Law Commission report is out

[IsleShoot]

Published today;

http://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/firearms/

Haven't read past the acknowledgments, saw Prof Squires name and just sunk to my knees aaarggh

[Christel]

There is nothing wrong with the firearms act...it is the people implementing it that is to blame for the sometimes chaotic system we all face from time to time.

I do wonder what the purpose was behind this report?

Instead of wasting time/money/energy on yet another report why not grab hold of the various firearms department staff and educate them?

[HALODIN]

I haven't read it all, but their definition of lethal is certainly non-lethal. They want lethality to be define as 0.737562 lb/f or 1 joule, which would include some nerf guns. Ridiculous. They're not clarifying the law, they're further complicating it.

[DaveB]

Did you ever honestly believe that a pack of lawyers would give a fair 'hearing' to anything related to firearms?

[Fedaykin]

Agreed Halodin, it also ignores the system that has worked perfectly well within the gun trade and shooting community.

Air Pistol more than 6ft/lb = illegal
Air Rifle more than 12 ft/lb = FAC

It is perfectly easy to understand except for Continuity ACPO, the MET, NABIS and Prof Squires. The simplicity of the above rules beggars belief yet they start messing around introducing Joules. All a Police firearms unit would require is an appropriately configured and independently verified (preferably by the proof house) Chronograph to hand if they are not sure. If the air gun is designed for the above limits but it is over an option that it can be dispatched to a suitable RFD/dealer to be adjusted should be there.

Also the whole antique thing continues to have a fuss made over it:

As was pointed out by the Metropolitan Police Forensic Firearms Unit, relying
upon the obsolete cartridge approach presents a number of issues. The most
challenging is the fact that evidence suggests that obsolete cartridge firearms are
encountered by the police in criminal circumstances. From this, it can be inferred
that there are some cartridge types on the list that perhaps should no longer be
considered obsolete.

Continuity ACPO, the MET, NABIS and Prof Squires etc all talk about evidence suggesting a problem without actually presenting ANY EVIDENCE! At best the MET, Continuity ACPO and NABIS have made anecdotal statements but presented no peer reviewed research based upon collected statistics to actually make a fair debate possible.

1) How many antique guns have be found in the hands of criminals?
2) What form of criminality were they involved in?
3) Did they have the means to actually fire said antiques?
4) How many antique guns were found on street searches?
5) How many antique guns were found in Police raids on property?

I could probably add even more to that list but you get my point! Until they give some real evidence beyond anecdotes then why is this even being debated as a problem especially when the antique gun trade and owners associations categorically think there is none?