EDGES MAGAZINE Issue 45

September 2006

  Bin Guns and Knives Campaign

Produced by younglivin.org.uk Kingston

BB Guns and knives are not toys and they can very easily lead to serious injury or even loss of life. The appearance of a BB gun is very similar to a real firearm, and if you take one onto the streets, you may be arrested for having an imitation firearm Under "The Firearms Act 1968".

Did you know that in the Borough of Kingston, Armed Response Vehicles have attended 28 incidents relating to firearms during November 2004 – October 2005. Over the same period, Kingston police received over 150 calls to incidents where the public has reported a weapon of some sort.

If you do have a BB Gun or Knife dispose of it safely. If anyone would like the Police to dispose of any knives or BB Guns for them please contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team.

BB Guns are an up and coming problem that causes great distress for many people. They are increasingly being used as imitation firearms.

Although usually sold as toys they can easily be used in crime. Whilst these guns fire less powerfully they are still firing out missiles that can and do hurt people. They also damage property and cause upset to many people.Web sites may say that "BB guns are totally harmless providing safety rules are observed ". This may be true but all things are safe if safety rules are used. The problem is that these guns are in the hands of some children and young people who are NOT keeping to the safety rules.

If someone is hurt by a pellet hitting them, it is an assault. Depending on the injury it will be dealt with as Common Assault, Actual Bodily Harm or in the case of a 15 year old girl shot in the eye, Grievous Bodily Harm. It’s a serious offence!

If something gets broken or damaged by a pellet, intentionally or recklessly, its still Criminal Damage! If, by using a BB Gun someone gets alarmed or distressed or they have an accident, there may be other offences for which you can be prosecuted.

If YOU intend to use it for crime or make others believe it is real or an imitation gun, there could be more offences! The Firearms Act 1968 states "An imitation firearm is anything which has the appearance of being a firearm, regardless of whether or not it is capable of discharging a shot, bullet or other missile.

If you take a BB gun onto the streets you may get arrested for this offence. If you really must have a BB Gun then keep it at home and make sure your pellets do not go outside of your house or garden.

The most common Guns to be misused by young people are Air Pistols and AirRifles. There are strict laws governing the possession and use of Air Guns.These lay down the ages of persons who may possess them and the places they may and may not be used. BB or soft airguns are sold as toys in some shops but are treated as Firearms by some firearms dealers in that they will not sell them to children or young persons under 17 years of age.

The reason for this is that although they will not cause serious injury, they look like real lethal firearms and cause a great deal of fear and concern to people in the community. Also there have been cases where they have been fired into people’s faces and caused eye injures. The most sensible attitude to take is that any gun that shoots a BB, pellet, dart or bullet needs to be treated with respect and used or handled in a responsible and safe manner. Shooting can be a very exiting and rewarding sport when carried out safely and in the right place.

The two important ages that you need to remember if you want to stay on the right side of the law are 14 and 17. If you are under14 years of age you cannot legally own an Air Rifle or Pistol. Only a Soft Air / BB gun. If you are under14 years of age you can shoot an air gun but you will need an adult over 21 with you the whole time that you are using it.

If you are over 14 you can own an Air Gun. You may also shoot unsupervised on private premises. This is allowed as you are thought to be mature enough not to do anything dangerous and you are of an age of criminal responsibility. That means if you do anything wrong you know it is wrong and can be dealt with by the courts. If you are given an air gun you may only use it on private premises, i.e. your back garden if you live in a house.

If you live in a flat or maisonette this does not include communal areas like walkways, drying areas, garages, gardens etc. You cannot buy an Air Pistol / Rifle or the pellets for use with it until your 17th birthday. If you are shooting in your garden or other private premises, you must ensure that none of the pellets you are firing leave the boundary of your property. That means you can’t shoot at a pigeon in your neighbour’s apple tree or rest a target on the fence so that the pellets pass through and onto public or other private property. If you are under 17 you are not allowed to have an Air Pistol in a public place under any circumstances.

You can take an Air rifle into a public place like the street but it must be securely covered in such a way that it cannot be fired and you may not carry any ammunition for that Pistol/Rifle. This is allowed so you can travel to a rifle shooting club or private premises where you have permission to shoot. As you have taken the time to read this, you are probably mature enough not to do anything to endanger another person or get yourself into trouble.

The scenes you see on TV or Film,when people are at the receiving end of a firearm, cannot convey the real horror or trauma that the victims or their families experience. I hope that none of you ever do! Guns are only tools really, and like all tools have to be understood and mastered if they are to be used safely. A gun could sit on a table for a hundred years and never hurt anyone. It takes someone to pick it up and do something stupid to cause pain, suffering and damage

 

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