BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

[CaptainSte]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-23377650

Full Article above,

I'm guessing this could have a knock on effect for Airsoft guns? any ideas?

[Heinz]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

Kenny MacAskill hates anything gun shaped, so you can be damn sure that he'll ignore the results of any public consultation - and yes, that bugger would lump Airsoft guns in with regular Airguns with regards to licensing.

As a pointless aside, the child mentioned in the article (Andrew Morton) was killed by a drug addict. The irony is that both the child's parents have been arrested for drug dealing....

[Caldymoose]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

Potentially it could have a knock on effect, but i dont see it going through, at least not from what has been said in the article with the negative feedback. That said, if it did go through, legitimate airsoft players would have to worry., You have a valid reason for owning/transporting etc your rifles. If anything, it would be a good thing. Cut down on the number of people who own one illegally as they become harder to buy and the penalties for breaking it become stricter.

[Apurturesci]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

So how much violent crime actually involves air rifles then? If public safety is the concern, wouldn't licensing of knifes with blades over 4" would be more effective? With something that dangerous, more so than an air rifle, you should need to prove yourself to be able own it. /sarcasm/ Surely with easy access to lots of other weapons, bats, cars, knifes etc. limiting air rifles would hardly bother criminals who set out to harm people.

[Heinz]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

Apurturesci - Laws only affect the law abiding, something that dumb ass legislators always seem to forget.

[crasstoe]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

To quote, "Gun's don't kill people I do".

If I want to shoot someone a license isn't going to stop me getting a gun. Stupid politicians.

Best bet is to actually educate people (including the media) rather than enforce license schemes that simply wont work, I mean what is deemed a suitable reason for owning one? Open to personal interpretation.

[BAMF]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

So how much violent crime actually involves air rifles then?

http://www.infertrust.org/home.asp

Use the tabs and it gives the figures for reported gun crimes, real or airsoft/airgun related.

[Heinz]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

I wouldnt trust ANYTHING from Infertrust. It is run by exactly the same people that run the Gun Control Network - and we all know how unbiased they are, right?

[BAMF]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

Yeah, they are a little "Anti-gun"

[Tariq182]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

How do they even propose the license would work?
I just ask for one and I get it, criminal history check, or just turning a scheme like UKARA's scheme into the qualifier???

TBH airguns ARE easier to get than airsoft RIFs, so I can see why they want more enforcement, but it's all Bulls**t at the end of the day. All a criminal would need to do is get a friend to get the license if he were unable to. I can't see them making airguns that hard to obtain, with or without a license.

[CaptainSte]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

I also do English Civil War Re-enactment and we have problem taking Muskets into Scotland.

France on the tunnel however? no problems! but Scotland? we half expect Kenny MacAskill to turn up and smash every single gun we have with a Claymore...

[nimbley]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

I full back the UKARA system to keep airsoft responsible and legal in great britian but i dont know why they always seem to want to bring in these new pieces of legislation.
For example, ive lived in Germany quite a bit and the laws there are relaxed compared to here, you would think they should be stronger since ALL the police are armed.
You can go into an airsoft shop show your id, they check it ; similar to buying a fire arm in the US, then if it all is clear you walk out with your new RIF. now the germans have a joule law much like in ireland were everything fires at no higher than 350fps i think, even sniper rifles. As such they have no problems with the law as all shops conform to the law regarding power.


on a different note, if anyone of you are interested, there are laws in Germany to do with what you can have on your rif. for example you can have a torch but you cant mount it via a ring onto the rif, as it is classed under German law as a target illumination device....mad stuff like.


Back on topic, i think if any legislation is brought in, it should be similar to the systems currently running in Germany and Ireland.

[TriggerHappy]

Re: BBC News: Air gun licence plan for Scotland 'draconian'

-snip-

You back a system that effectively reduces crime by a negligible amount while inconveniencing regular players? Considering that RIFs aren't legal to own, and what you do in the privacy of your own home with a can of black spray paint is effectively impossible to regulate, I can't say I back the system at all.

Also please never say you prefer the German airsoft law. 0.5j max with anything capable of fully automatic fire would probably kill the sport for quite a lot of people and we aren't exactly mainstream as it is.