Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon Booth
Mancie, perhaps we don't read the same papers or watch the same news!
He may have been a respected barrister but he was DRUNK and I read he had traces of drugs in him. Also he fired MANY shots, he blasted his neighbours house severall times while she was in it with her children! As for Dunblane, the man was NOT respected,he was a known fruitcake who the police had been warned about several times. He should have had his licence withdrawn and his guns confiscated but the police didn't follow it up so there had to be a cover-up. Also it gave Jack Straw the excuse he needed to ban handguns!
I used to shoot handguns, I had to have have superb security and regular interviews/talks with the police. I knew my sanity and suitability were being checked as they talked to me, that was fair enough. It was an engrossing hobby(believe me there's a lot more to being a good target shooter than just pointing a gun).Our club had men and women from all walks of life, from barristers to labourers and it was a social night as well where we could compete with each other for fun.
We didn't look on guns as weapons of death, they were tools able to score on a paper target far more accurately than we could make them, that was the challenge! Just as with bow and arrow.
Now there are no legal handguns, but there are thousands of illegal ones, apparently available easily and for much less than I paid for mine.
When people blow a fuse they will find something to use to hurt or kill.
Anyone who gets drunk and starts waving ANY weapon about and using it is asking for a VERY serious response-that's what he got!
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With you Gordon. Been involved with weapons since '61. Enjoyed testing my skills against others on paper targets, had nightmares as well for other occasions.
A machete, samurai sword, or any other bladed weapon can create as much carnage as a firearm. Rough shooting means that shotguns have to be taken away from "club" premises as do culling of some forms of wildlife.
Nothing can be put into place to stop the nutcases from flipping over to the other side except secure incarceration.
Banning guns of any form only drives them underground and a proliferation of "gun crime" - yet the dedicated still find the ways & means to win international championships.