Sales restrictions “no solution” to airgun crime. BASC press release

[Simon Clarke]

BASC has been, and still is, working hard against these measures.
However, the political and public reaction to the murder of 3 year old Andrew Morton has been immense. Again we are in a position where it seems legislation is being produced as reaction to outrage. Such legislation is difficult to counter. The murder is viewed as the final straw for those who see an increase in criminal misuse of airguns.

The VCR Bill does not cover the second hand market. At the moment, it appears that person to person sales can continue in the second hand market.

The imitation guns provisions do not apply to air rifles, and we believe to air pistols which are classed as firearms. They will apply to airsoft replicas which are not.

[Forth]

However, the political and public reaction to the murder of 3 year old Andrew Morton has been immense. Again we are in a position where it seems legislation is being produced as reaction to outrage. Such legislation is difficult to counter. The murder is viewed as the final straw for those who see an increase in criminal misuse of airguns.

What so-called "public reaction"? An old political/media dodge that takes a handful of obsessives, hypes them with meeja bile and then the politicians claim to be reacting to "public" demand in imposing what they always intended to anyway... in other words, a propaganda stitchup from beginning to end. It's another manifestation of the bogus, pre-selected focus group school of political manipulation and akin to the "entire city distraught, millions in outpouring of grief" crap the tabloids have orgied in for decades.
Yet there you go, accepting (and even repeating) their "public reaction has been immense" assertion as though it was holy writ. Were there huge riots? Troops called to rescue public officials? Numerous fatalites, burning buildings and a general strike? No? Then the hard fact is that the (alleged) public reaction was transitory, manipulated and bugger-all really - outwith, of course, the drivelling of the tabloids and the usual suspects in the political-correcter gibbering class. Next week, some new "shock, horror gasp" for the delectation of the masses.... the general public with its sub-goldfish attention span and induced ability to emote over soap-opera scripts seldom in a longer-term sense give a genuine **** any more. It's all plastic, and so are they. Welcome to dumbocracy. Don't you realise even now, that no amount of appeasement will satisfy those fanatics who are so-called "public opinion", because they have an ulterior agenda and "truth" to them is a subjective, dialectical entity -- don't help them transform it into objective reality!

[greebo_Brat]

Problem is there is sod all that we can do but argue the case, and then lose because we'll be seen as oppossing legislation designed to stop kids from murdered with air rifles.

If the Cabinet is irrational (and it is) then we are screwed. The best we can hope for is the Lords rejecting it, but what is to stop the Govt from pushing it through via a parliament act or voting on it again (I believe the lords can only reject it twice?).

Without changing the media to encourage and bring in more responsible and professional journalists (ok, pause for 5 minutes whilst I laugh my head off at the thought of a professional journalist working for a newspaper or the BBC ... yeah .. right) and secondly changing the govt to a more rational party there is sod all we can do.

It is my belief that in the long run firearms and airguns will be banned in the UK for those who do not need access to them to do their job unless the current climate is changed.

We have seen legislation after legislation to try and "control" misuse of firearms and airguns and now replica's, these laws havent really worked, how many of them are even necessary IF the police would just enforce the current laws? (the VCRB is trying to tackle what is already illegal). For example the VCRB covers airsoft replica's because of the 66% rise in crime carried out with replica's , majority of this rise is apparently due to the 2003 ASBO bill that made it illegal to carry a replica in public without a good reason.

The VCRB will not prevent this from happening, there are too many replica's out there, also in the 1st reading of the VCRB many of the arguments used by the lunatic left to justify the bill centered on misuse of CO2 pistols .. which wont (in my understanding) be banned by the current legislation.

So in two years, then what ? Do they ban ownership of replica's and CO2 pistols?

How long before they demand that all airgun users get a FAC or hand in their airguns ?

I realise this is a very gloomy and (hopefully) overly pessimistic opinion but I've seen nothing yet to prove conclusively that I am wrong.

[suicide jockey]

But just to add to this debate,a reputable dealer has told me that all Internet sales will be stopped.and the sale of air rifles will be on a face to face situation, that is to say at approved guns shops only,also any one that owns an air rifle will have to register it at that address,so doing away with the need for a license

as i said i am new to this site and thought i would get to know you on the largest thread
please let my source be right,as i have only just got into the air rifle sport after many years as an archer,i suppose that will be next