Cats Protection League - Air Gun Licensing Call

enfieldspares

Well-Known Member
New campaign launched against fatal airgun attacks

Here's a letter I have composed for the Charity Commission as to if the lobbying proposed does, or does not, fall within the lobbying that is allowed of a charity.

Charities are permitted to lobby for such things but only, as I understand, if such lobbyong results in something that benefits the aims of the charity.

It is my opinion that whilst a ban on airguns would do so the licensing of airguns cannot be shown to do so. So as cats would still be able to shot with airguns after airguns were licensed then lobbying for, merely, licensing does not support the charities aims.

Charity Commission
PO Box 211
BOOTLE
L20 7YX

Cats Protection Reg’d. Charity 203644 (England and Wales) and SC037711 (Scotland)

On 26 May 2016 on its website Cats Protection posted a news release “New Campaign Launched Against Fatal Airgun Attacks”. Within that news release two paragraphs can be found:

"A campaign has been launched by Cats Protection to prompt a call on governments in England and Wales to make it a criminal offence to own an air gun without a licence."

“The sheer volume of instances where cats are injured and killed by air gun attacks is very concerning. We are calling for much stricter regulation on the ownership of air guns, as we strongly believe this will help to protect cats and other animals.”

Can the Charity Commission investigate, and get back in contact with me, as to whether this lobbying to change the law is permitted?
And if the associated video is allowed in the manner it currently is?

I know of no facts that demonstrate that licensing of airguns would or would not benefit the aims of “protecting cats” and that, surely, unless such can be demonstrated such lobbying is elsewise not allowed?

The power of airguns that may be held since without a licence since or before 1996 has not been changed.

If the Cats Protection website is examined the sample size of “vets” from LM Research for Cats Protection produced their percentage figures appears to have been 1,000 “vets”.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons lists somewhat 19,682 veterinary surgeons and 11,661 veterinary nurses in October 2014 this being the last date for which I could obtain figures.

Yet on the video they attach to the news item they claim “In the last twelve months 44% of vets have treated cats that were shot by an air gun”.

Note that this was a percentage of vets surveyed by them, so the numbers is 440 “vets”, and not, as myself when viewing the video was also misled, 44% of 19.682 veterinary surgeons and/or 11,661 veterinary nurses.

Is this misleading advertising?

I look forward to hearing from you with your comments as to the action mentioned by Cats Protection in the news release and to the likelihood of a casual viewer of the video being misled….as I was indeed misled.
 
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i've gone back and changed the letter to expose the figures that subsequent checking the Cats Prptection website and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons website has revealed. Now where in the video is the sample size just a mere 5% of veterinary surgeons (1,000 ex 19,682) mentioned only that figure "44%". Misleading? I think so!

I have also cut and pasted the letter and background to BASC...specifically their Firearms, Press and Political "teams". I am not a member of any other shooting organisations, nor the Countryside Alliance, so do if anyone feels free use my letter as a template to contact those organisations to which you belong.
 
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Think of all the many thousands of both game and garden birds killed by cats each year.

I'm convinced that the solution is tighter controls, and a licencing system where potential cat owners would have to demonstrate 'good reason' for wanting to own a cat, as well as proving that they can securely store their cat.

In this day and age where mousetraps can be bought for a pittance, no-one actually 'needs' a cat.
 
Think of all the many thousands of both game and garden birds killed by cats each year.

I'm convinced that the solution is tighter controls, and a licencing system where potential cat owners would have to demonstrate 'good reason' for wanting to own a cat, as well as proving that they can securely store their cat.

In this day and age where mousetraps can be bought for a pittance, no-one actually 'needs' a cat.

Perhaps a further solution would be to place all cats in a local cattery and when the owner of a cat, having a permit for owning a cat based on having a good reason and a location at where their cat can be engaged with, wishes to engage with their cat they phone local plod and obtain a reference number, stating where they were going to engage with the cat and for how long. The homes of cat owners could be visited at random by plod, based on local intelligence, to ensure that engagement with the cat was safe to do so.

The BACL are on record as being in support of random home visits as proportionate in the circumstances. The BACL had recently worked with DEFRA to agree that fees for permits to engage with cats should be raised in return for greater efficiencies in the permit granting purposes. A recent FOI request had revealed that Hampshire were the 5th worst performers in grant and renewal of cat pemits.
 
In this day and age where mousetraps can be bought for a pittance, no-one actually 'needs' a cat.

Sorry but I have to lay down a challenge for you regarding that statement. Come to the organic farm that I live on, where 70 tons of various home grown grains are stored in order to feed the farm livestock, and rid us of all mice, squirrels and rats just using traps. (Crossing everything and hoping that not only will the challenge be accepted but efficiently carried out :))

Just one other point, when I studied statistics (lies) a sample was deemed to be viable (by a statistician) with a quantity as low as 22 responses. 1000 vets responding will be deemed to be more than a viable percentage, probably definitive as a result. I suspect that the OP's intent in his admirable letter may well be hijacked on the basis that the mathematics of the statistics can be 'proven' using accepted tests and protocols.

A classic statistic for all to judge this statement by is the number of responses verses views on the in/out campaign on here and how close that result is to the actual published result. The response rate on here is far lower suggesting from the charities results that there is a problem with cats being inefficiently shot with air rifles.

Of course, licensing is irrelevent to irresponsible acts, vehicle drivers prove that.
 
If someone wants to kill a cat post-air rifle licencing, they'll just buy a catapult.

Catapults will then be licenced, so they'll head into the woods for a small Y-shaped price of tree, and attach a decent elastic band.

