Editor’s welcome
At the time of going to press, the coronavirus pandemic was the dominant news story and it is likely to remain so for a good while.
All sectors of society are affected by the spread of the virus, COVID-19, and shooting is no exception. Affairs are moving apace and being a monthly publication it is inevitable that by the time you read this the situation will be markedly different. However, it is our duty to report things as they stand and in this regard we can tell you that the virus is taking its toll on country sports.
The West of England Game Fair, the first major game fair of the year and due to take place over the weekend of March 21 and 22, at the Royal Bath & West Showground in Somerset, was cancelled following the Government’s advice on social distancing. The Northern Shooting Show has been postponed from Friday 8 and Saturday 9 May to Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August.
The shooting organisations are also reacting to the rapidly changing circumstances. The National Gamekeepers’ Organisation announced that it had cancelled its AGM and all social and training events for the foreseeable future.
BASC called upon the Government to extend firearms licences for six months after saying it feared the licensing process would be hampered by police forces moving their officers to more urgent duties. This could mean that gun owners could, through no fault of their own, be in possession of a firearm without a valid licence.
Christopher Graffius, director of public affairs at BASC, said: “Countryside managers, such as farmers, gamekeepers and pest controllers, require firearms to assist in crucial management and limitations on firearms licensing could have significant consequences. Firearms licensing is understandably not high up the priority list for the Home Office at present, but BASC is pushing hard at the highest level to ensure every effort is made to ensure those in possession of firearms are not left in an illegal situation or denied work as a result of delays. We are asking the Home Office and chief constables to extend firearms certificates that are due to expire.”
The Countryside Alliance (CA) announced that it had shut its London office but stressed that its team would be on hand over the telephone to help with inquiries and will keep people informed daily via its social media channels.
Tim Bonner, chairman of the CA, called upon the rural and wider community to stick together and especially support vulnerable people in what he called “unprecedented time”. The CA welcomed the emergency measures announced by Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to help businesses, many of them small-scale rural ones, through the crisis.