Scottish Gun Cap

[Amber Dog]

Scottish ministers want the power to cap the number of guns that can be owned by any one person after figures hit a record high.

The number of licensed firearms in Scotland has risen by almost a fifth in the last ten years but there are fewer licensed owners.

This suggests that there are more guns concentrated in fewer hands, with the average gun owner holding about three weapons each.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said they would like to see fees reviewed amid concerns that at £50 it is cheaper to hold a gun licence than a television licence.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has now written to UK Home Secretary Theresa May to ask her to either devolve gun control to the Scottish Parliament or tighten the legislation at Westminster.

He said: "It concerns me that gun owners, even those with a legitimate need for such weapons, can accumulate multiple firearms and that there is no apparent limit to what can be held.

"It is one of the areas where the Scottish Government would, if given the proper powers over firearms in Scotland, aim to legislate to ensure that we can better control the number of lethal weapons in society and thereby help to protect and reassure the Scottish public."

There were 71,860 certificated firearms in Scotland in 2011. The vast majority (83%) of them were rifles but they also included handguns and certain shotguns capable of holding lots of ammunition.

There were also 210,799 certificated shotguns, which are categorised separately due to the limit on the amount of ammo they can hold, a rise of almost 12%.

A firearm is defined as "a lethal barrelled weapon of any description from which any shot, bullet or other missile can be discharged".

A shotgun is a smooth-bore gun with a barrel measuring at least 24in in length, without a magazine, and not possessing a revolver function.

In 2011, a record number of firearms dealers were trading in Scotland, rising three per cent to 347 from 337 at the end of 2010. However, there were just 25,831 firearm certificates on issue at the end of 2011, a record low.

The Northern Constabulary police force area contained the most firearms and shotguns per head of population. Statisticians said this was due its more rural nature, where populations are lower and employment and recreational activities may require the use of firearms.

By law, anyone who wants to own a firearm or shotgun must apply for a certificate from the Chief Constable of the force area in which they live. Those who have served jail terms of longer than three years can be prohibited from owning guns.

The laws on gun ownership were tightened after the Dunblane massacre in 1996, which saw 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton murder 16 children and one teacher in Dunblane Primary School using four handguns.

In response to the incident, the Firearms (Amendment) Acts (Nos. 1 and 2) outlawed private ownership of all handguns except war trophies, guns for the humane killing of animals, and shot pistols.

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/103810-gun- ... v-licence/

[dodgyrog]

More Scottish nonsense answering a non existent problem. What is the real reason that motivates them?

[Christel]

I so agree with Dodgyrog's post...what exactly is behind this? Someone up for election and looking to score easy points with the voters?

This suggests that there are more guns concentrated in fewer hands, with the average gun owner holding about three weapons each.

3 weapons each eh, not exactly an arsenal...

[Watcher]

Votes!!!!

[Sim G]

What is the real reason that motivates them?

By latching on to and flogging to death an non-existant problem, the SNP of Salmond, Sturgeon and MacAskill can hood wink the Scots into voting for an urealistic and romantic idea of "self-governance" in order to satisfy these individuals "purpose for being"....!!

I didn't get a reply from MacAskill when I asked him if I could count on his support to have pistol ownership reintroduced to England and Wales and obviously, gun crime is purely a Scottish problem demonstrated by his dogged determination in have all guns outlawed in Scotland......... and, I don't even know where Dunblane is....!

The man's an idiot!

[Chuck]

McArsekill is a moron, is he not a criminal anyway.

Can't compare to TV Licence, guns are way more fun than paying money to the Biased Broadcasting Clusterfcuk.

All about votes, oh yes.... a non existent problem that will be manufactrured into a crisis by diddies like Salmond, McArsekill, Sheridan and all the other losers who ruin Scotland.

They can't stop footie violence and abuse that goes with it....which is WAY more problematic than even 100 times the amount of guns currently held..OH NO, the losers who make up the footie supporting population would never survive...even the chief cnutsable is a useless twerp ..ALL of them powerless to clean up footie cos that's where they get their jollies....so lets go after the law abiding shooters.....

Stumors the lot of them.