Elastic bands will then be licenced, and only Post Delivery People (being PC about this) will be allowed them,. They will have to be kept in a safe that has been checked by their local Elastic Band Enquiry Officer, and be fined if they can't account for all elastic bands on their Elastic Band Certificate.

Ultimately the Post Office will struggle as a private entity and will be renationalised.

All because of cats...

Motto of the story; Buy a dog
 
Sorry but I have to lay down a challenge for you regarding that statement. Come to the organic farm that I live on, where 70 tons of various home grown grains are stored in order to feed the farm livestock, and rid us of all mice, squirrels and rats just using traps. (Crossing everything and hoping that not only will the challenge be accepted but efficiently carried out :))

.

I'm sorry, but your idea of using cats for vermin control must inevitably lead to an 'old lady who swallowed a fly' type situation, where six months down the line you'll be needing tigers to control the number of wolves on your property.

Who knows where it could end?
 
Sorry but I have to lay down a challenge for you regarding that statement. Come to the organic farm that I live on, where 70 tons of various home grown grains are stored in order to feed the farm livestock, and rid us of all mice, squirrels and rats just using traps. (Crossing everything and hoping that not only will the challenge be accepted but efficiently carried out :))

Just one other point, when I studied statistics (lies) a sample was deemed to be viable (by a statistician) with a quantity as low as 22 responses. 1000 vets responding will be deemed to be more than a viable percentage, probably definitive as a result. I suspect that the OP's intent in his admirable letter may well be hijacked on the basis that the mathematics of the statistics can be 'proven' using accepted tests and protocols.

A classic statistic for all to judge this statement by is the number of responses verses views on the in/out campaign on here and how close that result is to the actual published result. The response rate on here is far lower suggesting from the charities results that there is a problem with cats being inefficiently shot with air rifles.

Of course, licensing is irrelevent to irresponsible acts, vehicle drivers prove that.

is not hunting with cats illegal..or as like with dogs, it should be made illegal, anyone caught doing so will be charged under wildlife crimes..
 
Think of all the many thousands of both game and garden birds killed by cats each year.

I'm convinced that the solution is tighter controls, and a licencing system where potential cat owners would have to demonstrate 'good reason' for wanting to own a cat, as well as proving that they can securely store their cat.

In this day and age where mousetraps can be bought for a pittance, no-one actually 'needs' a cat.

In the UK by law a cat has freedom to roam as it wishes unlike a dog which must be kept under control, what you propose would require a major change in the law, and no appetite for it with the general public.
 
That cat was shot with an AR15. So already banned as a RIF.

???? RIF by definition is an Imitation with a very low maximum power if it shoots for Airsoft so unless you club it to death it wont kill

an AR15 that shoots lead pellets at over the min up to 12ft lbs is classified as a fire arm and covered by the Fire arms act so isnt an imitation and not subject to RIF rules (which ar not banned jsut restricted )

this as a RIF airsoft Glock need to be a airsoft member to buy this

Stark Arms 17 Combat Super Grade Co2 6mm Pistol - CO2 Powered Airsoft Pistols - Pellpax
stark-arms-17-combat-super-grade-co2-6mm-pistol-5210.jpg


This and an Air pistol shoots 177 pellets you not restricted other than min age to buy and much more powerful than the above RIF

Stark Arms S17 Black Co2 Air Pistol From TAL Shooting And Scuba | Shootingandscuba.co.uk

s17_main.jpg



Both made by the same company STARK Arms
 
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What I find really strange about this is the CPL stance on this given their record up here.
A farmer friend of mine had a tenant in a cottage who kept cats, when she left there were 6 cats left behind, Tom phoned the CPL and asked for their help.
He was told they had no room for the cats and no time to come out to him! and to deal with them himself.
He told them he would deal with them by shooting them on sight and their answer was" so be it".
Another farmer had the same problem, however this time the CPL came out and set cage traps to catch the cats.
This was all well and good, but they didn't come to check them for 2 days, after I made complaints they removed the traps!
I would put money on it, that if the farmers had offered a good donation things would have been different.
Rant over.
 
I'm sorry, but your idea of using cats for vermin control must inevitably lead to an 'old lady who swallowed a fly' type situation, where six months down the line you'll be needing tigers to control the number of wolves on your property.

Who knows where it could end?

Of course all we use for vermin control is cats. We do not use fenn traps, .410s, air rifles, electronic traps nor terriers or spend hundreds of hours a year keeping the vermin numbers under some semblance of control.

I take it you are not up for the challenge then of controlling everything with easily purchased mouse traps? Shame I thought I might be able to put my feet up for a bit.
 
I think that in Germany you can destroy stray cats on your own land. Almost worth voting remain for if they promise to us.

David.
 
If you run over a cat, legally you do not have to stop as they are not legally defined as property, as opposed to a dog.
i wonder what the law is if someone where to shoot one on their property?

i find many animal charities have almost fanatical people in positions of power and that results in PR that is misleading
 
Ran a fox trap in garden for a while. Known cats were p....d on and released to go home through their cat flap and return a noxious smell to their owners. unknown cats just seemed to disappear, simple!!:norty:
 
Sorry but I have to lay down a challenge for you regarding that statement. Come to the organic farm that I live on, where 70 tons of various home grown grains are stored in order to feed the farm livestock, and rid us of all mice, squirrels and rats just using traps. (Crossing everything and hoping that not only will the challenge be accepted but efficiently carried out :))

A pity that you can't just use the ancient Egyptian method, and release some ferrets!

44% of vets have treated cats that have been shot with airguns? Surely that means that 56% HAVEN'T?
 
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