From: "SA Mail", [EMAIL PROTECTED]
SPORTSMAN'S ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2001
As I write this Newsletter I note that the present
Government is preparing to use its authority, under the
Parliament Act, to force through their legislation to
reduce the age of consent for homosexual acts to 16 years
despite the obvious opposition to the notion from the vast
majority of the population. That just about sums it up,
doesn't it? In their absolute determination to appear at
all times to subscribe to the latest fashion, Political
Correctness, the Government will, at least in public,
support any minority group that may provide them with a
few more votes at the next Election. The actual rights or
wrongs of a case do not seem to matter. As a personal
viewpoint, a sixteen-year-old boy is still, legally, a child
(as, indeed, is a sixteen-year-old girl) and should be
accorded civilised protection as a child but that is, as I
say, a personal view.
Our Rulers have, many times in the past, expressed their
concerns about the possible development of a 'gun culture'
amongst the population and declared that their legislative
activities are, at least in part, designed to prevent that
from happening. We have many times countered by saying that
there is no more a gun culture amongst legitimate shooters
than there is a golf culture amongst golfers. Any problems
in this regard are squarely attributable to the criminal
classes and none of the Government's legislation has impinged
upon them.
By definition, laws can only provide guidance, or a code of
practice, for the law-abiding and prescribe penalties for
those law-breakers who actually get caught. We would like
to see much more effort being devoted to the latter rather
than to the former.
What is to be done about it all? This Association believes
that the only effective long-term solution is to use the
political system rather than to fight it. By using it we
can gradually bend it to our will rather than being
constantly trying to defend ourselves from the whims of
others. However, this will involve considerable effort by
all people who believe in freedom of choice. Most people,
I imagine, do not want to get involved in politics - which
is why militant groups can achieve domination of any
organisation that they wish to 'take over'.
Political action has always been a very important part of
The Sportsman's Association strategy for the return of our
pistols and the implementation of fair and sensible Firearms
legislation. We have tried to influence politicians by
presenting them with fair and, hopefully, informed
submissions on the subject of firearms law. We have held
demonstrations (our own marches) to show that we represent a
lot of people, we lobbied MP's etc. - i.e. we tried to use
the weapons of democracy. The results of these efforts are,
unfortunately, plain for all to see - we lost! We will now
have to extend our range of activity to include encouraging
suitable people to stand for Local Council elections, General
elections etc. and influence party political thinking.
We recently wrote to the leaders of our major political
parties to find out what their current official policies
were regarding Firearms legislation. Copies of the original
letter from us, and the party responses, can be found on our
website, but I will summarise briefly for the benefit of
those without Internet access:
i.. The Conservative Party indicated that they were
still formulating their Firearms policy and invited us to
meet with them to discuss the matter. We intend to do this
before Christmas this year.
ii. The Labour Party response was, sadly, predictable,
being a brief summary of the recent Government response to the
HASC report.
iii. The Liberal Democrat leader passed the matter on
to their Home Affairs spokesman and we are still awaiting a
full response. We are also awaiting a full response from
Plaid Cymru.
iv. The Scottish Nationalist Party gave perhaps the
most definitive response. Following the Dunblane massacre
they suggested that all existing certificates for handguns
be revoked, and after a transitory period returned to their
owners under conditions including an absolute ban on home
storage of weapons; the prevention of holding more than one
gun in any calibre and insisting upon the prior and continuing
membership of a 'gun club' by each and every applicant. This
is still the SNP's official policy.
We will provide further information about the Firearms policy
of our political parties as and when we receive it. The value
of this information is obvious with a General Election possibly
only six months away. Obviously we would not dream of trying
to influence how anyone should place his vote in a General
Election, in that sense we are an apolitical Association, but
we hope Shooters will find the information useful when considering
how to cast their votes.
We are also producing a schedule of 'marginal' constituencies
which we hope will be of use to any shooter who wishes to vote
tactically. This information will be published as soon as we
can complete it - hopefully, well before the Election!
This Association has long claimed that the Association of Chief
Police Officers is responsible for a large proportion of the
grief that is meted out to shooters. That totally unelected -
and uncontrolled - body of Senior Police Officers has produced
'guidance' on firearms matters that has been accepted by Chief
Constables throughout the land to the detriment of the legitimate
shooter. Our problem is that, although the ACPO has no real legal
standing at all, the various Firearms Acts give Chief Officers of
Police (i.e. Chief Constables) the power to determine for
themselves just what constitutes 'good reason' to possess
firearms and just who shall be regarded as a 'fit person'. These
officers are perfectly entitled to accept the recommendations of
ACPO if they so wish and there is precious little that we can do
about it.
In an attempt to put our side of the case to the Police, we have
been meeting Firearms Licensing Managers. So far we have had
meetings with Lancashire Constabulary and with Devon & Cornwall
Police. Lancashire are definitely adopting ACPO guidelines as
'force policy' but Devon & Cornwall are prepared to be more
flexible. I hope to be able to tell you more about all that in
the very near future.
