The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Criminals will not apply for gun licences
- How true were the remarks made by both Malcolm Cordell and Clark Cross (January 31), regarding the licensing of air weapons.
The only ways I can see of storing an air weapon without holding the appropriate licence are with a registered firearms dealer, an existing firearms certificate holder, or at an authorised shooting club.
However, in any case, holding a licence does not give you the authority to shoot where you please.
The licensing process will only be undertaken by those people who have a genuine and legal reason for wishing to possess such items.
This is evidenced by the stupid and pointless act of shooting at the bird feeders and the windows of the hide at Balgavies Loch, as reported by The Courier several weeks ago.
This was not the work of genuine sportsmen and only pours scorn and disdain on those who do comply with legal and social requirements.
The delay in the issuing of the appropriate licence is not new.
Prior to the amalgamation of authorities into Police Scotland, firearms renewals were always timely, but since then, there are numerous tales of delays, causing the holder of a firearm to dispose of items in order to prevent falling foul of the law.
On the political front, I would like to know how a figure of 500,000 air weapons comes about.
Indeed, like Clark Cross, I would like to see how the sums add up between surrendered items and licences issued, bearing in mind this could take several years under the licensing rules to calculate with some reasonable accuracy. Geoff Bray. Heather Croft, Letham (Angus).