From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Saturday I attended a re-enactors' Ordnance Conference at Northampton Police HQ and took part in a discussion group in which the Home Office man Richard Worth stated that they were considering how to devise a ban on .50 BMG type long range rifles and seeking to form a suitable definition that would leave other things alone. The object of the seminar was to suggest some definition that would avoid banning other things of that calibre such as Muskets and A/T rifles 'of the type re-enactors are currently using' [paraphrase]. A man from the MLAGB also attended and put the question why these things needed to be banned at all. The answer was basically that they were attractive to terrorists and that ACPO didn't like them. We weren't really there to debate the general principle but examined it from the re-enactment perspective. Some considerations were offered along those lines - not always terribly useful ones I thought. So the subject is definitely on the agenda. -- I've heard the same story several times now, I still can't get an answer to whether this is something the Home Office want to do off their own bat, or whether this is something the Firearms Consultative Committee are exploring and the Home Office is supplying information. Presumably the idea is to use an order under Section 1(4) of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988, but coming up with a definition would be exceptionally difficult, IMO. Even if it is limited purely to centrefire rifles using .50 bullets with smokeless powder, that still catches some big game rifles, and it would be easy to get around by slightly changing the calibre to say, .49, which is certainly as easy as putting an 18" barrel on a revolver. The whole thing is entirely potty, as there are plenty of other very powerful rifle calibres like .338 and how many crimes have been committed with them? Precisely zero, at least legally held ones. There can only be a few dozen .50BMG rifles on FAC anyway, as there are only two or three ranges cleared for them. Steve. Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A http://www.topica.com/t/17 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
