Home Office to push for review of UK Gun Laws

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/consult_firearms.html

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/controls_on_firearms.pdf

Extract from Home Office website:

This consultation looks at the regulatory framework needed to reduce the
risk of firearms getting into the wrong hands, and imposing appropriate
penalties when they do.

David Blunkett said, "This Government takes the issues and problems
raised... very seriously indeed. This consultation is the first step in a
comprehensive review of our firearms controls and laws."

We are looking for your suggestions, your comments and your ideas as to
whether further legislation is required and what form it should take.

Publication date: 12 May 2004

Closing date: 31 August 2004

The Controls on Firearms consultation is open until 31 August 2004.
Responses can be emailed to:
firearmscontrolsconsultation@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Extract from consultation document:

"We are particularly interested in views on whether any other types of firearms should be moved into the prohibited category. For example, large calibre "materiel destruction" rifles"
 

As you may gather from the paragraph above, the Home Office will soon be starting a consultation process with the aim of radically reviewing all aspect of legal gun ownership. This will not only affect 50cal owners, but also long barreled pistol owners and even .22 semi-automatic rifle owners.

I will be submitting my recommendations to the Home Office. I will advise them on the legitimate sporting use, the general good nature of the owners and their total unsuitability as 'criminal weapons'. I'll also suggest that if they are really looking to ban large calibre rifles that they instead undertake the equivalent of the US Class 3 restricted weapon (machine gun) checks, i.e. take a ballistic fingerprint of the gun and a fingerprint of the owner, all other US Class 3 type checks are already in place here in the UK, and that's just to own a .22 rifle!

I suggest that we try and make contact with as many 50cal shooters and clubs in the UK, maybe using this site, in the next day or so I'll get an e-mail address setup and then a discussion forum. 

We need to get organised quickly and make sure that everyone makes the effort to write to the Home Office between now and August. If you have e-mail addresses of other 50cal owners please ask them to contact me at chris@fcsa.co.uk