From: Alasdair Carter, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Prohibited Weapons Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prohibited weapons are held by private individuals in England by permission of the Secretary of State. [119870] Mr. Charles Clarke: The Secretary of State's authority to possess prohibited weapons is only granted to those people who can show they have a genuine need to possess them, almost always to allow them to follow their trade or profession. Authorities are conditioned to limit holdings of prohibited firearms to the minimum number required and specify stringent security conditions under which the weapons are to be kept. The vast majority of authorities are held by companies who either manufacture, sell or transport such weapons or who need them for research, development or testing purposes. There are only five private individuals in England authorised by the Secretary of State to possess a total of 1,282 prohibited weapons. The vast majority of these are held by one person in one of the most comprehensive private collections of historic firearms in the world. The remaining firearms are held by a forensic firearms expert; a lecturer and technical consultant; the owner of a private museum; and a professional trapper of dangerous animals who is called in by the police to deal with such animals as escaped big cats. -- Alasdair Carter -- Who is the guy with the collection? Ian Hogg? Steve. -------[Cybershooters contacts]-------- Editor: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website & subscription info: www.cybershooters.org
