Amnesty aims to cut gun use (UK)

bucksfreepress.co.uk ^

[chance33_98]

Amnesty aims to cut gun use

By James Young

GUN owners are able to hand over their weapons this month without fear of prosecution in the latest amnesty on firearms.

Thames Valley Polices gun amnesty started yesterday and will run until April 30 in an attempt to reduce the amount of gun crime in the area.

The amnesty is part of a nationwide campaign to tackle the increasing number of gun-related incidents in which a number of people have been killed throughout the country.

Gun crime in the Thames Valley area reduced by 15 per cent in the last fiscal year but the number of times armed officers were called to incidents rose by 16 per cent.

The Thames Valley force has said this could indicate that gun crimes are becoming more serious.

About 400 imitation firearms were handed into police in a similar scheme last year.

Superintendent George Wilson said: The problem with replica guns is serious enough but real guns kill. Although shootings are rare in Thames Valley, we are doing everything we can to prevent them.

Under the new measures anyone found in possession of a banned firearm could receive a minimum of five years imprisonment.

It will also become an offence to possess an imitation firearm or air gun in a public place without legal authority or reasonable excuse.

Supt Wilson said people who hold guns at home innocently could be at risk of prosecution.

Every owner of a firearm, other than a low-powered air gun, must hold a valid certificate from the police.

[chance33_98]

It will also become an offence to possess an imitation firearm or air gun in a public place without legal authority or reasonable excuse

Give the US a few years...

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Same 'ol song and dance bump.

[scubadave]

How safe are the British Isles now?

Life Sentences for Self-Defense. Even the families of famous Hollywood liberals are getting brutalized by vicious thugs, and will comply before facing lengthy prison terms for "disproportionate responses" to attackers >:(

[FSPress]

They are also asking the British to hand in knives too!

[FSPress]

From the Independent:

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/story.jsp?story=392427

Thousands of firearms are expected to be surrendered to police during the next month as part of a national amnesty to help tackle the rising problem of gun crime in British cities.

The public will also be encouraged to hand in blank-firing weapons, airguns, CS sprays and knives to help reduce the pool of weapons available to criminals.

During the amnesty, which starts today, people will be able to hand in firearms without being prosecuted for illegal possession of a gun. They will, however, face charges if they are found to have used a weapon for criminal purposes.

The national firearms amnesty to help rid the streets of illegal guns – first reported by The Independent – runs until 30 April. The move precedes the introduction of tougher sentences for illegal possession of prohibited firearms – a minimum five-year jail term for those convicted. Every police station will accept the weapons.

Police chiefs called the first amnesty in seven years amid growing concern that gun crime is becoming commonplace in many cities. During the last amnesty, which followed the school massacre at Dunblane in Scotland, 23,000 firearms and 700,000 rounds of ammunition were surrendered.

Bob Ainsworth, a Home Office minister, said: "Taking guns off our streets will save lives and cut crime."

[nomorecameljocks]

As a frequent Brit basher I have come to a new respect for them as stand up allies.
How many Brits(notice I didn't say limies)are willing to say "from my cold dead hands" to their government? I'm betting there are some and that the government will back down.

[FSPress]

No, it is fully engrained in them. They are very practiced in confiscation and destruction of firearms.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I guess all those who didn't want their guns, but were afraid to toss them into a lake or river, can now rest easy!

[2nd_Amendment_Defender]

They are also asking the British to hand in knives too!

What are the British going to use to butter their bread with? This is absolutely rediculous. Are they going to ask them to hand in their pens too? A pen can be jabbed into throat to kill someone.

[Myrddin]

They are also asking the British to hand in knives too!

Broken beer bottles are a popular alternative to knives. The disarming exercise will continue until everyone is in a straight jacket in a round rubber room.

[DeFault User]

Taking guns off our streets will save lives and cut crime."

Some newspaper should conduct a betting pool on what percentage crime will rise from the date of this brilliant initiative.

Let's see, we invert the proportion of idiots and square the result -.01 x 2. No, no it's the log of 17 + the Trafalgar hypotenuse times Prince Charles' kilt length. Hell, let's just go with 20% as a nice round figure.

[fire_eye]

Bob Ainsworth, a Home Office minister, said: "Taking guns off our streets will save lives and cut crime."

It's just *amazing* how these critters can live in such a fantasy world of their own imagining - a "pseudo-environment", as Horowitz calls it. They actually believe that the people who are committing the crimes, are going to turn in their guns!!!

Humans - or rather Lieberals - just *never* cease to amaze me...