NEWS: UK Deactivated gun ban

Rovi

Thought you guys might be interested in this-
LINK

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Converted gun ban 'by year end'

The home secretary has unveiled plans to ban deactivated guns on a visit to the Liverpool suburb where schoolboy Rhys Jones was murdered. Jacqui Smith said she wanted to protect the public and give police the power to remove black market firearms from the streets.
She is also expected to meet the parents of 11-year-old Rhys Jones, who was shot dead on 22 August.
Gangs and gun crime, both prevalent in the area, will be top of the agenda.

Replica guns
Ms Smith said: "Tackling gun crime is key to making people feel safer and more secure in their communities. We already have the tightest controls in Europe but there is more we can do to remove the threat of gun crime."
The proposal to make converted or deactivated guns illegal comes after a huge increase in the amount of model and pellet guns to have been converted to fire live ammunition.
The police have said there are an estimated 120,000 in circulation in the UK.
Government ministers look set to reclassify them as replica guns, which are already banned.
The ruling would focus on deactivated guns made before 1995 when tough restrictions came in.

Returning home
Rhys' parents, Stephen Jones, 44, and Melanie Jones, 41, are likely to hold a private meeting with the home secretary.
Rhys was shot in the neck while returning home from football practice.
Despite a number of arrests nobody has been charged with the schoolboy's murder.
But his parents have called for the gunman to hand himself in.

...and another report-
LINK

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Smith to ban deactivated firearms

A ban on deactivated firearms has been announced by the home secretary which could be enforced before the end of the year.

Jacqui Smith declared on Thursday that the estimated 120,000 deactivated firearms in the UK will be subject to tight new controls with only genuine collectors allowed legal access.

Speaking during a visit to Merseyside while publicising the Tackling Gangs Action programme, Smith said: "Gun crime though thankfully rare is a problem in some areas of the country.

"I want to balance protecting the public with the rights of responsible collectors of deactivated firearms.

"I will shortly consult on a way forward to allow genuine curators to collect legitimate firearms while giving the police and other enforcement agencies the powers they need to get black market firearms off our streets."

She went on to explain that the new standards represented a more "stringent" approach to deactivated firearms than those introduced before 1995 and that police have told her that "pre-1995 weapons are turning up more and more in gun-related crime".

Those restrictions introduced in 1995 were designed to increase the difficulty of getting a deactivated firearm reactivated.

"We already have the tightest controls in Europe but there is more we can do to remove the threat of gun crime," the home secretary said.

Smith's announcement coincided with a large scale drug and gang-related raid operation in Liverpool with 25 people arrested in the Croxteth and Norris Green areas of the city.

And backing the government's stance on gun crime, chief constable of Merseyside police Bernard Hogan-Howe said: "Introducing stricter controls on the possession of deactivated weapons makes the law fit today's challenges.

"Giving the Serious Organised Crime Agency a priority to help in this fight is essential."

Dr Strange

Interesting. I can only hope that Ireland orientates itself on the other European countries and not the UK in this regard.

I wonder what procedures they will put into place for genuine collectors. In one sentence they say "curator". Does that mean only museum curators etc. will be classified as genuine collectors? What about all the private collectors out there? :rolleyes:

Witcher

i think they are considering exceptions for genuine collectors



:cool::cool::cool:

Dr Strange

Something of interest regarding the topic by one of the main dealers in the UK:

Rytonarms wrote:

THERE IS NO HOME OFFICE INTENTION TO BAN NEW SPECIFICATION DEACTIVATED FIREARMS!

"Home Secretary to ban deactivated Firearms", the Headline used in the Home Office Press Release and picked-up by all members of the media - IS NOT CORRECT.

The Home Office issued a Press Release this morning to 'clarify' the "Home Secretary to ban deactivated firearms". Below are excerpts from this Release. The full Press Release can be found by going on the Home Office website and typing 'deactivated weapons' into the Search box.

"Strict new controls on firearms that have been deactivated could be introduced before the end of the year,"

The police estimate some 120,000 of these deactivated firearms are in circulation. Although many are owned by genuine responsible collectors, the police have raised concerns that many are being used in crime. These figures relate almost entirely to weapons deactivated before 1995 when tough new standards were introduced for the deactivation of live weapons so they are far harder to reactivate.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:

"Gun crime though thankfully rare is a problem in some areas of the country. I want to balance protecting the public with the rights of responsible collectors of deactivated firearms. I will shortly consult on a way forward to allow genuine curators to collect legitimate firearms while giving the police and other enforcement agencies the powers they need to get black market firearms off our streets.

