BASC warns Minister against shotgun–firearms licensing merger

[newsatten]

I know fatalistic thinking should be avoided, but this could be a death-knell to British shooting.

Most people just wont bother, the requirements being either impossible to fulfil or so onerous/expensiove/time-intensive its not worth it.

The pipeline from clays to rifles etc will suffer, young people will join the sport even less.

All thats needed then is something like an AWC in England and Wales to be brought it, and the establishment will have effectively destroyed the current status and future growth ability of British shooting for the majority of working class people.

Only those with the time, financial resources and land will be able to shoot.

The rich.

Well done Labour ...

In the past 35/40 years weve now had, Pistol ban, semi auto centerfire ban, Lead ban, 'air weapon certificates', Section 2 safe storage, mandatory doctors checks, cert application price increases, waits of 1-2 years for a cert, certs revoked left right and centre, what else .... I'm probably forgetting some things here. Do we think this is going to stop? It hasn't stopped at any point in the past 35 years. It's beyond tragic.

Corse it’s never going to stop!
Squeezing ever tighter, the anti’s will keep trampling any opposition till shooting in every guise is just a memory,
As per self loading full bores , Rosco’s etc,
But from a totally personal perspective at 69 and zero shooting interest from my kids apart from the occasional pop at some clays , Im really not bothered by anything the tossers do!
I’ll just keep going as long as I can ,
And you never know it may spur more people into rifles and firearms use,
If you’re going to have to have a FAC may just as well join a club and get yourself a 338 Lap Mag !

 

[enfieldspares]

I love the tittle…. BASC…. “WARNS” minister….. lol…

That what? That at Marford Mill they'll all be very, very, very, very cross?

 

[Conor O'Gorman]

In addition to meeting the Policing Minister Sarah Jones MP yesterday, our team has also been busy with the following engagements this week:

On Tuesday, BASC's public affairs team hosted a drop-in session for Labour MPs in Parliament to brief them on our opposition to the proposed merging of shotgun and firearms licensing, which will be the subject of a planned public consultation.

On Wednesday, BASC's head of firearms Martin Parker delivered a keynote speech at a national firearms conference attended by industry experts.

 

[Tim.243]

That what? That at Marford Mill they'll all be very, very, very, very cross?

A number of years ago a farmers son was on a 2 year journalism course (he was under my wing for shooting) with a number of Farm thefts prompted the Essex CC supported by a senior high rank officer and a couple of her aides. Never seen so many farmers in one place (even on market day)
Jack was keen to go so I called a few farmers who had kit stolen and took him around to see them with his note book
Being young he was a bit nervous about breaking in to ask a question (don't worry jack just follow my lead)
Caught it just right with a loud "I have a couple of questions to be answered" with a hand up and pointing at the CC and the ranking officer.
Jack took my lead, well duck me the CC was on the back foot and her, with him asking for the figures (as it is a local meeting) for this area.

They sounded like a 2 stroke with a bad plug lol, after Jack reeled off farmers in the village hall who he had interviewed listing the stolen kit

 

[jall55]

At the end of the day, he will do what he is told by the people that vote him in, if he gets voted in!

If the electorate does not want legal firearm ownership he will have no choice but to bow down to pressure because without people voting for him he’s not gonna get in so he’ll do his he told!

The shooting community is not big enough or have the backbone to sway politically

Always so negative - if we all responded - did our bit then surely we would be listened too - Over 700,00 shooters is there ? Wives - kids - Aunts Uncles Neighbours - all there to be educated - Goodness most of the people on my street now understand the value of shooting to conservation - community
I could go on - and on - but im sure even i cant get through to you

 

[tackb]

View attachment 446564

In your opinion , which carries no more or less authority than mine……

 

[BenBhoy]

In your opinion , which carries no more or less authority than mine……

Oh absolutely mate, totally agree.







































But he really is a self serving, untrustworthy, snot faced nasty cüňt stain.

 

[Julian S]

Basically if we dont vote reform we have no one but ourselves to blame for loosing shooting in the uk unfortunatly so decide for yourself.Its a fact of life

 

[Apthorpe]

Don't see a problem myself.

What does your guide dog think?

Oh absolutely mate, totally agree.







































But he really is a self serving, untrustworthy, snot faced nasty cüňt stain.

A description which applies with equal validity to every male party leader and a majority of MPs, councillors, etc

 

[Martiniblack577]

‘The British Shooting Sports Council is an umbrella body which brings together Britain’s major shooting associations to achieve consensus positions on political and legislative issues affecting the shooting sports.’ - would welcome learning if BASC worked in concert with the BSSC on this current initiative or couldn’t get a majority agreement so went it alone?

