alastairreid, hi.
First of I have no objection to Licenses, however the overall cost and bureaucratic nightmare it will bring to the Police in Scotland who will be responsible to implement it is huge, plus other costs that will have to be incurred, both by the State and by private individuals.
To recap, the SNP have in their Manifesto a pledge to introduce licenses for air weapons.
The government up here then undertook a “consultation” of the replies received some 87% of respondents were against the proposal to introduce Licenses. But the Government proceeded with their proposals. My opinion is that there is an outside “possibility” that the pro lobby mobilised, but then why was there no anti lobby mobilisation?
The pro lobby then organised a “Facebook” petition to which over 22,000 people signed up all against the proposed legislation for licensing.
The Scotland Police Superintendents body are against the introduction, because it is the hard stretched police that will be responsible to issue and monitor the Licenses. I for one would rather see Officers on the beat rather than embroiled in masses of paperwork.
It is [very conservatively] estimated that there are well over 50,000 air weapons in Scotland right now, in Attics and Cupboards all over the place.
The Regulatory Review Group who has cast their eye over this entire thing has stated that the Implementation impact assessment was not undertaken.
Notwithstanding all the above the SNP Government are going full steam ahead with the Legislation.
As for costs? The individual air weapon owner will have to pay between £ 20 and £ 40 for the License, goodness knows what the Admin cost could be [just think of the cost of the modification of the Software that manages Fire Arms Certification alone?] as I understand it any holder of an FAC will have to have the fire Arms Certificate “modified” to include an air weapon at a cost to the FAC holder.
There is to be [I believe] an Amnesty to allow owners to hand in air weapons, but the SNP will only pay a maximum of about £150 / Weapon. This will be challenged in that when [real] handguns were banned the full value of the weapon being handed in had to be given, OK a lot of the weapons that will be handed in are in poor condition, old-faulty, as good as being in-operative but some could be old but highly prised models, for example in My original post I mentioned that My Son has a “Styer” target indoor Pistol, cost new of these is about £1.1 K ?Some other indoor and other target rifles exceeds £ 2,5K - £ 3.0k
There is a massive volume of information but you have to dig a bit, try [if you are interested]in the following links [if they work? ]
And against try
Now to finish Glasgow are about to host the Commonwealth games, fine where does the shooting event take place?
In a place called Barrybuddon? An old MOD range near Arbroath, The organisers could have got it further away from Glasgow but Lossymouth is busy and Saxa Vord is trying it on too much. And as for “Legacy” where the newly built [at huge cost] facility could benefit all disciplines of shooting from Shotgun to full bore and then down to air weapons will not happen. Once the games have been completed the entire facility will be torn down, as above at no inconsiderable cost, as an aside the indoor Badminton arena will I believe suffer a similar fate?
Is it just me as a shooter feeling haunted and hounded? All I want is to enjoy my chosen sport
Sorry if I have inundated you BUT? The overall cost of all of the above is truly immense, and by the way I have serious reservations that the Housing Scheme “ned” is going to apply for a License, He / She probably drives a car without a Licence, which is far more lethal than an air weapon?
Ken
