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Gun laws are aimed at wrong target, says expert
The Daily Telegraph ^ | 01/11/2004 | Alun Rees and John Steele

Posted on 11/01/2004 7:43:37 PM PST by neverdem

Britain's gun laws are aimed at the wrong target, curbing and criminalising legal ownership while failing to tackle huge rises in shooting offences over the past few years, according to an international firearms legislation expert.

Prof Gary Mauser said that Britain was making the same mistake as Canada and Australia in focusing on legal owners - a section of the law-abiding community where gun crimes, such as the Dunblane massacre, were aberrations.

The Home Office and police chiefs should instead tackle the possession of guns in criminal hands, said Prof Mauser, a member of the independent Fraser Institute in Canada. He has given evidence to select committees of the House of Commons and the Canadian Senate and predicted the escalation of gun crime on Britain's streets.

His warning comes as gun crime incidents are averaging about 29 a day in England and Wales, more than twice the level of when the Labour Government came to power in 1997. In the past two years, there have been cases of schoolchildren and a baby, killed or injured by guns.

"I believe that factors of political correctness are at work," he said. "Police crackdowns, Home Office initiatives and over-regulation of legally held weapons create froth and they may even fool the police themselves into believing they are doing something about gun crime."

Prof Mauser added: "The sad truth is that while the police officers are inspecting farmers' gun cabinets to see if they comply with regulations somewhere in the UK, someone, who has not filled in a firearms certificate form, will be smuggling a gun into the country or selling one to an inner city youth."

Recorded gun crime rose by three per cent to 10,590 incidents in the year to June. Two-thirds of gun crime takes place in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Many of the offences are linked to the crack cocaine trade, and the activities of a core of black youths immersed in the Yardie-style criminal world. But there has also been a clear trend of younger generations in other criminal gangs, such as the Turkish/Kurdish and south Asian, to turn to weapons to settle scores.


TOPICS: Canada; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: banglist; gunprohibition
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1 posted on 11/01/2004 7:43:37 PM PST by neverdem
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To: neverdem
It would seem to be a no-brainer to come up with the idea that legislation should focus on criminals who wield guns.

It must be the lead pipes, or maybe the French wine they import ~ yeah, that's the ticket, it's French wine!

2 posted on 11/01/2004 7:46:28 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: neverdem

signs of sanity from across the pond?


3 posted on 11/01/2004 7:48:11 PM PST by Aetius
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To: neverdem

Prof Mauser?


4 posted on 11/01/2004 7:50:48 PM PST by umgud (Donate monthly, don't be a Freeploader)
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To: MadIvan

ping


5 posted on 11/01/2004 7:55:54 PM PST by OneLoyalAmerican (No need to think, just vote democRAT.)
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To: umgud

"Prof Mauser?"

You noticed that also? Could someone be pulling legs here?


6 posted on 11/01/2004 7:56:39 PM PST by Sola Veritas (Trying to speak truth - not always with the best grammar or spelling)
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To: neverdem

a flicker of common sense in the UK????


7 posted on 11/01/2004 8:02:36 PM PST by GeronL (FREE KERRY'S SCARY bumper sticker .......... http://www.kerrysscary.com/bumper_sticker.php)
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To: Sola Veritas

Mauser....

The bad cop in the "Police Academy" series??


8 posted on 11/01/2004 8:08:01 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
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To: ButThreeLeftsDo

"Mauser...."

A major producer of military firearms...at least in the past. The average German soldier of WWII was equipted with a Mauser bolt action rifle.


9 posted on 11/01/2004 8:15:00 PM PST by Sola Veritas (Trying to speak truth - not always with the best grammar or spelling)
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To: Sola Veritas

Yeah, I own a couple.

Did you see the movies?


10 posted on 11/01/2004 8:18:07 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
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To: neverdem

The voices of reason and common sense are being heard on Britain's gun control debate. Such a debate did occur just 3 WEEKS AGO at London's King's College. Wayne Lapiere of the NRA challenged the sanity and morality of gun control in the UK and in the EU. Defending the confiscation of firearms was none other than a former employee of George Soros - Rebecca Peters, who engineered Australia's gun confiscation policy which has rendered citizens of a democracy defenseless.

