From: "John Kime", [EMAIL PROTECTED] I noticed this on Yorkshire TV's Teletext local news pages 19th July. ************ OUTLAWED WEAPONS FIRED AT HQ Lincolnshire Police's Chief Constable allowed visitors to his police HQ just outside Lincoln to fire weapons outlawed by arms legislation. Home Office Minister Lord Bassam of Brighton said in the Lords some visitors were allowed to fire weapons as guests of an approved gun club. He said that the Chief Constable had accepted that "errors had been made". ************ Having recently read the HO pamphlet on club approval, a few questions spring immediately to mind : Was it a guest day organised by an approved club ? If not, why not - the club approval system is supposed to stop the casual visitor to a club from having access to, never mind using, firearms. The categories of firearms (approvals) available are for full-bore (including pistol calibre) rifles, miniature (.22) rifles, muzzleloading pistols and nothing else. If the "outlawed weapons" were - shock,horror - pistols, or even worse semi-auto carbines, then the only ones available would be the ones normally used by the force's Kevlar Cowboys - unless they were some that were retained from amnesties or the hand-ins/thefts/surrender processes after Hungerford/Dunblane for "training purposes". If so, doesn't this jeopardise the conditions of a HO approved club and shouldn't someone (the copper) be having his collar felt instead of merely admitting the error of his ways ? Any one out there have any other info ? But hey, a thought, perhaps he decided that if the local criminals are going to shoot at each other then he may as well give them lessons in marksmanship to save us citizens from being caught up in the crossfire. If so, where do I apply and what qualifications are needed ? Are other areas (Greater Manchester and Leeds/Bradford spring to mind) going to follow suit ? -- Club approval is irrelevant - it is illegal for anyone to even touch a Section 5 firearm without the appropriate authority. Lincolnshire police also allowed a journalist to handle one of their pistols for a story, I told the Home Office about that one but nothing came of it. Apparently that was the thin end of the wedge. Steve. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