All shooters should pursue the question of the funding of ACPO
- we know that they receive funding from Government and also
from individual police forces but we should be investigating
just how much of our money they receive and how they spend it.
Equally important from our point of view is the question: To
whom or what is the ACPO actually accountable for its actions
and its expenditure? Please write to your local police authority
and ask them that question.
The Countryside March, 2001
This would seem to be the season for manifestations -
demonstrations, marches, etc. We have seen how much publicity
the Fuel Protesters obtained and how quickly they apparently
got access to discussions with Government bodies. One is left
to wonder why this should be so for them but not so for us.
Most of you will, by now, have heard that the Countryside
Alliance is planning a massive demonstration in London on the
18th. March, 2001 and that this Association is supporting
them. You may ask 'Why should we support them? After all, they
singularly failed to support pistol shooters when we were being
legislated out of existence'. We went to see the Countryside
Alliance at their headquarters in London on the 3rd. November
and put this point squarely to them. I am satisfied that they
are now aware that we are all fighting for freedom of choice,
not just for a specific aspect of shooting or for any particular
countryside activity. I strongly urge all shooters to support
the proposed march. (I have impressed upon the Countryside
Alliance organisers that we will insist upon proper recognition
as shooters as we support the march. They have recognised the
importance of this and have accepted it.)
We will keep you informed of the proposals as they develop.
National Countryside Show
The Sportsman's Association will be attending the National
Countryside Show at Earls Court, London, which takes place
from 2nd to 4th February 2001. The show is based on the
themes of 'living, working and playing' in the countryside.
It is described by the organisers as "a showcase for the very
best that the British Countryside has to offer and a breath
of fresh air for the town."
There will be hundreds of stalls manned by country-related
associations and commercial companies. Promised highlights
include an animal handling area, demonstrations of 4 wheel
driving, fly casting, gun dogs, working horses, steam engines,
children's rides and a beer festival. (We could get into a
lot of trouble with that!) Space precludes me from doing this
event justice - it really will be a full day out for all the
family.
If you go to the show please keep an eye out for The Sportsman's
Association stand. We look forward to meeting our members at
the show and hopefully gaining some new ones. See you there?
The Association will be present at as many Country Shows as
possible next year. We have been helped in our endeavours by
a generous donation of a Land Rover to tow our Display Unit.
The Land Rover was kindly given to us by Peter Hobson, of the
Land Rover Restoration Centre.
The Situation in Europe
I have just come back from attending the Annual General
Meeting of my club in France and have to report that the
firearms laws in France are going down the same path that
they have followed here. French shooters still have their
pistols, of course, but the French State is tightening the
screw year on year. French shooters now have a version of the
'use it or lose it' rules that we suffer from here and are
also being pursued on the security question. In France, in
order to retain your 'Permis de Detention' (Permit to Keep
Arms) you have to fire three sets of 'controlled' shots per
year. These consist of 40 witnessed shots per session, sessions
spaced at at least two month intervals and entered into a formal
personal record called a 'carnet de tir' which has to be
purchased at a cost of 30 Ffr for a period of 8 years. French
shooters are somewhat irritated to be required to store their
firearms in suitable secure cabinets etc. Ça commence! I have
emphasised the need for the French to resist this creeping
paralysis of their sport and they have pointed out that 'all
our arms are not declared to the State'!! They also have a
healthy programme for introducing youngsters to the sport and
it is apparent that shooters are not regarded as social pariahs
in France. The Club was alive, forward looking and lively. Out
of some 240 members in my Club, well over 60% were at the AGM.
What has gone wrong here in the UK? We have let our police
(ACPO) and successive Governments bully us into submission. It
is high time we told our police (ACPO) to concentrate on police
work - i.e. on catching actual criminals - to keep their noses
out of politics and, above all, to stop their harassment of
shooters. It is also time we told those same Chief Officers and
their Firearms Licensing Departments to give us good value for
our money. They are supposed to be our servants, after all. It
seems that they need to be reminded of this every now and again.
The present delays in the processing of Firearm and Shotgun
Certificate Applications and Renewals would be totally unacceptable
in any industrial environment and are just as unacceptable to us.
Based on the reports in our national newspapers the incidence of
criminal use of firearms is on the increase. By harassing us and
by attempting to ostracise the legitimate shooter, the police
have lost a valuable arm in the campaign against illegal firearms.
Shooters could, had they been asked to, provide experienced 'eyes
and ears' to help to combat the criminal use of firearms. It is
almost too late but I am sure that we would help if we were
properly asked. It is now up to the police to approach us on this
matter.
Justice for Shooters
We still await news of the latest position with regard to the
progress of the JFS legal challenge in Europe. Hopefully, no
news is good news.
JFS may be contacted at PO Box 705, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, SL8 5FS
e:mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Sportsman's Association may be contacted at our Head Office:
Address: 55/57 Garstang Road,
Preston,
Lancashire,
PR1 1LB
Tel: 01772 200801, Fax: 01772 200802
Website: www.sportsmans-association.org,
e:mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
___________________________________________________________
T O P I C A http://www.topica.com/t/17
Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
