Tighter laws on sale of airguns [UK]

The Scotsman ^ | Mon 1 Oct 2007 | HAMISH MACDONELL

[monkeycard]

TOUGH new laws about the sale and possession of air weapons and crossbows come into force today.

The crackdown, which will force all retailers to be registered as firearms dealers and restrict the sale of airguns and crossbows to the over-18s, represents a combination of UK and Scottish initiatives.

The UK government introduced the new laws on airguns, requiring dealers to conduct face-to-face sales and to record the name and address of the buyer and details of the weapon sold. The UK government was also responsible for raising the purchase age limit to 18.

The Scottish Government then went further by raising the minimum purchase age for crossbows to 18.

The new laws also tighten the rules on imitation weapons, making it illegal to sell an imitation gun to anyone under 18 and prohibiting the manufacture of realistic imitations.

Ministers moved to tighten the law following a rise in airgun crime in Scotland - offences have hit a seven-year high.

There have been three fatalities across Britain in the last two years, including the high-profile death of two-year-old Andrew Morton, the Glasgow boy who was shot in the head by Mark Bonini.

[Army Air Corps]

George Orwell was psychic.

[jveritas]

What is next thing in Britain? only plastic knives shall be used at home, at restaurants, and everywhere else?!

[2ndDivisionVet]

European governments are psycho.

[Missey_Lucy_Goosey]

Next they will ban pictures of guns.

[fweingart]

Slingshots are next as well as crushing all rocks to pebble size.

[wastedyears]

Ping

[Army Air Corps]

No! Plastic knives can be sharpened and made dangerous and scary. All food will either be pureed or pre-cut into small pieces.

/mondo sarcasm

[NewHampshireDuo]

Heretofore, any airgun in the UK with an energy exceeding 12 ft-lb (about what a good spring powered airgun can produce)was treated like a firearm. A .22 long has over 10x that energy.

[theBuckwheat]

Please note that the immediately previous FR story had the headline: “Thousands dead in the massacre of the monks”. Now, what do that story and this one share in common? How about the idea that the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is central to the maintenance of the liberty of a free people?

[SkyDancer]

England is no longer free - it’s been turned over to the street gangs and Islamic-facisits ....

[Balding_Eagle]

Ironic, isn’t it?

In the middle ages the peasants were prohibited from using swords, sort of an early ‘gun’ control law by the government at the time. The peasants began to learn to use the bow and arrow, somethng the overloads thought was ineffective.

As we all know, the bow and arrow became a powerful weapon of war.

Now, the government has seen that the cross bow has become too ‘dangerous’ in the hands of the peassants.

Wht irony.

[elkfersupper]

Gotta' do something about those squirt guns.

They're still out there lurking, waiting to have a role..........

[Sender]

They are almost to the plastic knife stage now. What they doggedly continue not to see is that criminals don't obey laws.

There are 'yoots' running around with pistols, real pistols, all over the place, and none of them were discouraged by the strict laws.

So, time to pass even more laws. The legal logic would be kind of funny if it weren't so serious.

[spanalot]

Youre gonna shoot your eye out!

[jveritas]

Really sad indeed, really sad.

[Chode]

Right!!! Well then... henceforth, all things sharp will be banned, and all things pointy shall also be banned, and anything that is sharp AND pointy is right out!!!

Also, things that are blunt are banned, and things that are heavy are banned, and things that are blunt AND heavy are RIGHT OUT AS WELL!!!

Well, lets see... that about cover it then???

[LouD]

Scotland too? Sir William Wallace is doing headspins in his grave.

[Army Air Corps]

Also, hands and feet will have to be covered in thick padding or removed allthogether.

[Always A Marine]

Future headline: UK BANS TESTICLES