mosin nagant bayonets illegal?

[shotgun sam]

Tonight at the gun club one of the members said that He had a visit from Police Scotland (old Strathclyde area) about His mosin nagant the one with the built in bayonet.
It seems that an RFD was sent one and was not sure of the bayonet and asked the advice of the licensing department. They made the decision that the bayonet was a dangerouis weapon and said that it would have to be removed (they have all ready been to several other nagant owners).
They tried to get the bayonet off but it was stuck fast the officers then said He could not use the rifle even on a range as that was classed as a public place.
Does anyone know if they can insist legally that a bayonet has to be removed .

Sam

[saddler]

A RANGE is a public place??

News to me; should make guest days a lot less of a PITA paperwork-wise!

I'd ask the Strathclyde boabies to point to the Firearms Act which mentions that bayonets are not allowed - then possibly show THEM the Bisley Bible, as several historical disciplines call for shots at a specified distance with bayonet fixed - namely HBSA & LERA, but no doubt others too

What compensation scheme does Police Scotland have in place, for illegal removal of private property? (or would it be classed as theft?)

Do folk that have guns "not to be used on a range" therefore qualify for a free one for one too?

[northumbrian]

Oh please you've got to be joking

[IainWR]

The individual concerned is in contact with me.

Unfortunately the Knife Dealers (Scotland) Regulations 2013 are currently a mystery to me. I'm working on it.

Iain

[sconie]

I am sorry to report that this is true, I called the NRA this afternoon as it is my nagant M44 that is being held at an RFD due to the fixed bayonet.
I will not go into all the details but regardless of the fact that the bayonet is firmly connected to a historic rifle that requires the owner to have "good reason" to possess it and that it will be secured out of sight to and from the range, it is still a problem apparently, how do javelin throwers manage to practice and compete I wonder?


I would really appreciate all your collective support on this and I hope that common sense prevails.

Regards to Ian for his support and advice today, I must admit that I am feeling low over this as this would have been my first personal rifle on my ticket.... Gutted... Totally gutted.

[IainWR]

A RANGE is a public place??

Yes. In the context of the relevant law (the Criminal Justice and P155 all Over People Act 2003 or some such - I read it earlier today), a "public place" is everywhere except a domestic dwelling, a school or a prison, in all of which different rules apply under different bits of this or other Acts.

This has some interesting aspects as there are definitions within the knife laws of some important terms in the Firearms Acts that are completely at odds with what we know. I have yet to analyse this to the point of understanding which set of precedents to push on, but it is unquestionably the case that there is some difficult stuff here.

Iain
NRA
Job title to go with all this a bit uncertain, but somebody has to do it.

What follows is NOT THE NRAs OPINION

Remember that masses of citizens voted for the people that passed this unconstitutional law (try Article 12 Bill of Rights 1688 (That all Grants and Promises of Fines and Forfeitures of particular persons before Conviction are illegall and void). So challenge is available in the ballot box (King Alex IV presumed, are you listening? Is the Commissioner of Police Scotland an elected appointment?) and in the courts.

Or we could just go back eight hundred years +/- and recall the words of Scotland's greatest Hero: "I tell you a truth, liberty is the best of all things, my son, never live under any slavish bond"

[Mikaveli]

Can someone pull some stats on when a fixed bayonet was last used in a violent crime?

I'm guessing 1812...

[DanTheMan]

Is this just a Scotland thing ?

[IainWR]

If you include offences against military law and the international laws of war I will guess a lot later than that - definitely post 1950 and probably post 2000.

[IainWR]

Is this just a Scotland thing ?

In the sense that Police Scotland are the only idiots sufficiently up their own ar5es to come up with it, yes.

Again , me, not my employer.