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hmmm. Much opinion and not a few dispersions cast towards a certain ex-Euro millionaire MP.
Meanwhile back in this small corner of the United Kingdom we have only one licence for everything from airguns to heavy calibre centrefire rifles and gosh even pistols. This has been so since before I got my first air rifle nearly 60 years ago and is unlikely to change anytime soon methinks.
There is no obvious grand plan to ban firearms over here but there has been a creeping pressure on those with, or wishing to, acquire same by the licensing authority - PSNI. Furthermore RFDs without whom of course the sport would shrivel and die are subjected to continual additional requirements.
However in recent times the hoops to be jumped through for an FAC have been made particularly onerous and just like Ryanair the system is now totally paperless - immediately disadvantaging those without the skills to operate or even access to computers. So what cognisance has been taken of recent surveys which showed that a third of UK people over 60 do not have these skills or access to a PC yet paperless it is and must be - even for said older FAC holder wishing for a Regrant? On a similar vein only a few weeks ago a requirement came in for registering with the police portal before a face-to-face transaction could be done - how can those without the skills/knowledge
/web access comply?
It seems to me that the designers and providers of these systems inhabit a Utopian world where everyone has an Iphone or Ipad permanently fixed to their hand and with full uninterrupted web access - i.e. not of the real world….
In short, amalgamation of shotgun/rifle licensing should hold no real fears - in my experience however you should be more concerned by the systems yet to be set in place and the ineptitude of those who will operate it.

 

[Norfolk Deer Search]

Basically if we dont vote reform we have no one but ourselves to blame for loosing shooting in the uk unfortunatly so decide for yourself.Its a fact of life

He’ll freezer over before I be for that ****!

 

[VSS]

Basically if we dont vote reform we have no one but ourselves to blame for loosing shooting in the uk unfortunatly so decide for yourself.Its a fact of life

We will have no one but ourselves to blame for loosing shooting in the UK, whoever we vote for.
Voting Reform wont change that.

 

[BenBhoy]

A description which applies with equal validity to every male party leader and a majority of MPs, councillors, etc

Yep, agreed again. I think this current shower have proven the disparity between what they say at elections is quite different to reality. And reform would be just as bad (I personally suspect worse but that's based purely on my own bias). But even by that yardstick, nasty nigel is a degree more slimy than your average slug.

 

[Martiniblack577]

We will have no one but ourselves to blame for loosing shooting in the UK, whoever we vote for.
Voting Reform wont change that.

Safety in numbers. Wholly agree. If only every person who holds an FAC or SCC could introduce 1 or 2 persons to the sport, the collective voice would be better heard. Plus better communication and alignment between shooting bodies on socio/statute/political issues affecting everyone.

 

[VSS]

Safety in numbers. Wholly agree. If only every person who holds an FAC or SCC could introduce 1 or 2 persons to the sport, the collective voice would be better heard. Plus better communication and alignment between shooting bodies on socio/statute/political issues affecting everyone.

I think it runs deeper than that. We've basically allowed shooting to fade out of our country's culture. We've been too inward looking. Hidden ourselves from the public gaze. Created, at the one extreme, an "us and them" mentality, and at the other extreme a rather furtive, secretive, borderline sinister reputation.

It's when I see posts on here asking questions like "how do I cross a road with my rifle" or "how do I get my rifle from my house to my car, which is parked in the street" that I really fear for the future of shooting. With that sort of mentality among shooters, no wonder acceptance of firearms ownership and shooting is no longer part of our wider culture.

 

[BenBhoy]

I think it runs deeper than that. We've basically allowed shooting to fade out of our country's culture. We've been too inward looking. Hidden ourselves from the public gaze. Created, at the one extreme, an "us and them" mentality, and at the other extreme a rather furtive, secretive, borderline sinister reputation.

It's when I see posts on here asking questions like "how do I cross a road with my rifle" or "how do I get my rifle from my house to my car, which is parked in the street" that I really fear for the future of shooting. With that sort of mentality among shooters, no wonder acceptance of firearms ownership and shooting is no longer part of our wider culture.

I totally agree Tim that we shouldn't be ashamed by what we do. I shared a video with couple of guys on here yesterday of some wild grey partridge on our farm. 10 years ago there wasn't any on our patch. A combination of predator control, habitat sympathy, no longer boom spraying, & feeding means we now have around 20-40 each winter & families each spring.

But....

I can understand some people, depending where you live, wanting to keep their gun ownership discrete, purely to lessen the risk of theft!

 

[Smellydog]

I know the only party with which we have any chance of regaining some freedom is Reform, Farage is pro firearms ownership and pro hunting. He has discussed re-legalising pistols IIRC.

Until the establishment gets to him!

 

[VSS]

...

I can understand some people, depending where you live, wanting to keep their gun ownership discrete, purely to lessen the risk of theft!

The perceived risk is greater than the actual risk.
And think of the missed opportunities: The conversations with neighbours, the chance to promote what we do, the chance to share game meat, the chance to recruit new people to the sport, and so on.
That's where we're failing.

 

[BenBhoy]

The perceived risk is greater than the actual risk.
And think of the missed opportunities: The conversations with neighbours, the chance to promote what we do, the chance to share game meat, the chance to recruit new people to the sport, and so on.
That's where we're failing.

Yep, again agreed. But plenty of sec1 holders live in less than agreeable areas I'm sure. Don't get me wrong, my few neighbours probably know, I don't shy away at all. But I can also understand why someone who lives in centre of Liverpool (other shité city's are available) might want to keep it hush hush.