firearms incident

[widu13]

This morning, our local ITV (Meridian) had some soppy bird on wanting viewers to ring in to explain why there is ever a NEED to keep ANY firearms at home. I didn't hang around for the mash up.

 

[limulus]

Yes and they then proceed to quote total figures for Firearm certificates in England & Wales although it was a shotgun that was used and then quote a figure of 40 deaths involving legally held ' firearms ' over a specific time period ( can't recall what it was ) without telling how many of those 40 were actually suicides and not murders although the impression given from that will no doubt be to most that the 40 deaths were murders.

What they said was that there had been 40 deaths involving firearms in the last year and that 'up to 14% of those ' where said to involve legally held firearms.

 

[robbo'srifle]

The BBC gave another opportunity to a self serving opportunist in the Jeremy Vine show today (yes,I should know better than to listen to such tosh).

Graham Taylor, who is said to be a "best selling author and ex policeman", said that "this was a golden opportunity to tighten up on firearms law".
I can only assume that Mr. Taylor has been too busy writing to notice that there has been a Home Office Affairs Committee report on firearms and that the government has read it and responded to it .
What's the betting that Mr. Taylor has a book in the offing and is looking to further his writing career (of which I can find nothing on the web) by getting publicity at any cost.

J. Vine is the worst sort of BBC "reporter" I have ever come across, partisan,populist and innacurate. I can't see how his show can pass any of the BBC's charter aims to "educate,entertain and inform".

fraser

+1 to that fraser i couldn't have put it better myself

 

[nemo]

I don't suppose anyone knows how many murders are committed with knives every year and how this equates to firearm crime, and how often alcohol is involved,it looks. like Durham firearms licencing are in for a right rough ride

 

[cjm1066]

It’s early in the enquiry to comment objectively, but this is another very sad incident of murder suicide and one feels for all concerned. These events aren’t unusual, other have involved knives, fire or other means.

The media try their best, but invariably a lot of speculation gets added to the mix which we need not add to on here.

BASC, at times like this they do a good job. Perhaps other organisations are doing a better job it would be nice to know?

 

[stalkinginengland]

Awful thing to happen but I dont think they can tighten things up any more, and regardless what we think the powers that be do know that the pistol ban did not work, they just dont admit it yet.

Mark

 

[willie_gunn]

I don't suppose anyone knows how many murders are committed with knives every year and how this equates to firearm crime, and how often alcohol is involved,it looks. like Durham firearms licencing are in for a right rough ride

nemo

Yes. Sadly these statistics are all too readily available.

For England and Wales, you can find them here: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb1011/?view=Standard&pubID=908823

By my reading, in 2010/11 there was a total of 642 homicides in England and Wales out of 368,647 violent offences resulting in injury.

Of these, 214 homicides involved a knife or sharp instrument. This was out of a total of 26,696 selected violent and sexual offences.

55 homicides involved a firearm, out of a total of 7,006 firearm offences. The number of homicides includes the 12 victims of Derrick Bird. The number of offences excludes those related to air weapons.

For Scotland, similar statistics can be found here: (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/10/21134009/0, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/Datasets/Homicide2010-11Datasets and http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/Datasets/recordedcrime)

Again by my reading, in 2010/11 there was a total of 97 homicides in Scotland.

Of these, 61 homicides involved a sharp instrument.

2 homicides involved a firearm, out of a total of 340 offences where a firearm (other than an air weapon) was alleged to have been involved.

Each of these incidents represents a tragedy.

willie_gunn

 

[stalkinginengland]

Well that explains a lot of why the police are a bit cagey. They revoked his ticket and then gave it back. Just heard it on BBC news.

 

[dave1372]

nemo

Yes. Sadly these statistics are all too readily available.

For England and Wales, you can find them here: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb1011/?view=Standard&pubID=908823

By my reading, in 2010/11 there was a total of 642 homicides in England and Wales out of 368,647 violent offences resulting in injury.

Of these, 214 homicides involved a knife or sharp instrument. This was out of a total of 26,696 selected violent and sexual offences.

55 homicides involved a firearm, out of a total of 7,006 firearm offences. The number of homicides includes the 12 victims of Derrick Bird. The number of offences excludes those related to air weapons.

For Scotland, similar statistics can be found here: (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/10/21134009/0, http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/Datasets/Homicide2010-11Datasets and http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/Datasets/recordedcrime)

Again by my reading, in 2010/11 there was a total of 97 homicides in Scotland.

