Gary Stewart, 53, of Woodgate Avenue, Chessington, pleaded guilty earlier this month to having the weapon, designed to look like a camouflaged hunting rifle, in the theme park's overspill car park in January.
He was with friend Andrew Moore, 39, of Barnfield Gardens, Kingston, who also pleaded guilty to having an airgun but denied breaching licensing conditions relating to another matter.
Stewart said Moore was showing him the rifle and how it fired because he was thinking of buying one and he “knew more about them”.
Oh, good grief! And you couldn’t think of a better place to do this, than
a public car park?
Magistrate Carole Hopkins said: “We find this to be a serious offence, so serious because you were where members of the public frequent. ”
Yes, yes, hoplophobes all, but seriously, have a bit of common sense, chaps!
I have to confess it is the sort of thing I might have done a few years ago myself a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteMeeting in a neutral space to sell an air rifle makes sense. The carpark is probably a huge field. I would always want to test a gun before I bought it.
Nowadays it is possible to be shot to death for having a table leg in a bag and to have your whole life ruined (criminal record) for a minor completely harmless misjudgement.
The poor guys must have wondered what has hit them.
A sensible policeman would have taken them aside and said " What the F are you thinking of? You just cannot do this in this day and age! Put it away and read up on the changes in the law."
But no...it is an easy collar.
I suppose thinking this makes me a bad man.
Yes, Anon. However if these chaps had been the victims of real gun madness, a plod description of the events leading to their demise would have been far more creative.
ReplyDeleteOver the years I've bought and sold many guns, those transactions have taken place in many different places - often in public view.I never had a problem and every transaction was perfectly proper and legitimate. Would I do it now? NO! Any sale or purchase now takes place on my terms where I decide and most often not in public view. Most of todays population are indoctrinated cry babys who believe that anyone with any sort of weapon presents an immediate danger, shits themselves and calls the police.
ReplyDeleteThis may well be an example of lazy, pointless policing but it is just the sort of incident that the rozzers love. It provides a justification for they overbearing enforcement agenda, in the guise of 'keeping us safe'.
It is quite clear in both Magna Carta and the US Bill of Rights that the peoples' right to bear arms is not only for protection and occasional predation, but also that the nations' freeborn have the means to challenge misgovernment. There are no more freeborn in England any more. The only people with guns are either criminals or/and government agencies.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with guns, but after Ryan, Hamilton, Bird, Moat, Sharon Beshenivsky's killers, Cregan and the possibility of one of our "home grown" copying the beach murders, anyone carrying a gun or imitation in a public place or anywhere not expected, is asking to be shot.
ReplyDelete@ Northish.
ReplyDelete'Anyone carrying a gun or imitation in a public place or anywhere not expected, is asking to be shot'. We cannot disagree with the present facts. However the same risks will soon attend those choosing to appear in public, inside of the most despised uniform since the height of Nazi Germany.
Get some help Melvin, you really are losing the plot.
ReplyDeleteJaded.
Since when has owning/posesing an air rifle been an offence?
ReplyDeleteAnd as the description of the rifle as "lethal" what a load of fucking bollox!
You stand more chance of dying of lead poisoning from the pellets before that would bloody kill anything larger than a rat.
Missed the point again, Herr Arsch. Anyone seen with anything remotely resembling a firearm, automatically assumes plod target status. And FYFI, this rule includes an imitation gun/pistol hung on any home wall as a decorative feature.
ReplyDelete"A sensible policeman would have taken them aside..."
ReplyDeleteI wish we had some... :(
"Most of todays population are indoctrinated cry babys who believe that anyone with any sort of weapon presents an immediate danger, shits themselves and calls the police."
Sadly true. I've seen a few newspaper reports of ARVs being called out to pigeon shoots. I doubt they are that bonkers on the continent, where hunting is more common.
"Since when has owning/posesing an air rifle been an offence?"
It's the use/carrying of it in the open that's the issue, I think?