UK - Call to ban powerful rifles

[Steven Mace]

Call to ban powerful rifles

© Associated Newspapers Ltd., 24 March 2002

Super-powered rifles that can kill at up to a mile away should be banned, the committee which advises on firearms legislation says.

The recommendation comes after the Home Office asked the Firearms Consultative Committee to consider if the high calibre, ultra-long range sniper's rifles should be prohibited.

The weapons are known as "materiel destruction" rifles because of their ability to pierce and obliterate military equipment, including lightly-armoured vehicles.

The report said: "A majority of FCC members would recommend that the Government should take steps to prohibit these weapons altogether."

But it said the Government should avoid making a law which would sweep up other types of powerful rifles which have legitimate uses, such as some hunting weapons.

The FCC also recommended banning long-barrelled revolvers with wrist braces or similar extensions to the pistol grip, following another Home Office request for advice.

The report said the guns should be banned because of their similarity to prohibited handguns, but estimated just a few hundred were in circulation.

One type of material destruction rifle, the Barrett .50 calibre, costs between £4,000 and £5,000.

It is available to anyone with the correct type of firearms certificate who can prove to police they are a member of a gun club which has access to army training ranges.

But the FCC pointed out the weapon is available in a variety of calibres from a number of manufacturers, warning against a ban by brand name and suggesting a sliding scale based on muzzle energy instead.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/story.html?in_review_id=532172&in_review_text_id=497684

Steve Mace

[Steven Mace]

UK to ban more guns

By Charlie Jacoby

09/04/2002

High-calibre "super" sniper rifles, such as the .50 calibre Barratt, are on their way out in the UK. A majority of Firearms Consultative Committee (FCC) members would "recommend that the Government should take steps to prohibit these weapons altogether", after being asked to consider the status of the guns by the Home Office.

FCC members are especially concerned about the guns` ability to pierce military equipment, including lightly-armoured vehicles – hardly an acceptable "reasonable use" to place on a firearm certificate. The committee has also called for a ban on long-barrelled revolvers with wrist braces or similar extensions to the pistol grip because of their similarity to prohibited handguns, estimating that "a few hundred" are in circulation.

But despite the concerns over the .50-calibre rifles, the FCC has come out in favour of high-calibre hunting rifles, saying the Government should avoid banning other types of powerful rifles which have legitimate uses, such as the Holland & Holland .700 Nitro.

And allthough it hasn`t yet happened, some hardline shooters are already mourning the passing of the .50-calibre rifles from Section 1 to Section 5. One of them described the ban as "a fear of the Government of its ability to `out-gun` its own citizens". Another said: "There isn`t any crime committed with legally-held 20-40 pound rifles that cost a minimum of two grand, and the argument about them not being used for target shooting is a red herring, because there are FACs on issue for target shooting now so obviously that statement is wrong. And – perhaps most importantly – the ammunition that is used for anti-materiel use is already prohibited under Section 5(1A) anyway. The ammunition used in them for target use is ordinary lead core jacketed ammo. Of course they can be used to kill people, but so can any rifle."

But many have said their existence was bad for the kind of stalking and target shooting that shooters should be promoting. Tony Gibson of Deben Industries, who imports Marlin target rifles, said the ban on the rifles "should have happened a long time ago". The FCC report said: "There was little support for the idea that weapons of this type were appropriate for civilian target shooting."

http://www.leadshot.com/story.asp?id=521

Steve Mace

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Steve puts out some excellent info. He should be appointed Gunsnet Political Commissar.