Well, just read it:
So we turn to weapon availability, where there is better evidence and less speculation and where I, as a criminologist and gun-control advocate, feel on firmer ground.Well, no doubt you do!
I get the feeling he wrote this fondling his, ummm, 'weapon', shall we say...
He could do it because – as it now appears – he was a licensed firearm owner; he kept his weapons and ammunition at home legally.Ban homes! Ban them now! SOMETHING MUST BE DONE!
Cumbria police were quiet about the firearms for a while – no doubt while they trawled their firearms-ownership database. Now they have acknowledged Bird was a gun owner. The issues then become fairly simple, the incident utterly preventable. If firearm owners were not permitted to store guns and ammunition at home, the incident could not have happened.No, they'd simply find other ways to go on the rampage.
After Dunblane, Lord Cullen's report recommended that guns should not be kept at home (the shooting lobby fought that recommendation tooth and nail, claiming it would destroy the sport). In the event, a massive wave of public outrage saw handguns banned entirely.And no-one's been shot since! Well, except for all the ones that have. So that went well, eh?
I am conscious of the arguments about preserving sports shooting and of the overwhelming majority of responsible and legal gun owners. But, and this is the point: the risks are out there – if gun owners are to keep their weapons at home, as they want to, then they should not be allowed to keep ammunition at home as well.Because it's not like they could make ammunition. Or lie about the reason they wanted to retrieve them from the gun store.
I mean, restrictions on licensed guns didn't prevent a policeman doing in himself and others, did it?
So isn't it time we started not kneejerking in response to every tragedy?
7 comments:
"I mean, restrictions on licensed guns didn't prevent a policeman doing in himself and others, did it?"
Not whilst he was out on bail on another murder charge and getting in those vital extra practise sessions at the local gun club.
After threatening the life of his Mother in Law, his release must have been scared her half to death. He managed the rest himself at her front door.
I cannot recall the equivalent level of screaming on the Inspector Gadget blog, for arming civilians against the consequences of armed, mad, murdering policemen bent on any massacres facilitated by prior arrangements through the Courts.
Fact is people go bonkers or for other reasons decide to go on a mad killing spree and have since the dawn of time. Often there are signs of trouble before hand but sometimes all seems fine.
Sadly no amount of legislation, spying, praying or any other activity will prevent the next person to run amok from doing so, though of course this is one of these crimes that genuinely is very rare.
Even if every single gun in the country was melted down it still wouldn't prevent such events as there are many, many other ways of killing large numbers of people than firearms. As you say Julia, knee-jerk responses will do nothing to help and probably some unintentional harm into the bargin no doubt ...
He could, had he so desired, have killed at least as many people with his car...
Probably best that we can only keep our cars at home as long as the petrol is locked up elsewhere.
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe...
Though politicians have called for all relevant information to be assessed before thinking about further legislation, we here at a£Beebira and Guardianista thought your shock at this outrage prepares you for hearing from Dr Squirrelbrain, a member of the Hammer Control Network:
"I am a psychologist, used to manipulating peoples' thoughts and feelings, and therefore well qualified to speak on this issue, or so a£Beebira thinks despite my membership of the Hammer Control Network.
Thirteen people were murdered in this hammer killing spree... a legally held hammer. All these deaths were preventable by my simple solution of having all hammers stored at police stations.
Whenever anybody needs to use a hammer they can apply to the police for a loan, and a policeman will stay with the hammer at all times until it is returned.
I know this will inconvenience hobbyists and those who actually need hammers for their work but surely this is a small price (or massive price, I don't know or care) to pay for preventing future hammer deaths - though as a supposed scientist I should admit this will not effect the far greater numbers of deaths due to illegally held hammers.
Incidentally, I shall soon be starting up the Screwdriver Control Network - I'm getting a stiffie just thinking about it."
Many shotgun enthusiasts do make up their own ammo, you can buy the kits to do it. Usually it's just pellet size depending on what you're hunting, but you can get the necessaries to make up the caps too.
I find the media bulldung (contrasts with Bildung) hits me as self-contradictory. My favourite, years back, was a professor of happiness asked what this condition, the objective of his many years of study was. Eventually he profounded that 'being happy' was the essential for happiness.
I wonder, JuliaM, if we should take turns explaining how idiot the punditry is, a bit like a signer for the deaf?
"I cannot recall the equivalent level of screaming on the Inspector Gadget blog, for arming civilians against the consequences of armed, mad, murdering policemen bent on any massacres facilitated by prior arrangements through the Courts."
You know what? Me neither...
"Sadly no amount of legislation, spying, praying or any other activity will prevent the next person to run amok from doing so..."
Indeed. But some people can see advantage in anything, and the bansturbators and control freaks are out in force once more.
"He could, had he so desired, have killed at least as many people with his car..."
Yup. I said pretty much the same thing at a few sites. Easy enough to do, if you pick your targets carefully.
"Meanwhile, in a parallel universe..."
Heh!
"Many shotgun enthusiasts do make up their own ammo..."
I once worked with a chap who did just that - not for shotguns, but for some sort of pistol for competition shooting. Said it gave him better accuracy, or something.
So when the suggestions started, I did wonder if any of these 'experts' were aware of just how easy is was. Surprisingly, they didn't seem to.
"I wonder, JuliaM, if we should take turns explaining how idiot the punditry is, a bit like a signer for the deaf?"
We'd not be short of work!
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