More Air Rifle abuse in N.Ireland

Sparks

From the BBC:

Air rifle shootings 'are linked'
Police are hunting for the person thought to have shot two teenagers with an air rifle in County Londonderry.

The 16-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy were struck in separate attacks in Portstewart on Sunday.

Detectives believe the incidents are linked and fear that the person could strike again.

The girl was near a bandstand when a pellet struck her on the leg, while the boy was also shot in the leg at about the same time in The Crescent area.

The shootings took place at about 2240 BST on Sunday.

The injured boy, Daniel Kelso, was walking along the promenade with friends when the attack happened.

He said: "I felt a stinging pain in the back of my leg - I thought it was a ball-bearing or paintball.

"Later, people were saying I was bleeding.

"We then decided to get the police - they took me up to hospital and found out it was a slug from an air rifle."



His father, John, said the pellet had been deeply embedded in Daniel's leg, and such a shooting could have had very serious consequences.

"Two of Daniel's friends were sitting at the time and their heads were level with where Daniel was hit," he said.

"If that had missed Daniel, they could have got hit in the face.

"(The pellet) is two-and-a-half inches deep into Daniel's leg. If that had hit somebody in the right place, it could have killed them."

"It wasn't a toy - these are quite lethal weapons and can cause serious injury," he said.

"We would appeal for the person to come forward and surrender their weapon to police.

"We have stepped up patrols in the area and we would ask visitors and residents alike to be vigilant."

Local gun dealer Ivor Cowan said although strict guidelines for owning air rifles were in place, some people may find other ways to get hold of such weapons.

"There must be a loophole - certainly there must be air rifles coming in off the internet or auction sites or such like," he said.

"It's something that the gun trade, the PSNI and the Northern Ireland Office must look at together."

Hope they catch whatever toerag is doing this. That kind of thing does noone any good at all, let alone the dangerous nature of it. You'd imagine people would remember what happened only last year when people abuse airguns like this.

Vegeta

Does N.I follow the same rules in england where a rifle up to 12ft/lb can be bought over the counter

Either way I am glad they are licensed here.

I worry greatly about attacks like this when airsoft weapons become common place in the republic

Sparks

Does N.I follow the same rules in england where a rifle up to 12ft/lb can be bought over the counter

Yup.

I worry greatly about attacks like this when airsoft weapons become common place in the republic

Too late. Someone shot a woman garda in the face a few days ago with one.

Vegeta

Sparks wrote:

Too late. Someone shot a woman garda in the face a few days ago with one.

I truly fear for the future of our sport

Sandy22

Sparks wrote:

Yup.

Don't think so.

http://www.psni.police.uk/index/advice_centre/firearms.htm#airgun

Sparks

Vegeta wrote:

I truly fear for the future of our sport

Not our sport as such. Airsoft perhaps. And we might wind up being lumped in with them, but somehow I don't think so.

Sandy22 wrote:

Don't think so.

In Northern Ireland airguns and CO2 guns having a discharge kinetic energy in excess of one (1) Joule (0.737 ft lbs) require to be held on a firearm certificate. For airguns below that limit the following restrictions are in place.

Under Paragraph 9 of Schedule 1 of the Firearms (NI) Order 2004, persons under the age of 18 cannot possess such firearms unless they have attained the age of 14 years or are under the direct supervision of a person of 21 years or over.

Persons not holding a firearms certificate cannot purchase such firearms unless they have attained the age of 17years.

Ammunition for an airgun can be purchased and possessed without holding a firearm certificate.

Hmmm. Didn't know that. Thanks Sandy, good to know.