Oswaldtwistle's gun shop

Gayle · 12-12-2005, 13:24

I know we've touched on this subject before but is anyone else as alarmed as I am by their latest marketing ploy.

There is a sign in the Oswaldtwistle gun shop's window that says

Please Remember - there is no need for a licence for any of the weapons in this shop.

I think it's the use of the word 'weapons' that sends a chill down my spine. If they know that they are weapons then surely they are encouraging distructive or dangerous behaviour.

Doug · 12-12-2005, 13:54

I don’t think that any other wording could empathise the actuality with this one Gayle. Despite the fact that these weapons do not use an explosive propellant they are still classed as a fire arm and the word “weapon” is the most appropriate word to describe them. If you try and soften the wording you may well remove the reality of what these things really are. The fact that a Licence isn’t required doesn’t mean you won’t be prosecuted under the Fire Arms Act for discharging one in the Street or close to a public area. However, I do recognise your concern and agree with your fears.

garinda · 12-12-2005, 21:42

I think you should make it an election promise to make them take down the illuminated 'guns for sale' sign. I thought that part of the town was supposed to be a conversation area? How on earth did they get planning permission for it?

As you drive through the town it is much more prominent than the welcome to Oswaldtwistle signs, and paints a picture of us as some backwater cowboy town.

Neil · 12-12-2005, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by garinda

I thought that part of the town was supposed to be a conversation area?

The conservation area ends at the Civic Theatre. I don't agree with all the resentment over the shop itself. Why do people have such a problem with legal gun ownership. It is the illegal guns used by criminals you should be worried about. The Government introduced a stupid hand gun law that only managed to prevent law abiding citizens from enjoying there sport. The law has not reduced gun crime in the UK, in fact gun crime has increased so what is the point in banned people from owning hand guns?

I agree with this that Prince Phillip said in 1996

Quote:

If a cricketer, for instance, suddenly decided to go into a school and batter a lot of people to death with a cricket bat, which he could do very easily - I mean, are you going to ban cricket bats?

How about an interesting gun fact

Quote:

In March 1996, a crazy man shot children at a school in Dunblane, Scotland, with a rifle. Bowing to liberal media pressure and the anti-gun lobby, just two months before the General Election of 1997, the Government banned all handguns over .22 calibre. Not rifles - handguns.

That made a lot of sense didn't it. He killed people with a rifle so we banned hand guns.

garinda · 12-12-2005, 22:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I agree with this that Prince Phillip said in 1996

How about an interesting gun fact

That made a lot of sense didn't it. He killed people with a rifle so we banned hand guns.

Sounds about right from this intellectual heavy weight. With a cricket bat weilding lunatic you have a chance to run away before he could kill a lot of people, the children at Dunblane sadly didn't have that option.

I have no problem with the shop, just the aesthetics of the signage.

Still a bit confused about the conservation argument though, as I know for a fact that the shops directly opposite aren't allowed to have shuttered windows as they are in the conservation area.

Neil · 12-12-2005, 23:39

The area might only be one side of the road. I know the Rhyddings Conservation area does some funny manoeuvres

geoff70 · 12-12-2005, 23:58

the shop is shuttered because of the content inside garinda but i suspect you knew that anyway , i have to disagree on the hand gun issue ..target pistols yes ok thats sport ,but there is absolutely no reason for anyone in mainland uk to own a combat pistol ie revolver or semi automatic ,these guns are designed for one thing only ,and that is to end life period ..not to blast holes in silly paper targets to boost someones rambo like ego.that wasnt a swipe at you neil just my view on handguns. cars kill more people per year than firearms why dont we ban them

combat pistol no reason at all for the public to own ..

target pistol sporting purposes ..

heres the real killer ,no not the landrover vehicles shall we ban ????

garinda · 13-12-2005, 01:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by geoff70

the shop is shuttered because of the content inside garinda but i suspect you knew that anyway , i have to disagree on the hand gun issue ..target pistols yes ok thats sport ,but there is absolutely no reason for anyone in mainland uk to own a combat pistol ie revolver or semi automatic ,these guns are designed for one thing only ,and that is to end life period ..not to blast holes in silly paper targets to boost someones rambo like ego.that wasnt a swipe at you neil just my view on handguns. cars kill more people per year than firearms why dont we ban them

combat pistol no reason at all for the public to own ..

target pistol sporting purposes ..

heres the real killer ,no not the landrover vehicles shall we ban ????

