Reply to: Cumbrian gunman runs amok

[Churchill]

"The wireless"?????

Showing your age Churchy!! You'll be telling us about your "Gramophone" next!!

Steady on Grandad!

[shaunbhoy]

Oh, I only heard on the wireless this morning that he'd been left the guns by his father.

Thanks for the update.

"The wireless"?????

Showing your age Churchy!! You'll be telling us about your "Gramophone" next!!

[FarmerPalmer]

BBC News - Gun control and ownership laws in the UK

Even if you inherit, you may not receive the firearms unless you have a license. The firearms must go to a dealer and you can only have them if you successfully apply for a license yourself. With an FAC (firearms) that means good reason, i.e. a club member for over 6 months or land to shoot over.

[Churchill]

It was reported on the lunchtime news that he did, and had done for a number of years.

Oh, I only heard on the wireless this morning that he'd been left the guns by his father.

Thanks for the update.

[Zippy]

I haven't read anywhere that he actually held a FAC.

It was reported on the lunchtime news that he did, and had done for a number of years.

[Churchill]

So maybe we should only licence the loonies?

Seriously, these incidents happen so infrequently that I don't believe any changes are needed to the licencing system.

I haven't read anywhere that he actually held a FAC.

[Zippy]

The cases where umpteen innocent people are shot seem mostly to involve previously apparently harmless sorts with legal firearms.

So maybe we should only licence the loonies?

Seriously, these incidents happen so infrequently that I don't believe any changes are needed to the licencing system.

[OwlHoot]

Could you narrow it down a bit, that's 3/4 of CUK you've just described.

Not to worry Dim, as you see, obviously he is still around.

[sasguru]

Anyone here missing a sad loner with an obsession with guns and no girlfriend?

Could you narrow it down a bit, that's 3/4 of CUK you've just described.

[DimPrawn]

Anyone here missing a sad loner with an obsession with guns and no girlfriend?

[xoggoth]

Yes, but is does seem, both here and in the US, that criminals use guns very sensibly. If they use them in robberies they do not generally shoot people, it's a business, so why up the consequences unecessarily? If gangs use them in the streets they mostly shoot each other so who cares?

The cases where umpteen innocent people are shot seem mostly to involve previously apparently harmless sorts with legal firearms.

[OwlHoot]

In that the average person lives in suburbia, living an supermarket fed existence, then yes I think you are correct.

People who live in rural communities who work & live on the land have a very different viewpoint. The fact you don't see it doesn't make it invalid.

It won't be long before registered guns for civvie use must have an electronic lock incorporating a miniature mobile phone that broadcasts the weapon's location and can be remotely disabled by a phone call or if detected outside an authorized area.

Also, an electronic gadget could limit the rate of fire. I mean how many rabbits does one need to kill in an hour?

(Obviously that wouldn't stop crims using unregistered firearms. But it would hamper people who go postal with registered guns, and would reduce the incidence of registered firearm theft.)

[Lockhouse]

There's a huge difference between killing for fun and killing for food.

Sorry, clarification; sport = food but in a sporty way.

[Moscow Mule]

I don't think the average person has a desire to kill anything for fun, even when the law doesn't forbid it.

In that the average person lives in suburbia, living an supermarket fed existence, then yes I think you are correct.

People who live in rural communities who work & live on the land have a very different viewpoint. The fact you don't see it doesn't make it invalid.

[TimberWolf]

You obviously don't live in a rural area (like I do) where killing animals for both food and sport is no big deal.

There's a huge difference between killing for fun and killing for food.