[SOC] Rifles, guns, weapons etc... -

[Paul Bartlett]

I tend to agree.

The UK has just about the most draconian laws concerning firearms in the
Western world.

Mostly due to badly formed knee-jerk legislation after the awful incidents
at Hungerford and Dunblane.

It's impossible to argue sensibly with a bereaved parent that it isn't
firearms that is the problem but rather the people handling them.

The only thing that the recent (i.e. last 5-10 years) legislation has done
is to remove pistols and rifles from the extremely well disciplined and law
abiding people who target shoot for a hobby. In the same period, gun related
crime has more than doubled.

I shoot (or rather 'shot' - I gave it up after the regulations became to
onerous) clay pigeons. It's an enormously rewarding sport which I was happy
to take my (then) eight year old daughter to. It teaches much.
Responsibility, care for others and more.

When I owned shotguns, I used to keep a couple of cartridges in the bedside
table. Just in case. The weapon lived a couple of feet away in a bedroom
cupboard. A good friend of mine at the time was a policeman. In conversation
with him, I mentioned that I had thought of re-filling the bedroom
cartridges with rock salt so as to wound rather than potentially kill an
intruder.

I was advised that this would be a bad move since preparing the ammunition
would imply intent. Using No7 shot which was to hand I could argue that I
simply used what was available. The salt filled shells would imply
premeditation.

So. You can argue that if you shoot and kill an intruder with materials that
are to hand then there's a fair to middling chance you'll get away with it.
On the other hand, if you prepare a less life-threatening response to the
same situation the you're liable to be prosecuted and most likely jailed.
It's mad. Check out the case of Tony Martin in the UK.

Paul



----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Brunner" <rbrunner@gis.net>
To: <soc@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, February 01, 2003 10:35 PM
Subject: Re: [SOC] Rifles, guns, weapons etc... -


> Re:
> "Why do you feel the need to own a weapon ?"
>
> Self-defense is a valid answer.  If a drug crazed maniac or rapist is
kicking in your
> door you need help NOW.  If you are able to call the police, police
response time
> varies from five minutes to 50 minutes, or not at all, and better a dead
maniac or
> rapist than another innocent victim. (you)   Many lives are saved and
crimes
> prevented in America with personally owned firearms.  Also note that the
courts
> have held time and again that the police are not obligated to defend
everyone at all
> times.  There is also the old saw that if guns are outlawed, only outlaws
will have
> guns, and it is true.  Canada, the UK, France (I think) and Australia have
virtually
> outlawed private posession of guns, and in all cases crime has soared.
Indeed,
> today you are safer in New York City than in the UK.  You don't HAVE to be
a
> victim.
>
> Criminals in prison have been questioned on this point, and their only
fear is
> confronting an armed intended victim.  Apparently no-one wants to be
shot...
> Presently about 30 states have right to carry laws.  Now, only maybe 5% of
the
> people will bother, but criminals don't know which 5%, and in all cases
crime has
> gone down.  Or, they concentrate on foreign visitors whom they know will
be
> unarmed.
>
> Some people merely like to shoot, which is a pretty harmless hobby.
>
> Also, historically, governments that don't trust the people always limit
access to
> weapons.  In ye olden days peasants were prohibited from owning large
edged
> weapons - no swords or spears, etc.  More recently in the 1920's or 30's
in England
> the "Leadership" was worried about a Communist revolution and outlawed
guns,
> except for the gentry of course.  There was no Communist threat, but the
law
> remains.  Today in Poland there is more freedom of gun ownership than in
all of
>  Europe.
>
> Richard Brunner, AA1P
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