Tackling gun crime is key to making people feel safer and more secure in their communities. We already have the tightest controls in Europe but there is more we can do to remove the threat of gun crime.

Before 1995 the standards for deactivating guns were less stringent than those which currently apply. The police tell me these pre-1995 weapons are turning up more and more in gun related crime and I want to address these concerns to effectively eliminate the threat from our streets.

The Home Office will shortly consult on proposals to clamp down on the availability to criminals of firearms deactivated prior to 1995. We will be looking at the implications for responsible collectors including museums before legislating".

You will note from this, although the word 'Ban' is used on the Headline the Home Secretary's main focus of her concerns are on pre-1995 'old spec' deactivated weapons for which "there will be exemptions for responsible collectors", which I understand may involve an application for a Collector's Licence.

There is no question of a total ban of all deac's and you will note in the Home Secretary's Statement that the UK "has tough new standards after 1995" and "we have the tightest gun controls in Europe"!

Link here: http://www.rytonarms.co.uk/site/home.php

So, at least that doesn't look as bleak. Interesting bit about applying for collector's licences. If they get it over there I am all for it for Ireland as well so we can keep our old-specs. Maybe a Militaria Collectors Assoc. would be necessary to make applications for genuine collectors less troublesome.


Also, this is what two collectors said:

Collector 1 wrote:

A Radio 5 presenter pointed out to a senior police officer today that the figures for gun crime with re-activated guns in 2004/2005 was 8, out of a total of......wait for it.......you'll really like this......11,000 gun crimes
So that's gun crime solved......

and

Collector 2 wrote:

'...they banned sex in parliamentary offices with secretaries after Prescott got caught ... which is why they now have to content themselves with f.....g the general population of the UK!

sidneyreilly

Preusse wrote: »

Maybe a Militaria Collectors Assoc. would be necessary to make applications for genuine collectors less troublesome.

Thats an excellent idea. I would expand it however to Arms and Militaria Collectors association?

Dr Strange

sidneyreilly wrote: »

Thats an excellent idea. I would expand it however to Arms and Militaria Collectors association?

It depends, if you mean deactivated firearms then they would be covered under militaria collectibles. They are recognised as such. But I wouldn;t worry to much about the title. I think the constitution/policy of the assoc will be the important part. Also, you will have to find people to do it as well as building contact with the relevant authorities. You can always start small and see what the feedback is from your local Superintendent. Things like that.

kowloon

Arms and Militaria Assoc. would cover those who collect live antiques aswell.
Could cover reenactors too.
Is there any organisations that do this already?

If there isn't perhaps it's about time something is set up to voice the opinions of collectors before the authorities ban everything from guns and swords to "terrorist style" clothing :rolleyes:

sidneyreilly

kowloon wrote: »

Arms and Militaria Assoc. would cover those who collect live antiques aswell.
Could cover reenactors too.

Exactly what I was thinking. Thanks for articulating Kowloon.

kowloon

Who wants to do this so?
I'm all for the idea of licensed collecting.
If there was a regulated collectors group it would benefit us and the authorities would take us seriously.

Dr Strange

kowloon wrote: »

Who wants to do this so?
I'm all for the idea of licensed collecting.
If there was a regulated collectors group it would benefit us and the authorities would take us seriously.

Yes, that is the thing. It would cost time and, metaphorically speaking, blood and sweat. There is an Irish Medals Collectors Society as far as I know as well as a Military History Society? But I am not sure if they would accommodate a new branch of collectors particularly as it includes international militaria.

kowloon

It would also have to be done properly from the start.
Would be willing to put time in if there was a couple of others up for it.

Dr Strange

kowloon wrote: »

It would also have to be done properly from the start.
Would be willing to put time in if there was a couple of others up for it.

Yes, I agree, it needs to be done properly. The problem is the time and putting some in it. I, for one, have already so much on my plate that there is little chance of me getting involved in anything else this year.

kowloon

If anyone collects Live obsolete calibres (ie, collect but don't shoot) PM me and let me know what your experience has been with authorisations, licensing etc.

If there is a body who represent antique firearm collectors let me know.
Obtaining land permissions and paying €38 (increasing to €170 in the future) for a hunting licence to hold onto an antique is unacceptable.

sidneyreilly

kowloon wrote: »

If anyone collects Live obsolete calibres .

Reckon it's a case of convincing the super that as the firearm is obselete it is therefore defective and can be authorised