Aberdeen backs airgun byelaw ban
18 Apr 07
Councillor seeks ban after record number of shootings
Aberdeen councillors have backed a plan to ban airguns in the city.
The establishment of such a byelaw is believed to be the first time a local authority has sought a total ban on the weapons. Councillors agreed to the move in principle following a number of airgun attacks on people and animals in the city. The motion was put forward by Labour councillor Norman Collie.
He said that he believed it was only a matter of time before those using airguns to shoot at swans, cats and dogs would move on to shooting people. A recent study undertaken by the SSPCA showed that Aberdeen had the highest number of reported shootings in Scotland last year.
Mr Collie said he had been spurred on by the death of two-year-old Andrew Morton who was killed by an airgun pellet in Glasgow in 2005.
Mr Collie said the byelaw would not affect legitimate users, such as sports clubs and those using the guns for pest control. He hoped that public support behind the move would push through the byelaw as soon as possible.