Of these, 61 homicides involved a sharp instrument.

2 homicides involved a firearm, out of a total of 340 offences where a firearm (other than an air weapon) was alleged to have been involved.

Each of these incidents represents a tragedy.

willie_gunn

Interesting facts. Just highlights the facts that knife crime is where the politicians, police, media and do-gooders should concentrate their efforts.

 

[matt_hooks]

Bunwell, his cert was (in the words of the BBC) "suspended" after he threatened to self harm (no indication if he threatened to self harm with a firearm) but after representations from his wife and GP his cert was reinstated.

So calls for GP's to be more involved wouldn't have stopped this incident.

 

[Chanty Wrassler]

The Beeb have been at pains to emphasise that the (presumed) murderer held firearms legally. Their coverage of the poor Indian student who was shot makes no reference to the handgun used being illegally held. Balanced? Objective?

 

[dollman]

this is bad news four people dead, but you have got to ask yourself how many people are killed from drink related or drink driving in this country every year , if someone killed someone else from being tanked up like fighting ,do we ban drink or if someone is killed buy a drink driver do we ban cars and drink , NO WE DONT , but on the news drink driver kills two , next day not a thing , if the news had to report every drink driving killing it would be on the news all most every day

 

[Rum Baba]

Just looked on the Daily Mail website. They have a readers poll which asks:

Are the Police too relaxed in granting gun licences - Yes or No ? Right next to an image of a Semi-Auto Pistol!!!

These people are not interested in reporting the news - they want to cause a stir and make money

Always disappointed by the BBC following them down this path

 

[TotalNovice]

if someone killed someone else from being tanked up like fighting ,do we ban drink or if someone is killed buy a drink driver do we ban cars and drink , NO WE DONT , but on the news drink driver kills two , next day not a thing , if the news had to report every drink driving killing it would be on the news all most every day

I think Prince Phillip summed it up once when he said if someone was battered to death with a cricket bat we wouldn't ban cricket would we? Or something along those lines.

 

[Mr. Gain]

I think Prince Philip summed it up once when he said if someone was battered to death with a cricket bat we wouldn't ban cricket would we? Or something along those lines.

A sensible point that was of course rubbished in the ongoing media hysteria.

Personally, I prefer the analogy of a set of golf clubs, especially in view of the media's current obsession with the 6 guns of the suicidal/murderous Mr. Atherton. It's the one that the offender uses to commit his violent crime that counts, not the ones in the bag/cabinet, and it'd be an odd golfer/shooter that owned just one club/gun.

Tragic for everyone concerned, nonetheless. What a pitiful way to start the year.

 

[Si]

A sensible point that was of course rubbished in the ongoing media hysteria.

Personally, I prefer the analogy of a set of golf clubs, especially in view of the media's current obsession with the 6 guns of the suicidal/murderous Mr. Atherton. It's the one that the offender uses to commit his violent crime that counts, not the ones in the bag/cabinet, and it'd be an odd golfer/shooter that owned just one club/gun.

Tragic for everyone concerned, nonetheless. What a pitiful way to start the year.

That's true.... and like I said to the wife last night when we watched it on the news "it matters not how many guns the bloke had, he could only use one at a time"

 

[David63]

Copeland Labour MP Jamie Reed , has said that it is tougher to buy children’s medicine than it is to buy bullets. See here:
http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/easier-to-buy-bullets-than-calpol-claims-cumbrian-mp-1.912329?referrerPath=news

What an ill informed lot of twaddle! Shocking!

BASC is writing to Jamie Reed MP to correct his opinion and has given a quote to the newspaper.

Last time we checked there was no requirement to produce a valid police-issued certificate when buying children's over-the-counter medicines.


David

 

[klunk]

Checkout the readers' responses, though. Not one of them gives said twaddle-monger a jot of credence, and some are quite amusing.

 

[Orion]

Last time we checked there was no requirement to produce a valid police-issued certificate when buying children's over-the-counter medicines.

And I don't think there is a requirement to produce a valid police-issued certificate when buying bullets either, is there? (Not FMJs anyway).

 

[Jason]

Unbelivable. There are far to many misconseptions about FAC liscencing and use the of firearms at the moment.

However it was a very Shocking and Tragic event.

Jason