They fail and fail and fail and then they challenge us?

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation have been to see the Scottish Justice Minister regarding airgun controls. During this meeting the BASC and the government representative issued a challenge to the shooting community:

The specific challenge to the shooting community was that the responsible majority should help to find a solution.

On one of the airgunning forums that this challenge was issued I took the opportunity to reply and include my reply here.

The government thinks that smoking is bad for us and for all tax payers. It has spent years telling us so and has spent countless millions on educational material and on TV advertising. Only recently has it begun to push through legislation now that the majority have been educated out of the habit.

The government thinks that drinking should only be done in moderation. To do otherwise is unhealthy and a waste of state resources. It is also inconvenient to the local community. It has spent countless millions telling us so, a great proportion of which has been spent on TV advertising. Legislation in this area is conservative and does not generally change for very long periods.

The government wishes us to collect all benefits that we have coming to us. Tax credits galore. This grab-able bounty is seen as so important to society that the government has spent much of what is left of our cash advertising the fact on TV. Take what's coming to you; it's yours!

The mayor of London wishes us to share communal transport. Get out of your car! Look, your other one is a bus! He has spent a great deal of money telling us so and the government has spent the best part of the last 2 decades educating us on the evils of unnecessary car use. Legislation in this area is usually in the form of taking more of our money but does not prevent anyone wishing to use a car from doing so (they can use their collected tax credit bounty for petrol even).

The government’s track record on shooting and gun ownership does not follow the same criteria as these other state crusades. Some people are misusing equipment that millions of others use perfectly reasonably. Do they try to educate? Do they run TV ads? Do they make sure every school child knows about the issue and how evil it is to fire their airgun out of their bedroom window at passing strangers? The kids are already experts in all kinds of government sponsored areas of greater complexity than not to shoot at strangers.

No, they do not. Since 1921 they have done nothing but legislate, legislate, legislate while destroying at every opportunity the chance for kids to learn about safe usage of airguns. Scouts and cubs are now subjected to safe BBQ training and outbound courses on badger appreciation but the opportunity to be educated about safe airgun usage is diminishing with every passing decree.

Educate, educate, educate. This is the government’s preferred method of dissuading and encouraging all kinds of behaviour in its citizens and it should extend to safe and proper usage of airguns. Sheesh, they have been banging on at how much of a problem it is for long enough.

You “challenge” the “shooting community” to “help find a solution” (holy smokes, there is a phrase built for use by a politician if I ever heard one). Well, there it is. Above this paragraph in nice, easy to use text. Print it out (unless of course you don’t read these forums and hence don’t notice that your challenge has been taken up). Take it to our masters at toad hall and see if they have the credibility and the political courage to actually help solve problems instead of throwing more and more of us to the wolves.

Posted by John at June 17, 2005 08:50 AM | TrackBack