Target shooters up in arms over gun control law (longish)

[Holds Tight]

http://www.royalgazette.com/article/201 ... /706289942

A front page article in the local newspaper about our shooting issues here in Bermuda, funny enough we were summoned to Police HQ late this afternoon to apply for temp pistol licenses. Please feel free to leave a comment or two! sign92

Local target shooting enthusiasts are mulling filing a complaint against Government for what they say is a law which discriminates against Bermudians.

They are also up in arms over the seizure of pistols valued at more than $70,000 by the Police Commissioner in 2011 for which they have not been compensated.

Bermuda’s gun control regime began with the Firearms Act 1973, a legislative response to the murders of Police Commissioner George Duckett, the Governor Richard Sharples and his Aide Hugh Sayers.

Police seized firearms then, but a deal was made which later allowed target shooters to practise their sport under controlled conditions at a shooting range at the Bermuda Regiment’s Warwick Camp.

In 2011, Sharon Lee, a member of the Coral Reefs Rifle and Pistol Club, asked Police Commissioner Michael DeSilva for permission to remove her pistols from the camp to the airport in order to travel to the Island Games in the Isle of Man.

Permission was denied, although she had a valid import permit from the UK authorities which would have allowed her to compete in the Isle of Man.

Mr DeSilva’s view was that the storage and use of pistols at Warwick Camp had been illegal all along. He ordered all of them confiscated again.

According to David Dumont, president of the Coral Reefs Rifles and Pistols Club, the value of the firearms ranged from $3,000 to $15,000 and about 60 were confiscated and are still in police custody with no indication as to whether compensation will be paid.

The Police Commissioner declined to comment for this story and Government did not respond when asked for comment.

Mr Dumont argues that the pistols were legally imported into Bermuda, customs duty was paid on them and that his members should be allowed to access them to practise locally and to attend international competitions.

“We don’t dispute that they were prohibited. We’re just saying they are our property. We paid for them,” he said.

Adding insult to injury are recent amendments to the Firearms Act which specifically restricted firearm licences for locals for use in a sanctioned competition to a maximum of 12 months at the Police Commissioner’s discretion.

Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley promoted the change as a concession to local enthusiasts since previously members of licensed rifle clubs could apply for temporary licences for up to two months.

But Mr Dumont says that in the past the “temporary licences” were renewed “ad infinitum” whereas the new regime does not provide for renewals and specifically targets Bermudians and local residents.

“I don’t know anyone that has the wherewithal to purchase a $4,000 pistol for 12 months only to be told to get rid of it afterwards,” he said.

The Commissioner, he added, had the power to license the pistols before the law change and “chose not to do so”.

The Opposition Progressive Labour Party opposed the Firearms Amendment Act when it was debated in Parliament last month saying it prejudiced Bermudians and that not enough consultation had been done.

Mr Dumont, and other target shooting enthusiasts we spoke to agreed that Government paid little attention to their views on the matter.

The target shooting enthusiasts are also irked by the fact that the law treats all firearms the same, Mr Dumont said.

“The law makes no distinction between an air rifle, and air pistol, a paintball gun and a .38 revolver,” he said. “They are all equally prohibited under the law.”

Mr DeSilva is also of the view that the past practice of listing multiple firearms on one licence was wrong and now requires each firearm to be licensed. At $250 per licence, the cost of participating in the sport — with little access to the firearms for practice purposes — is prohibitive, said Mr Dumont.

Meanwhile, some local target shooting enthusiasts may have to sit on the sidelines and watch their foreign counterparts compete at next month’s Island Games.

Not out of choice — Bermudians have competed in shooting competitions here and abroad, done well and even brought back medals. But the Island’s approach to gun control has brought some aspects of the local sport to a screeching halt (see story in Sports).

The policy, says Mr Dumont, is misguided. “If all our firearms were shipped away tomorrow, are there going to be less illegal firearms on the streets? We are not the problem.”

The licensed rifle and pistol clubs also have strict screening procedures for membership and strict protocols for securing firearms, he added. Target shooting enthusiasts we spoke to are of the view that their protocols are in fact stricter than the police — they’ve rejected some applications which were accepted by the Police.

