News In Focus
28 August 2007
Airgun ban might not work, says police chief
A senior police officer has warned that an airgun ban might not solve the problem of shooting incidents.
Chief Constable John Vine of Tayside Police said a ban would take weapons off the street, but would not necessarily prevent serious shooting incidents. He pointed out that a simplar ban on handguns had not prevented tragic cases such as the one last week, where an 11-year-old boy was shot and killed in Liverpool.
The SNP administration is currently in talks with the UK Government to find a way to ban airguns in Scotland - currently a reserved power.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Executive said the Executive did not want to stop legitimate clubs from holding competitions or air rifles being used for pest control, but anyone with an airgun would have to prove they had a good reason for owning it.
The national secretary of the Scottish Air Rifle and Pistol Association, Stewart Orr, has also argued that a ban would not work. The proposed legislation would put so many obstacles in the paths of legitmitate clubs that many would be forced to close, while not necessarily stopping criminal use of the weapons, he claimed.
The UK Government has said that it wants to wait until tougher firearms legislation comes into effect in October to see what difference this makes.