No I meant the shops across the road can't have shutters because it is a conservation area, yet the gun shop sraight facing has a two foot bt three foot illuminated sign sticking out into the road, just seems a bit strange thats all.

Neil · 13-12-2005, 05:22

Have a read on crime statistics in the UK and USA. Ours are rising theirs are falling. You should also find they have a very small percentage of house burglaries. I wonder why people don't break into other peoples houses?

Gayle · 13-12-2005, 08:59

I know that there are some very responsible people who go shooting and they probably all have a licence and keep their guns locked up. I have no complaint with their being a gun shop in the town at all - any thriving business should be welcomed from that point of view.

My problems with it are image wise. Imagine a stranger to the town comes to the theatre to see a show and right next door is a shop which encourages people to buy weapons without a licence. Imagine you are a 13 year old impressionable teenage boy from Rhyddings school and you are stood at the bus stop waiting to go home, every day you have a message in front of you saying that guns are readily available in this town.

garinda · 13-12-2005, 10:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

Have a read on crime statistics in the UK and USA. Ours are rising theirs are falling. You should also find they have a very small percentage of house burglaries. I wonder why people don't break into other peoples houses?

If you all get guns to settle your disputes, there will soon be plenty of parking spaces on Rhyddings Street but sadly no one left to make use of them.

Neil · 13-12-2005, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gayle

My problems with it are image wise. Imagine a stranger to the town comes to the theatre to see a show and right next door is a shop which encourages people to buy weapons without a licence.

I think you may be a little confused Gayle. These weapons do not need a license. You post above implies that the shop is encouraging people to break the law. The daft thing about all this air gun nonsense is that it would be easier for me to kill you with a 4" kitchen knife than with a legal air rifle (Air pistols by the way are half as powerfull as air rifles. Many air pistols can not even manage the legal limit).

garinda · 13-12-2005, 10:26

Agreed Neil, but I still think planning consent should be given for such a prominent illuminated sign.

Lets home the Furniture Clinic doesn't erect one for 'French Polishing'. People will really think they're in Royston Vasey.

Gayle · 13-12-2005, 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neil

I think you may be a little confused Gayle. These weapons do not need a license. You post above implies that the shop is encouraging people to break the law. The daft thing about all this air gun nonsense is that it would be easier for me to kill you with a 4" kitchen knife than with a legal air rifle (Air pistols by the way are half as powerfull as air rifles. Many air pistols can not even manage the legal limit).

I am not in the least confused Neil. My post does NOT imply that the shop is encouraging people to break the law. I am completely aware that these guns/weapons do not need licences. Why don't you take a look at the sign in the window of the shop for yourself and see what you think about it?

However, I will say one last time - it is not the content of the shop that bothers me, they can sell guns legally to whomever they want. It is the signage and the image it creates that bothers me.

So let's get back to the issue that I started this thread on - you can argue the relative merits of killing me by gun or kitchen knife all you like but that was not my point.

My point was about the image it creates to visitors and the message it sends to teenagers. Are you telling me that you think that shop paints a good image of Oswaldtwistle? Are you saying that you like the fact that kids from Rhyddings would see this and think 'what a good hoot'. Are you honestly saying that you think this is a good business to have on Oswaldtwistle's main street with big neon signs proclaiming it's wares?

Doug · 13-12-2005, 11:31

I’m getting a little confused, just how prominent is this sign and why does it create the wrong impression. Can someone oblige by taking a couple of photographs of the offending signage A, from outside the shop “Close up” and from across the road, perhaps Rindy or Neil could stand in front of the shop “not in front of the Sign” to give us some sense of scale. A couple of shots from up and down the road might also be of interest in making a judgement on the issue.