[Gaz]

It's all about political power. Firearms law is one of the legal competencies reserved for Parliament. If the sweaty socks manage to prise firearms law away from Westminster that opens the way for them to demand further powers and achieve de facto independence. Firearms law is an easy target for them - "look, evil guns, grieving mothers, evil English won't let us deal with them!" - and the political climate down here is also very much anti-gun, so it's the most likely to go over to them.

The fact that Scottish politicians are showing every sign of wanting a total ban on private firearms ownership in Jockistan is also a major factor.

[Mike357]

I hate politicians! The older I get, the more they make my p*** boil!

I wrote an email to Kenny MacAsskil and his boss when this story broke, still waiting on a reply.

[Sandgroper]

Lets not forget that crime involving firearms are at a 32 year low in Scotland. :roll: This would indicate that more firearms are in the right hands.

As others have said this is a non issue in the real world, but for the SNP it's about power. Independence is looking less likely according to opinion polls (and the 'yes' campaign was only launched in May :lol: ) - so they need something to boost the campaign. So who do they turn to - the usual scapegoats.

[saddler]

IF the SNP are allowed to carry this out I can see the restriction on numbers of firearms held by an individual as their half-way step to a complete ban, as, IF the proposal goes ahead = gun crime in Scotland will NOT drop (given recent bans the opposite is more likely) = so the SNP will then insist that a total ban "...is the only way forward..."

BUT - hey, given the huge wads of cash the Scottish taxpayer is forced to p*** against the wall in the form of funding for those poor wee souls just trying to get away from the menace of that nasty heroin addiction (which was still an illegal drug last time I looked) that they took up as they couldn't afford that HUGE £50 TV licence fee!...
Once the SNP make guns as illegal as heroin = free treatment clinics (...ideally of the 25m long, well ventilated, sound-proofed variety...) will no doubt be made available to get us poor folk whose lives and mindset have been blighted by out terrible addiction to shooting as a hobby - I mean, they COULDN'T exercise double standards against us law abiding shooters, could they??
What's that? People acting as local one-man crime-waves carrying out all manner of crimes to fund a drug habit, who are given every opportunity to get their arses back on track...trips, housing, social workers, counselling, etc. ARE given help with their problems - but Scottish shooters will be written off as a waste of soundbites & photo-ops...

A STAGGERING £3.5billion is wasted on Scotland’s drug addicts EVERY YEAR, shock new figures revealed last night.

Cash pours out of the national coffers to pay for healthcare, policing, court time and looking after addicts’ shattered families — as well as wider costs to the economy and society.

And with more than 55,000 Scots now hooked on drugs — it works out at more than £63,000 per addict.

Incredibly, the spiralling bill is equivalent to more than a quarter of the Scottish Government’s health spending and nearly THREE TIMES the justice budget.

At the same time, junkies also help fund an illegal drugs trade worth £1.4billion a year.

That means each addict feeds a £19,000-a-year habit — mostly with money stolen from the rest of us.

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol ... z1yS3YQHge

I also wonder how the SNP proposals will stack up against our rights as an individual under EC laws?

WHO will decide which of the guns held on certificate will be ok to keep and which MUST be disposed of?
...once the decision is reached = will it be cash or cheque compensation?

THEY have £3.5BN for druggies - £63,000 per addict - where can we sign up as being a gallery rifle addict, or a vermin shooting addict?? (... but I'm OK, I can handle it, I drop the odd squirrel once in a while and the occassional fox - but I've stayed away from the wildfowl....honest gov.!!...got any black powder? nitro?)

PLUS

Would the Scottish Government's devolved firearms laws also mean folk from the rest of the UK would have to apply for a Movement Order to shoot at competitions or stalk in Scotland? (same as happens for Northern Ireland).
How will these proposed new laws be enforced? Border Checkpoints - the building of a coast to coast wall, the "Thistle Curtain" - behind which it will be all sunshine, light, shortbread, successful 7 year plans, equality for all (but extra portions for the politicians), a compulsary photo of Marx above every fireplace, the Internationale every hour on the hour on Radio SNP, etc.??

...we'll have to see what happens - as no doubt given the mess they have made of runnig the country they WILL be pushing this as a major issue as a means to divert attention from the bigger picture of all the problems that are growing out of proportion north of the border.