From: "jim.craig", [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sorry for the delay in replying to this but it took me
a while to look out my copy of the relevant leaflet.
The Home Office leaflet 'Gun Sense is Good Sense' which
used to be available from the local cop shop has the
following to say on what can happen if you break the
law with an airgun.
1. Possessing an air weapon or ammunition with intent
to injure a person or damage property or using an air
weapon to resist arrest.........Life imprisonment or a
fine or both.
2. Carrying an air weapon with intent to commit a crime
.............14 years imprisonment or a fine or both.
3. Carrying a loaded air weapon without lawful authority
or reasonable excuse...........six months imprisonment
or a fine of L1000 or both.
and so on down to;
Discharging an air weapon near a highway or in the street
..........14 days imprisonment or a fine of L200.
Needless to say, like most airgunners, I await with bated
breath the first report of some idiot being given a life
sentence under the terms of 1. above or even 14 years under
the terms laid down at 2.
Can anyone explain why it is, that if aiguns are such a
growing menace to our society as to require them to be
licensed as firearms, more use is not made of these
existing provisions inorder to deter the evil minded
minority?
--
I would hazard the guess that some of these offences were
only jacked up to those sort of sentences in 1994. Judges
tend to look at sentences handed down in earlier cases
when figuring out what sentence to give, so they don't
make use of the powers they currently have.
Also most of those offences are either indictable only
or those sort of sentences are only available on
indictment. No-one is going to be indicted for having
a loaded airgun in a public place. On summary judgement
the maximum sentence available is six months or a L200
fine.
For example under (2) that is an indictable offence
only, chances of being indicted are slim.
Steve.
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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