to buy anything.
Imagine your airguns are all certificated and any you justified with target shooting (only on approved ranges) are limited to 6ftlb.
Imagine your local club becomes unsustainable as people leave the sport.
Imagine having to get approval to shoot over land from the police.
Imagine handing in all those air guns you can't justify with no compensation.

Licensing is pushed by people who don't like guns or shooting. They want to impose restrictions on you but won't give anything back. Licensing will do us no favours.

[snock]

To those that like the idea of licensing:

Imagine that you had to get permission for each and every air gun, justifying each one and paying a fee.
Imagine you had to pay �0„5200 for a secure cabinet.
Imagine you couldn't buy pellets mail order.
Imagine airgun shooting sports were a fraction of the size, so everything costs twice as much and you have to travel twice as far to buy anything.
Imagine your airguns are all certificated and any you justified with target shooting (only on approved ranges) are limited to 6ftlb.
Imagine your local club becomes unsustainable as people leave the sport.
Imagine having to get approval to shoot over land from the police.
Imagine handing in all those air guns you can't justify with no compensation.

Licensing is pushed by people who don't like guns or shooting. They want to impose restrictions on you but won't give anything back. Licensing will do us no favours.

I think you're painting a very worst case picture.

First off, I really don't think that the CPL will be successful; this is the 20th year they have run this campaign.

If licensing ever came in, it would probably be some face-value system that required very minimal input from the police. In fact, it would likely be something akin to the fishing rod licence where you pay a small fee in order to use rod & line over a year. In the case of airguns, much longer than that.
The police are so over subscribed with 'real' firearms licensing that many areas, including Thames Valley force, that they're 9 months behind in processing applications. Adding airguns to this is simply too much for them.

They don't want licensing...and neither do I, but I don't think it's the totally negative nightmare scenario that you seem to suggest.

[aris]

Perhaps we should license cats. They kill wildlife, and crap in other peoples gardens, spreading disease like toxoplasmosis. Only responsible people should own a cat.

[snock]

Perhaps we should license cats. They kill wildlife, and crap in other peoples gardens, spreading disease like toxoplasmosis. Only responsible people should own a cat.

Cats can't shoot other peoples' pets therefore the argument is flawed.

[thisisdonald]

Reading these licensing threads over the last week, it pains me that we styggle to come together as a strong voice against those that wpuld see our hobby restricted, in any way. Like Snock said , 20 years in a row the cpl have campaigned yet we seem to sit tight and await the next barrage of media abuse and trust in the basc and others to sort it out for us, and hope we come out with our guns.
Maybe its time we all start actively supporting a body that will run campaigns for 20 years in favor of relaxing legislation and making shooting sports MORE accesible and acceptable to the wider society.

[aris]

Cats can't shoot other peoples' pets therefore the argument is flawed.

I didn't argue that they did - to suggest a cat could use a gun would be absurd, though cats (and dogs) do sometimes kill other pets and wildlife - sometimes even humans. Perhaps they should be licensed.

[secretagentmole]

Cats can't shoot other peoples' pets therefore the argument is flawed.

No but the psychotic furred baskets can terrorise the hell out of a back yard aviary. They can also attack fish in people's ponds, they also attack people's rabbits and guinea pigs that are enjoying the sun. Cats should be subject to the same control as dogs!

[Lord Long]

So license them

So if we licence cats because they hunt, should we not licence air gunners who hunt ?

[aris]

So if we licence cats because they hunt, should we not licence air gunners who hunt ?

I think this is the point - they're suggesting we license air-guns because there are a small small minority of numpties who apparently are taking pot shots at cats. I'm suggesting we license cats - because a small minority of their owners let them deposit toxoplasmosis infected poop in other peoples gardens, and harass and kill pets in ponds and aviaries.