Time for reform?
The United Kingdom has some of the most restrictive, contrived and authoritarian firearms legislation known to man. It’s time for this to end, before any more restrictions to what we may or may not own jump into the head of whichever fool happens to be Prime Minister at the time.
As of 2016, there were 153,404 Firearms Certificate holders in the UK, alongside 567,015 Shotgun Certificate holders, and a mere 9,787 “offences involving firearms”, which also includes imitation firearms, air guns and blank firing devices. Of these offences, 51% involved the weapon in question being fired and resulted in 33 fatalities. Each of these deaths are a tragedy, but none of them should be allowed to represent what general firearms owners are like. The government of this country treat the average law-abiding citizen, especially gun owners, as potential criminals. It’s well beyond time for this mentality to stop.
This “potential criminal” attitude is further seen in the fact that applicants for shotgun and firearms certificates must provide a “good reason” for wanting to obtain a certificate and own a firearm. We should immediately have a Constitutional right to arms, regardless of why we would like to own a firearm.
Multiple classifications of firearm are banned in the UK, including handguns, shotguns and rifles with certain barrel lengths and capacities. This is a farce. All firearms, with the exception of automatic rifles, machine guns and the like, should be legal to own. I do agree that certain types of ammunition, such as HEDP (high explosive dual-purpose) rounds, or HEI (high explosive incendiary) rounds. Mortars, grenades and other such “weapons of war” should also not be legal for ownership in the UK.
With Baroness Jones’ announcement that she would introduce an amendment to place a 1800 hours curfew on all men on the street, the issue of section 5 firearms is especially poignant. Section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 bans any weapon of whatever description designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing. This brings the ownership of such non-lethal weapons as pepper sprays into criminality. Instead of banning men on the streets after 1800, we should allow all citizens to carry any weapon to defend themselves. This is a far better way of keeping us safe. Anybody can attack anybody else, and the only way to level the field is by allowing us to carry weapons. This should be regulated for firearms, such as with a Concealed Carry Permit, allowing a person to carry a firearm with which to defend themselves or others. IT’S TIME FOR REFORM. Stop the authoritarianism. Vote Liberty.
Dakota Long – Somerset County Coordinator