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Sportsman's Association News

October 2012 by Secretary, Mike Wells

Anti Gun MP Outfoxed

t came to my notice that Derbyshire MP Chris Williamson was calling for the outright ban of all guns held legitimately in civilian hands. Here is what he wrote in a Green Benches blog: It beggars belief that our modern society continues to allow for the private possession and storage of firearms. Latest figures released by the Gun Control Network have shown that at least 10 peoples lives were taken by firearms in the UK during April and May. In addition, there were seven convictions during that period for charges relating to gun homicide. Do we live in a society driven by terror? Of course not. So why is it that we allow the continued licensing and private ownership of killing machines? And, lets face it, thats all guns are. Whether they are used for that purpose or simply as a threat, the implication is the same. Part of the reason that they are considered socially acceptable is, regrettably, that some portions of our society still believe there is a place for guns to be kept for what they deem as sport. It is the same people who think it is acceptable to kill animals for fun and then try to convince the rest of us that they are providing a valuable rural pest control service or, more galling still, insist that it is part of countryside culture. I will state it here and I will say it to their faces: those sorts of people sicken me and leave me feeling cold. The truth is that the vast majority of people living in rural areas are as sickened as I am by killing animals for fun. So the lies of the landed gentry and other apologists for the

gun-toting minority just dont stand up to scrutiny. But, despicable or not, those people continue to peddle their lies in a desperate attempt to justify the reprehensible activities in which they are involved. By default, they are supporting the private possession and storage of firearms. I wonder if the families of the 10 victims of gun deaths in April and May would agree. I suspect not. By Chris Williamson MP (Derby) Sportsmans founder member and Press Officer, Albie Fox, sent this reply: Dear Mr. Williamson, I have just read your 'Green Benches' blog re: private gun ownership. It was depressing to read the outspoken and unconcealed bigotry you reveal and it makes me despair for the type of MP we have today. As an eternal optimist I hope you will take the time to read this email and not dismiss it out of hand as I am from, what you consider to be, the gun lobby. We have a lot to offer in respect of making better guns laws that work, but are continually ignored. I was a GB pistol shooter whose hopes of competing in the Olympics were dashed when the New Labour Government of 1997 banned my type of shooting and I could not afford the cost or time to train abroad. There have been 3 major changes in UK gun laws since WW2, in 1968, 1988 and 1997. The effects were the same every time: Gun crime increased Sport shooting was damaged Trade was damaged

But more importantly - More police resources were diverted from useful work to bureaucracy. (e.g. 450m wasted on compensation in 1997) You are basing your views on bigotry, not fact or evidence based research, and that does not make good law. Any basic research will tell you that legal firearms ownership is not the problem, despite the best efforts of the Gun Control Network (GCN) to distort the figures to suit themselves. The figures you quote from their website do not state if the firearms were legally held. Ask them to give you the facts on how many of those guns used in the April/May figures were legally held. I will be surprised if you get a straightforward unbiased answer. In Jersey a man snapped and stabbed 6 people to death with kitchen knives. The Gold, Silver and Bronze in British murdering are held by a doctor with a syringe and 2 arsonists. Over 9 out of every 10 British murders are committed WITHOUT guns. To imagine that the 0.9% of British murders committed by shooting (of which about 90% are with illegal guns) would not occur if, by some magical regulation, the murderers had had their guns removed, requires a substantial level of faith, as there is absolutely no evidence to support such a belief. Please put gun ownership into perspective. More people die each year from alcohol related car accidents than from legally held guns. So why are you wanting to ban legal gun ownership when it is illegal guns that are the problem? See the extract from Centre for Crime and Justice Studies below. I have highlighted areas where

Albie Fox, Sportsmans Association founder member and Press Officer, Albie Fox

they conclude that decisions/laws are made in response to events as opposed to evidence based facts. As Colin Greenwood, a retired police inspector and firearms specialist says, you would be far better off campaigning for a better link-up between police firearms management systems and the computerized reports of disorder or violence (particularly domestic violence), of arrest reports of crime and other events. Most certificate holders would not feature in such intelligence gathering and analysis but, in a small minority of cases, a composite picture of behavior of the certificate holder might generate an early warning of matters that require further investigation. Such a system would be far more efficient than the current arrangement, where individuals are looked at in five-yearly intervals thus reducing the chances of detection during that period. The link-up of systems, described above, would allow for a far more economic 10 year certificate that is kept in constant and efficient review. I have 26 years of military service under my belt and during that time I risked my life and those of my crew as a Search & Rescue pilot and instructor. So I will make

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a point of introducing myself, if I get the opportunity, so that you can tell me to my face that I sicken you and leave you cold. I hope, however, that you will see your bigotry for what it is and in future emulate the late Frank Cook MP. He researched the facts properly and made decisions on those, not emotion or rhetoric. As it is you are alienating the law abiding and that is not good politics. If you wish to meet some of your law abiding firearms certificate holders in your constituency than please let me know and I will facilitate the introduction at a local club. Yours faithfully, Squadron Leader (Retd) Albie Fox Sportsman Council member and Registered Firearms Dealer, Brian Fox, sent a second salvo: Mr. Williamson. I support the information and sentiments that my friend (but not relative), Albie Fox, has communicated to you. Two additional facts that you should be aware of - and you will have access to Home Office statistics to substantiate them are: 1. Within all countries, and in comparing countries, there is an inverse relationship between licenced firearm ownership and gun crime. I do not claim that by increasing the number of firearms certificate holders, the level of armed crime will drop - I merely point out that there is no significant contribution to armed crime by licence holders. 2. Always, the favoured firearm used in crime has been - by a long way - the pistol; however, pre-'97, when sporting pistols could be held on licence, less than 4% of all guns used in crime had ever had a legal owner in the UK. Please understand that HO statistic - because it means that over 96% of guns used in crime had been illegally brought into the country for criminal purposes. Of the sub-4% of once-legal firearms used in crime, the vast majority had, of course, been stolen. Since 1997 the legal ownership of pistols is virtually non-existent, and gun crime has quadrupled.

We are all aware of the rare occasions when a licence has been held because of police incompetence or worse; and that licence holder has planned and executed the most heinous crimes. It is ridiculous to imagine that if the perpetrator had held a dog licence, instead of a firearm licence, the crime would have been avoided. Not to belittle one lost life, but all such deaths over the last century amount to a few bad weeks on the roads of Britain - perhaps you should prioritise potential campaigns. Anyone in my position can testify that sporting/competitive shooting instills discipline, and that young people trained to shoot simply become better examples of civilised beings - that is, they are safer and more beneficial to society than the average. You may wish to ponder that top class schools promote shooting, but contribute nothing to the gang culture that has taken over our cities. Perhaps you already have, and just don't like Dave and Boris... You have a pretty cushy number, at the tax-payers' expense. You owe it to us to do proper research before condemning any part of society, let alone the most reliable and law-abiding part. If you have the stomach for it, and it will surely make your name in politics, would you care to investigate just whom the Conservative and Labour governments of '96/'97 so cynically covered up for, when an illegal hundred year secrecy order was applied to the evidence supplied to the Cullen enquiry? You may just find that to be a hotter potato than MP's fraudulent expenses claims. Yours truly, Brian Fox

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