KIDS AND GUNS

by TheJusticeofthePeace @ 27. Nov. 2010. – 13:44:37

The law is a wonderful concept or so we are led to believe. It has evolved through millennia sometimes reflecting the mores of society at the time and sometimes taking a lead and in effect its propagators telling all around……..do as we say, not as you do. The abolition of capital punishment for murder in 1965 was probably against the wishes of a majority of the population. It is and has been a political judgement therefore when legislation of a controversial nature is placed before parliament. And there is the phrase created by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist and put in the mouth of Mr Bumble which in my opinion sums up very clearly the fact that law is man made not god given and is subject therefore to the idiosyncrasies of man, “the law is an ass”.

The age of responsibility in England is ten. The age at which a shotgun certificate can be issued is ten. The age at which a firearms certificate can be granted is fourteen. As a “townie” I consider that allowing a ten year old [under adult supervision] to use a shotgun is completely unnecessary. I would suppose that country folk would disagree. ACPO`s representative on firearms matters considers that ten year olds should be able to apply for a firearms certificate at age ten. Is the man completely out of his mind? How on earth can stringent firearms regulations which force Olympic possibles to train [shoot] outside the U.K. be compatible with real life Billy the Kids?

But then ACPO is a rather unusual organisation but that`s for another time.