Firearms control in the news.

finnbear270

Well-Known Member
This mornings tv news showing news paper reports, of greater efforts needed to prevent shooting tragedies, HMMMN , wonder if the efforts to include mental fitness checks, will benefit the actual problem that exists within the licensing system at source?
 
Here's a link to an article on this , sure I don't have any of those firearms in the picture on my FAC...

Police Warned Of Gun Massacre Threat

I saw that and thought typical of Sky News and their sloppy journalism; scaremongering, bad research (weapons that have been illegal to hold for decades in UK shown - but good for their impact factor).

Migrant/immigrant news must be slow today since Germany seem to have taken a common sense pill, the BBC was a bit better


Flaws in medical checks 'could lead to shootings', watchdog warns - BBC News

Either way BASC and the like need to be on top of this straight away and by doing more than just releasing a statement. A complaint to Sky News to get air time would be more appropriate.


In the days of budgets being slashed the Police forces found waning will have to put more money into sorting out their end of the process and I personally think that GP's should be obliged to inform the Police of certificate applicants/holders having a change in mental health - some people might not like it but it's a way to nip problems in the bud.

I'll await the usual Facebook hand wringers starting petitions to end the public owning firearms in the UK, it will probably take till 10am as soon as an attention seeker see's a way of gaining a few 'likes'...
 
This mornings tv news showing news paper reports, of greater efforts needed to prevent shooting tragedies, HMMMN , wonder if the efforts to include mental fitness checks, will benefit the actual problem that exists within the licensing system at source?

Just been talking about it on radio 4:evil:
dave
 
It is an unfortunate fact that a great many people in the UK attempt to take there own lives every year. Neither the wish nor ability to do so is linked to firearms ownership.

This appears to be blatant opportunism by HM Inspector of Constabularies in an attempt to add further bureaucracy and expense to our already overly complex firearms laws. Other civilised nations successfully managed private firearms ownership without all the unnecessary inconvenience which the authorities seem to believe is needed within the UK.

In the past year rural crime has apparently cost £ 800 million, perhaps the police and criminal justice system should prioritise dealing with this.

atb Tim
 
And the photo attached to the sky news article shows weapons, all of which are illegal.

Better to be worried about all the migrants entering Europe with all their bags unchecked. If there is going to be a massacre, it is far likely to be done by a terrorist wielding an illegal assault rifle smuggled into our porous borders, than some dude who is in the doldrums .

Z
 
What constitutes a change in mental health?

K

I would say a clinical diagnosis of a mental illness, of which there are many; not all mental illnesses would prohibit or require a temporary revocation of a person from holding a firearm certificate.

It would really be for a doctor (which I'm not) to decide if a particular illness would require such on a case by case basis. Very hard to manage I'd imagine, the problem would be getting the medical profession to go on board.
 
I see Sky News online have now changed the photo on the banner from firearms illegal to hold in the UK to what appears to be a child being helped to load a shotgun by a person in tweed........
 
Lots of branches of the media seem to have editors or correspondents for a wide range of subjects. Aircraft, motoring the list is endless if you include ball games. Few, if any have responsible and informed journalists when it comes to dealing with country sports or sporting weapons. Currently the media seems content to open its mouth and let every half fact and prejudice spew out.

Blackpowder
 
Firearms law is in general antiquated, piecemeal and generally not up to the standards for a modern society. However, as regards criminal acts being committed by firearms legally held, the statistics show those figures to be extremely low.

I'm not averse to an overhaul in legislation. Perhaps indeed there should be some sort of check on mental health as part of the suitability criteria to hold firearms. Not sure how that would work effectively in practice though. Your doctor can say you're not being treated for anything at renewal time, but like a car MOT, that doesn't mean anything thereafter. A couple of months later, your tyres could well land truly be bald!

Perhaps one of the things worth considering is introducing a national body responsible for the granting of certificates instead of the police, who patently can't provide uniformity country-wide.

As for the media, when have they ever let the truth get in the way of a good story?
 
Ask yourself this question.

Do I know anyone with a SGC or FAC that shouldn't have it?

When they got there certs they might have been OK but then they changed due to drink problem, divorce, you name it, there are so many problems that can instigate mental problems.

Be honest, do you know someone?
 
Surely the crux of the article and report is that the police are failing to implement the law and procedures as they currently stand, no doubt using budget cuts as an excuse. So how does adding further measures help with this situation?!?

Novice
 
I see Sky News online have now changed the photo on the banner from firearms illegal to hold in the UK to what appears to be a child being helped to load a shotgun by a person in tweed........

Ironically James Murdoch shoots game, I enquired after noticing an expensive double gun slip in his house.
 
Ask yourself this question.

Do I know anyone with a SGC or FAC that shouldn't have it?

When they got there certs they might have been OK but then they changed due to drink problem, divorce, you name it, there are so many problems that can instigate mental problems.

Be honest, do you know someone?

I heard of someone, not known to me, who is rumoured to have lost his FAC because the police found out he has the first stage of Alzheimer's. They thought he might forget how many shots were still in his long-magazine shotgun. He is no longer allowed a .22rf either. He has kept his SGC, I'm told.
 
What was more of a worry that there was absolutely nothing from BASC or alike. What on earth our our shooting bodies doing to support us members?

BBC seems to go out of its way to give two sides of an argument on virtually every topic but in this case nothing at all. Scaremongering which BASC etc should be jumping on

D
 
I see Sky News online have now changed the photo on the banner from firearms illegal to hold in the UK to what appears to be a child being helped to load a shotgun by a person in tweed........

At least they respond to complaints ;')
 
I heard the guy from HMIC being interviewed on this morning's Today programme and I have to say that apart from being annoying, it sounded to me like a bit of a non-story. The interviewer asked him to confirm that essentially the number of legally-held weapons used in shootings was pretty much negligible, which he did, and that completely undermined his request for medical testing and so on. It was a solution to a problem that didn't exist. They quickly moved onto more pressing matters. It doesn't mean we should be complacent, but this one I don't thing has legs.
 
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