Gun Control and Gun Crime
CJ500 Gun crime is a particularly serious problem and the Green Party is committed to tackling it by ensuring a high level of gun control as well as addressing the social factors which contribute to people committing crimes with guns.
Also, as well as their actual use, the presence and availability of guns and 'gun culture' contributes to fear of crime, intimidation and the reluctance of witnesses and victims to report crimes.
The Green Party is committed to introducing the following measures:
Defining lethal weapons
The lethality of a gun will be defined quantitatively in law, thereby covering new weapons resulting from developments in firearms technology.
Prohibited weapons
The most dangerous weapons will be prohibited. These include handguns, multi-shot and high calibre weapons. There will be a complete ban on the private ownership/possession of all automatic and semi-automatic firearms. A suitably constituted Gun Safety Advisory Committee will regularly review which weapons are prohibited.
Deactivated weapons
All deactivated weapons will be treated the same as active weapons in terms of prohibition and licensing, as they are capable of being reactivated and can cause fear because they appear as though active.
Licensing
A single rigorous licensing process will be put in place based on considerations of public safety rather than the convenience of shooters. Subject to relevant criteria, licenses will be issued for permitted shotguns and rifles, all lethal airguns and permitted deactivated guns.
Users of firearms for sporting or agricultural purposes will be required to demonstrate their competence in handling firearms and satisfy the authorities of their mental and emotional stability:
Applicants should also be required to obtain the signature of, say, ten citizens (just as a prospective electoral candidate) who will vouch for the good character of the licence holder. This will discourage the 'loners' and socially isolated individuals who are most at risk of committing the horror that occurred at Dunblane and Hungerford.
The cost of medical and psychological tests must be borne by the applicant, together with a new annual fee which is sufficient to repay the economic damage - to police, court and NHS - inflicted on it by the abuse of guns generally. When licences are awarded the onus will be on the applicant to demonstrate his or her suitability to handle firearms rather than on the authorities to prove the applicant's unsuitability. Licence holders will be required to renew their applications on an annual basis individuals whose licence application is rejected will be required to wait at least two years before re-applying.
Imitation weapons
There will be a complete ban on the manufacture, sale and import of imitation weapons (replica guns and blank firers) and a ban on their public possession. There will be licenses for imitation weapons used for film/theatrical purposes, and legislation to ensure toy guns are highly distinct in appearance, probably by being made of clear/translucent plastic.
Yep, you read it right. FAC holders to pay for the costs of gun crime (however you define that). Absolute nutters.
Amusing that they don't appear to have read any existing legislation whilst drafting that.
Fedaykin wrote:I feel sorry for the citizens of Germany and Brighton who have to live with the Green's holding actual power!
Save your pity for us, recent polls indicate that many of the Lib Dems grass roots supporters have migrated to the Green Party following the coalition U-turns. Yes they have no chance of becoming an opposition party, but if they could squirm their way into a coalition there could be big problems :cool2:
Then again anybody who shoots but is tempted to vote Green should read their current official policy on Shooting! It only takes up one paragraph:
Animal Welfare - Hunting and Shooting
The Green Party is opposed to shooting and hunting and would bring an end to these 'sports'. Until this happens The Green Party are calling for magazines that promote the shooting and hunting of animals to have blank wrapping and be kept out of the reach of children.
Fedaykin wrote:I feel sorry for the citizens of Germany and Brighton who have to live with the Green's holding actual power!
Save your pity for us, recent polls indicate that many of the Lib Dems grass roots supporters have migrated to the Green Party following the coalition U-turns. Yes they have no chance of becoming an opposition party, but if they could squirm their way into a coalition there could be big problems :cool2:
I am a card carrying Lib Dem member and haven't been tempted to the "Green side"! Many of those Lib Dems (traitors) who have gone to the Green party had come from the left wing of the labour party. Good riddance as far as I am concerned!
Agreed they mustn't be allowed to squirm their way into power, you only have to look at Germany to see how the Greens can utterly mess up the wheels of state to get their policies onto the statute book.
Animal Welfare - Hunting and Shooting
The Green Party is opposed to shooting and hunting and would bring an end to these 'sports'. Until this happens The Green Party are calling for magazines that promote the shooting and hunting of animals to have blank wrapping and be kept out of the reach of children.
I am a card carrying Lib Dem member
Lib-Dem criticizing Green Party ? Interesting concept - What is that English idiom again ?
Is it the pot calling the kettle black ??
My thinking on this is that if I'm picking up the costs of the licencing then I'd expect to have some pretty tight performance measures placed on the licencing authorities and reported to the 'customer' i.e. the shooting community. Its the environment I work in and I'd be looking for some 'Key Performance Indicators' such as: number of licences processed per man month, speed of response to all applications, speed of response to all enquiries etc. I'd be looking for some 'utilisation rates' to demonstrate how effective personnel are including detail about diversions such as sickness, training, waiting time etc. If they want to make me pay the cost then I get control over those costs.
froggy wrote:I am a card carrying Lib Dem member
Lib-Dem criticizing Green Party ? Interesting concept - What is that English idiom again ?
Is it the pot calling the kettle black ??
Quite simply and respectfully NO!
The Liberal Democrats are not just the Greens under a different label! That SLUR causes much irritation to party members.
The Liberal Democrats have traditionally been a centrist party with a strong leaning towards the Social Market Economy or Rheinland Model of economics. This is based upon a fine tradition of Liberal politics and I regard myself as a supporter of Gladstonian Liberalism.
It is only in recent years that a particular part of the party mainly made up of former SDP and ex Labour members have caused a lurch to the left after the success of the party in the Urban north after the 97 general election. The traditional core of the Liberal Democrats have not been happy with this shift in party direction.
I and many other Liberal Democrats can't stand the Green Party and to be labeled the same pretty much makes my pee boil. Considering the Liberal Democrat heartlands are in the rural South West and the Highlands of Scotland the suggestion that my party is anti shooting like the Greens is highly frustrating. We are NOT! Don't TAR me with the SAME BRUSH because of the lefty loony fringe in my party!
