From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Whenever I come across things like this I can't help thinking of my grandfather, who grew up in rural Shropshire in the late 19th century. Guns were at least as much a part of rural life as it is suggested they are now in NZ, and I'm sure if any teacher had tried to institute "toy gun licences" (not that they would have been allowed to take such things to school, even if their parents could afford such exotic luxuries) bafflement would have filled the community, followed by derision and anger. While still a lad, grandad was given the job of guarding a farmer's orchards while the man went on a trip; he was given a BP shotgun, a d/b hammer job, and told me he shot a squirrel with it! Some years later he had to apply his shooting skills in earnest, but survived WW1 with a shell-torn thigh and a bullet through his side. Another 45 years on, he fished the gun out of a trunk and gave it to me. It serves as a reminder of times when Englishmen could own pretty well whatever guns they wanted, without interference from the State - and when England was a damn sight less crime-ridden that it is now. 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
