Guess that means lawful people lose out again

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4419961.stm

A six-year-old child has been shot in the head by an airgun in Edinburgh.

No doubt there will be more calls for a total ban on air guns. Great.

That'll mean losing them without compensation. I love the way the rest of us have to suffer because of one (more) idiot.

Point of order Mr Chairman, according to that story there are at least two idiots in the neighbouring Lothian and Strathclyde regions alone! But I take your point.

[Xaccers]

The Law already says you're not allowed to shoot people with airguns, and that doesn't stop these *expletive deletives* so why do they think the law saying you're not allowed airguns will be adheared to?

Of course they can't ban them as they are an integral part of pest control measures, which are used by councils and farmers etc.

[punky]

Interesting how people's opinions change when it hits a bit closer to home.

[Stuart]

It's a (sometimes sad) fact of life that kids will muck around with things, and will (sometimes) get injured.

I am not saying that kids getting injured is a good thing, but it is how we learn what to do and what not to do.

I am not for an all out ban on airguns (as Xaccers said they do have legitimate uses, and also many people use them recreationally with no incidents), but people with airguns who also have kids SHOULD lock the guns away when not being used. Even if you don't have a lockable cupboard or box, it only costs a few quid for a decent padlock which you can attach to another cupboard or sturdy box.

A few quid is a lot less than child's life.

Not that I am having a go at Airgun owners.

[Raistlin]

I was at a Bank Holiday market a couple of weeks back, where they were selling Airguns.

Several had been sold to a group of young teenagers who proceeded to run wild within the crowd. Shooting at eachother and anybody else they fancied shooting at.

I can only hope that one of them got hurt, and that nobody else in the crowd was injured.

[ian@huth]

That sort of things makes me laugh. An airgun can cause injury or death so lets ban them. Taking that view we should ban virtually everything on Earth including human beings. An unarmed human being can kill another with only his bare hands.

Banning anything or requiring it to be licenced doesn't stop anything. There will always be ways and means to acquire the relevant object and if it is to be used for criminal activities the owner isn't going to be too bothered about the law and licensing. Just like the identity card issue where the introduction of them isn't going to alter the fact that terrorists will still if determined enough go on to perpetrate the atrocity they are intent on performing.

[Xaccers]

Originally Posted by Raistlin

I was at a Bank Holiday market a couple of weeks back, where they were selling Airguns.

Several had been sold to a group of young teenagers who proceeded to run wild within the crowd. Shooting at eachother and anybody else they fancied shooting at.

I can only hope that one of them got hurt, and that nobody else in the crowd was injured.

I can guarentee that those were not air guns, but airsoft guns (aka soft air guns) and as I've stated before, they are harmless (customs class them as toys for instance) especially the cheap springers (single action manual cocking) that markets unfortunately sell.
As a member of the airsoft community, I have to say that we'd love to have these things banned from market stalls as the people that sell them often haven't a clue about the law. Thankfully many markets are now banning them from being sold.
The only risk to life they hold is to the muppet who's waving one around in public when they armed response team turn up from the police.

And another.....

"A 16-year-old boy is being treated in hospital after he was shot in the face with an air gun.
The boy was in the football pitch area of Conway Park in Sale Moor, Greater Manchester, when he was shot on Friday afternoon.

He was taken to Wythenshawe Hospital where he had a pellet removed from his face, near to his eye.

He has since been discharged. Police are appealing for anyone who saw the attack to contact them."


Today's Manchester Evening News

[the_neurotic_cat]

5.5/100,000 children die from injurys every year in this country. I don't know how many that is in total. What makes this one so special ? Bloody journalists.

I suggest that all British citizens under the age of 18, have to wear bomb disposal attair at all times whilst awake.

[me283]

Interesting comment from the MP quoted in the article:

I don't see why anybody needs to have an airgun, certainly in an urban environment

So that's it then? If they aren't "needed" they should not be "allowed"? Aside from the fact that some people have a non-recreational use for these things, does this woman not understand that some people have hobbies? If she intends to ban everything that is not "needed", it's time we were all left with one pair of shoes, one pen (per household), one chair per person...

Pathetic.

[the_neurotic_cat]

Originally Posted by me283

Interesting comment from the MP quoted in the article:
So that's it then? If they aren't "needed" they should not be "allowed"? Aside from the fact that some people have a non-recreational use for these things, does this woman not understand that some people have hobbies? If she intends to ban everything that is not "needed", it's time we were all left with one pair of shoes, one pen (per household), one chair per person...
Pathetic.

Damn right ! ... way more children are killed by ... i dunno ... rubber chickens ... BAN THEM!

Originally Posted by the_neurotic_cat

Damn right ! ... way more children are killed by ... i dunno ... rubber chickens ... BAN THEM!

Cars?!

[me283]

Originally Posted by andyl

Cars?!

Were any people killed in the Poll Tax riots?

[the_neurotic_cat]

Originally Posted by andyl

Cars?!

Yeah ! .. BAN CARS!!! .... i think 2 children die each week on the roads, or is it 2 a day ... can't remember.

BAN BIRTH !!