I believe the arguments for such extreme policies have run their course, I expect the debate to expand into Europe and Canada as well.

The evidence is clear, when governments trust their citizens to keep and bear arms, violent crime drops, especially benefiting the poorest of neighborhoods where guns are needed most.

The NRA has received UN invitation to enter into the debate over disarmament, advancing the cause for gun ownership worldwide with minimum govt interference.

This is terrific news, it should embolden Americans, especially conservatives and libretarians to engage the UN, for the NRA is there fighting for our Second Amendment rights, in the midst of those determined to snatch every privately owned gun on Earth and relegate them to govt armories and museums. So take the fight for gun ownership and self-defense to the globalists' doorstep, look them in the eye, and courageously speak out for Global Liberty and Sovereignty.....


11 posted on 11/01/2004 8:33:24 PM PST by eagle11 (NOV 2nd - Voting takes priority - our nation's future is the priority. Vote BUSH!)
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To: neverdem
Prof Gary Mauser said that Britain was making the same mistake as Canada and Australia in focusing on legal owners

I think it is a mistaken assumption that the intent of the gun bans and restrictions was to curb criminals. I believe the real intent was and is for the ruling class to remove the ability of the little people to resist them, and in that they have succeeded.

12 posted on 11/01/2004 8:36:16 PM PST by Lester Moore (Islam is begging to be destroyed by a Christian Crusade! Forthcoming!)
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To: ButThreeLeftsDo

"Did you see the movies?"

Just the first one.

Hey they are advertising in the American Rifleman K98-M48 series WWII Mauser Bolt actions in "military new" condition. They are from a cache found in Serbia. They are only $299. www.MitchellSales.com


13 posted on 11/01/2004 8:39:14 PM PST by Sola Veritas (Trying to speak truth - not always with the best grammar or spelling)
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To: Sola Veritas

The genius of the Mauser is the bolt assembly. Many weapons have been retro'd just to accept a Mauser bolt action.


14 posted on 11/01/2004 8:44:16 PM PST by ButThreeLeftsDo
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To: All

The people in power know that gun ownership by law abiding citizens lowers crime, but they also know that if they are to push their freedom sapping programs and laws onto the people they have to disarm them. It is all about the liberals wanting to control us, everyone. They, of course, are so wonderful that the law doesn't apply to them. If you don't believe that, look at the way they are behaving in this election. They feel they don't have to obey the laws, but republicans do. No brainer there.


15 posted on 11/01/2004 8:44:50 PM PST by calex59
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To: Joe Brower; Ancesthntr; archy; Badray; Jack Black; meadsjn; Grampa Dave; in the Arena; Lurker; ...

BANG!


16 posted on 11/01/2004 8:47:01 PM PST by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: Sola Veritas
Buy one. Better yet, buy two.

Get one 'collector grade' and another one just to shoot.

L

17 posted on 11/01/2004 8:47:03 PM PST by Lurker ( Rope, tree, Islamofascist. Adult assembly required.)
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To: neverdem
Recorded gun crime rose by three per cent to 10,590 incidents in the year to June

spitting at someone is considered battery in the uk. i read on a different thread that spitting was up 5% (i think -- doing this from memory) in the uk. zell miller was right -- take away the guns and all you have left is spit balls!

18 posted on 11/01/2004 8:49:32 PM PST by mlocher (america is a sovereign state)
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To: neverdem
"The sad truth is that while the police officers are inspecting farmers' gun cabinets to see if they comply with regulations somewhere in the UK, someone, who has not filled in a firearms certificate form.

Easy pickings and supportive paperwork will not stop gun crime. The constabulary needs to go to where crime takes place.

19 posted on 11/01/2004 8:51:51 PM PST by oyez (¡Qué viva la revolución de Reagan!)
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To: Travis McGee
"The sad truth is that while the police officers are inspecting farmers' gun cabinets to see if they comply with regulations somewhere in the UK, someone, who has not filled in a firearms certificate form, will be smuggling a gun into the country or selling one to an inner city youth."

But it's so much safer for the BatFag-Ezzzz like LEO's to go after law abidding citizens than those dangerous criminals......... Good Read......Thanks for the ping Travis.

20 posted on 11/01/2004 8:52:21 PM PST by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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