Gun Laws

[ayabrea38]

After what happened yesterday,I got to thinking about gun laws,and wondered,are things like air rifles and replica handguns etc covered by such laws,if any at all.
Kids round here think nothing of firing BB guns(on waste ground mostly)ans I always thought it was illegal to have anything like that in a public place.I don't suppose they can be stopped having them(can they?)but do they lead to more powerful,real guns do you think?
I would like to know about air rifles though,they can be fairly harmful carn't they?

[DrFilth]

does this answer your question

http://www.independen...ir-rifle-1777350.html

[ayabrea38]

Not rearly,but thanks.I am wondering about the legality of owning an air pistol/rifle.
Am I right in saying it is illegal to be seen in a public place with a BB gun?
Are air rifles/replicas covered by any laws about who can have them and where?
Thanks
Aya

[DrFilth]

here are a few that the idiots shot at
Shropshire Star, 1 December 2003

The bodies of six ducks were found floating in the River Severn at Bridgnorth. The birds had been shot. Both the RSPCA and the police were concerned about the implications of the deaths.

Express and Star, 1 October 2003

An airgun pellet went right through the body of a pet cat which nevertheless managed to survive the attack. The incident took place in Dudley.

Horse and Hound, 26 September 2003

The owners of a Shetland pony who died after being shot with an airgun led calls for tighter airgun laws. The two-year-old piebald Shetland was shot in the stomach while grazing in his field at Castle Hill Farm, Hull. A second pony was shot on the same farm a day later, but her injuries were not life threatening.

icBerkshire, 18 September 2003

A cat had to be put down after an airgun pellet was lodged in its spine after it was shot in Charvil. Its family has asked other neighbours to be vigilant because they fear it could happen to another pet or a child.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 17 September 2003

A woman in Fixby expected to have a vet's bill of over £400 after a cat she fed had been shot in the hip with an airgun. Brenda Walkley feared that someone was systematically killing strays and pets in the area.

icSurrey, 11 September 2003

Cat owners in Dorking were warned to be on their guard after two cats were badly injured in attacks with an air rifle. One cat had to have an eye removed.

Evening Post (Nottingham), 2 September 2003

A family from New Ollerton are installing CCTV cameras after their home and cat were attacked. The cat was shot in the eye with an airgun, after which a second pellet was fired through the window.

[DrFilth]

ayabrea read this , if they are firing in a public place ring the police

http://www.bfto.org.uk/law.htm

[DrFilth]

These parts of the law apply to everyone using airguns:
• Airguns must not be loaded in public places. This includes having pellets in a magazine near the gun. It is now illegal to carry an airgun in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.

[woofgang]

http://www.youngmans.com/acatalog/law.html
http://www.thamesvall...p-saferst-repguns.htm

it looks like all the "shot and injured" shot and killed stories involve at least one offence.

I am not by nature a supporter of the nanny state. When i was a child I loved being a cowboy and had a collection of cap guns.
Its a shame that times have changed though and i think we need to recognise that and tighten up on ownership BUT this has to include import and illegal possession otherwise there's no point.
I don't have much connection with guns at all but my only two close experiences were scary. We lived for a while in New jersey in the USA and our neighbour used to shoot off his huntin' rifle for the entertainment of the grandkids in his back yard. In the autumn there if you go into the woods, you are warned to wear fluorescent clothing to minimise the risk (not avoid you note) being shot.
In the UK, I live in the New Forest and walk my dogs early. One morning there was a Forest Ranger parked in his van culling deer with a rifle...well i guess it does need to be done but he was shooting towards and over footpaths used by riders and dog walkers. The paths are deep in bracken at that time of the year (4 or 5 feet high) and it would have been easy for him not to have seen a human or a dog.
so excuse me if I am not convinced by the gun lobby.

[andy-hughes]

I feel that again, we are experiencing a wider cultural problem in regard to the posession of guns.

I believe that ben Elton was absolutely right about ten years ago, when he opined -

"The gun law is a very simple one. You simply ask anyone if they would like to have a gun. If they say yes, they are immediately and permanently excluded from ever owning a gun."

I know it's simplistic, with a humourous intent, but like a lot of humour, it has a serious side to it.

Having listened to a police Arms Certificate expert on the radio, it does appear that rigourous checks are in place for ptential gun owners - the UK is second only to Japan in terms of the complexity of its analysis of potential owners.

I think we have to accept that there is always a risk of totally unexplained and unforseen behaviour in any walk of life, as in this case, with tragic consequences.

To try and deny anyone access to anything that can hurt others is to bring the civilised world to a standstill.

No comfort for those who are grieving, but that is where we are.

[DrFilth]

andy this is about airguns, the damage yobs do with them is unbelievable.

[DrFilth]

Evening News (Norwich), 12 June 2003

A sniper, who targeted a 3-year-old ginger cat, almost blinded the pet. The cat may lose an eye, despite his Norwich owner having paid for expensive treatment by vets. Kevin Degenhead, chief superintendent for the RSPCA, said that "Year on year, the amount of air weapon attacks on animals rise significantly, and it is time our civilised society took action against such irresponsible, destructive and cruel behaviour." In 2002 RSPCA dealt with 900 airgun attacks on animals in England and Wales.

Daily Post, 29 April 2003

Gwen Owen, whose cat was shot with an airgun hit out at the culprits. “Whoever is responsible should not be firing airguns at animals or humans”. It cost Mrs Owen, from Llanfairpwll in Anglesey, £200 for the operation and subsequent treatment. In the next day’s Daily Post it was reported that RSPCA inspectors in North Wales had encountered a case of a cat shot 20 times with an airgun.

Express & Star, 24 April 2003
A cat’s sibling guided it home after it was shot in an airgun attack. Sergeant Gary Iliff of Walsall police commented that “The shooting of animals is a very worrying and distressing trend. Not only can it harm the animal but it can hurt people who are nearby”.
Express & Star, 21 April 2003
A black and white cat died after being injured by an airgun pellet within yards of its home in Sandwell. His owners were devastated.

News Shopper (London), 8 April 2003

A cat in Eltham was brutally shot through the eye and killed. The killing appeared to be the result of a calculated and short-range attack. The RSPCA believed that thoughtless youths are behind the majority of such attacks on animals. There is a staggering rise in incidents reported during school holidays or as the evenings get lighter.

[ayabrea38]

Thanks for all those answers,those links are very helpful.
Much thanks-things are much clearer
Aya