Hi Criag, I've voted yes on this even though I myself own a couple of guns, and regularly go shooting with my father-in-law, and old forces friends and relatives.
I believe in the UK that they are introducing laws to restrict the sale of airguns, but not BBs, as a number of people have been shot by armed police officers whilst using these in heists and then threatening members of the public and pretending it was a real gun! Dumb. And then they or their relatives make out its the police's fault! Right proper wallies!
There should be some sort of control, and it might be worth trying your local CAB and seeing what they say on the legal side of things. If they say its illegal, then contact your local Trading Standards, and they will be able to take action against these people.
However I feel that shops should still be allowed to sell them, as they are legally liable for their actions, but there should be some sort of licencing system as per shotguns.

Ozzy

Absolutely not. I have the  old fashioned American point of view.

Right To Bear Arms

Responsibility To Know What To Do With Them

Too Stupid To Not Know How To Use Them Properly? - Get Your Dumb Butt Shot Off And Taken Out Of The Gene Pool Before You Can Breed.




Seriously - I have had guns since I was 7 years old. I have the Right. Many have died so I can have that right. I served my time defending that right. I will honor my investment and their ultimate sacrifice. No one. Absolutely NO ONE is going going to take them away from ME because some parents were too frikken stupid to have kids. I am responsible and expect others to be so. If they are not, I should be punished by taking my guns? I think not.

When My daughter was little, I refused to move the breakables out of her reach. She would learn NOTHING if that was so. In the long run I lost fewer items to clutching little fingers than indulgent parents did. I took the time to raise my child and teach many things. She has since thanked me many times for it. She realizes that she is head and shoulders above her childhood friends.

Once again, I ask you, should my life be limited or rights reduced because of lazy ass parents of others?

I will die first. Many here say that. and it is true. They WILL come for our guns. When they do, it will be ugly.


Liberals do not understand. It is not about the guns. It is about a principle. The fact that I resent being regulated to death because of other's stupidity and lack of common sense and morals.

Lemme see, little Suzy broke the lamp. I know! I'll spank Johnny! That will surely teach a lesson she'll not soon forget!

That is not right. That is not just. That is counterproductive. That is not going to happen while I am alive.


PS - funny thing is I haven't shot any of my guns for almost ten years now - it is the principle of the thing.

But if they do come for them I am reasonably sure I still hold a pretty tight grouping.  

I was a Marksman afterall.

hey OSO i understand that point and its perfectly valid. but firstly this is the UK where the law is a little differant. and secondly i am on about selling them on open air markets, these arnt licensed gun shops and sell everything from shoe polish to hand cream. in true british tradition half the stuff on our markets is off the back of a truck, so i couldnt gaurentee their safety. I am actually glad we are allowed to own these weapons but i dont think some guy selling them off a wooden table to a 13 year old should be allowed, and like you said some of these guns have a higher velocity than the real deal.

dont get me wrong i wasnt having a go at you at all(difficult to project speach in text) and here you can own guns legally if you get all the checks done(which i believe is the same for the US. in some ways i like the US's way of doing things its alot more relaxed but also thorough in its workings.

hey personally i think if its allowed why not make use of it? i think your posts were all valid and your right, many men and women have fought and died for those rights and why should they not be made good use of.
hell if my mum wasnt against me owning one, i would have one myself.
its just these people who go out and make them avaliable to little kids without a second thought thats where we have problems.

ahahaha
so many a time have i wanted to take out a particulary bright rudolf or noisey santa:)

Well I've just got this answer from my friend who works for Trading Standards, and was also a firearms instructor for the ATC for a number of years.

Air guns - It is an offence for a person under the age of 17 to purchase an air weapon or ammo or for anyone to sell an air weapon or ammo to such a young person, however, they can be owned by someone over 14, they cannot be used unsupervised by anyone under 14. This is specified in the Firearms Act 1968 - Air weapons are classed as firearms, however if they are between 3/4 of a foot pound and 12 foot pounds they do not need a firearms certificate.

Any offence under the Firearms Act 1968 is a police matter.

BB's - These generally fall outside of the firearms act 1968 due to low muzzle energy, which defines a firearm as a 'lethal barrelled weapon capable of discharging of any shot, bullet or other missile'.....'Lethality is defined as 'capable of inflicting a more than trivial injury'. Expert advice from the Forensic Science Service is that the lowest power level at which a penetrating injury can occur is at a muzzle energy of about 1 foot pound (1.35 joules). Most retailers do not sell to under 14  but there is no legal age.

However BB guns could be classed as toys in which case they need to comply with EN71(the toy standard) and the Toy regulations. Only if sold to under 14's or if we (TS) could show they are child appealing etc in accordance with the toy regs. Or if the muzzle energy exceeds 1 foot pound it may then be classed as a Firearm so min age 17.

Replicas - I am not aware of any restrictions on the sale but most retailers would not supply to under 14, other wise we (TS) may be able to argue they are toys.

TS stand on selling at a market well if we had the overtime we may visit, but unless we could show they were a toy and so needed to comply with the toy regs - NOTHING.

The police asked us to look into BB guns and the only thing it showed was they (police) could not decide if it was or was not a firearm (it depended on which officer you asked). We (TS) could have difficulty showing it was a toy, and if it was (a toy) we still may not have a infringement of the Toy regs! If they are not a toy then the General Product Safety Regs come in but you have to take into account what the product is so it probably falls outside of that as well.

Hope that answers the original question for you Craig. Meanwhile I think Oso has hit the nail on the head with his opinion of it comes down to responsibility. I was fortunate in that I came from a military family and was taught from an early age the correct way to handle firearms and never to treat them as toys. A lot of people aren't, and with something like that it is so easy for an accident to happen...
Mind you that didn't save the neighbours cat when it scratched the bonnet (hood) of my BMW318i!

Ozzy