And there are reports within the target shooting community that some of their firearms which had been in police custody went missing after the first mass confiscation and were not returned by the police.

But the Firearms Act 1973 exempts the police of any liability should any firearms in their possession be lost or damaged, and also deems firearms in their storage for two years to have been abandoned and subject to disposal.

As for the murders in the 1970s, “none of the weapons that were used belonged to us”, Mr Dumont said.


http://www.royalgazette.com/article/201 ... /706289963

Several of Bermuda’s target shooters are worried that their request for a special police permit to use certain types of banned firearms won’t be approved in time for them to compete in the upcoming Isand Games.

According to Bermuda Target Shooting Association President (BTSA), Ross Roberts, police have granted the Games shooters permission to use air pistols and rifles and centrefire pistols (that are currently on a list of prohibited firearms) under condition they obtain a special permit.

But despite submitting their applications months ago, Roberts said team members were awaiting approval and he now fears that they may not receive them prior to the July 13 start of the Games.

“This is something we have been waiting for and if it doesn’t come through soon then obviously there will be no locals taking part in any of the pistol events and air rifle/pistol events,” he said. “There will probably be six people that will be affected by it and we’re looking at being represented by a team of 12. So this may or may not allow some of our athletes to actually take part in the Games.”

Roberts said the air pistols and rifles and centrefire pistols were confiscated by police two years ago.

“The current Police Commissioner (Michael DeSilva) deemed that they were illegal and confiscated them and they have been sitting at Police Headquarters since then,” he added. “That was just before the Island Games two years ago and we haven’t seen them or used them since.”

Roberts said police have since granted the local shooters permission to resume using the banned firearms to prepare for and compete at the upcoming Games once they have obtained the permit. But they are still waiting.

“We had a recent meeting with the police who have advised us that the Commissioner is going to allow us to use them for training for the Games,” he said. “But we can’t use them until we get these permits that are still sitting in police administration waiting to be processed. We only have got two and a half to three weeks left before the Games so it’s getting down to the crunch stage now.”

Roberts said once the permits had been approved the shooters will have to pay for a police officer to accompany them whenever they practise on the shooting range (in Prospect) prior to the start of the Games.

“If the permits are issued tomorrow and we want to train the police would have to escort the firearms from the police station to the range and from the range back to the police station which is fine,” he said. “But the only issue we have is the paying part on top of that, we will have to pay this officer to be there the whole time.

“We are quite happy with the police being there and if they want to shoot with us by all means they can take part. But it’s the paying part that’s hurting us and if we do get the permit we are going to try to make allowance to get the funds.”

Roberts said the dilemma had put a damper on their preparations.

“A lot of shooters haven’t been able to train and the only two that have trained have gone overseas but unfortunately they can’t train when they get back,” he said. “Obviously these are people that compete once in a while so you would think that going into a Games like this you’d be able to at least train a couple of times a week to get comfortable with your firearm.”

Chairman of Bermuda Island Games Jon Beard said he was optimistic the special permits would be granted before the start of the Games.

“As you can imagine hosting shooting has brought its own special set of problems and understandably so,” he said. “However, the efforts of the Sports Ministers in the last government and this government to help us through this has been incredible. They have been assisted by other ministries, the Police, the airport authorities; and of course the sport shooting fraternity. Laws have been amended and licences produced to allow sport shooting to take place during the Games.

“Shooting is a very popular sport in the member islands, and I believe that the team effort made by everyone will have a terrific development impact on the sport of shooting in the Island.”

[ovenpaa]

Amazing, so the Police Commissioner makes the rules up as he chooses, the Governor shrugs his shoulders and it cannot be easily challenged. Meanwhile pistols are allowed onto the island in the hands of foreigners to compete in your island games.

It sounds like a bad script from a B movie.

[dromia]

Or UK firearms legislation.

[Chuck]

We don’t dispute that they were prohibited. We’re just saying they are our property. We paid for them,” he said.

Shot yourself in the foot there then, how can they be prohibited on the word of a policeman? A disgrace for sure, corrupt as a nine pound note. Who are the police to make up the law,......

[meles meles]

We blame the Normans, they introduced the oppressive constabulary system to replace the Saxons' self regulating 'moot' and 'hue and cry'...