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Are airguns dangerous? Can we legislate against freak accidents? Should people who an airgun be responsible for its misuse, even by someone else?

steve kean
Any death is sad, but very very few are caused by the mis-use of airguns. It is easy to call for a ban, but millions of careful users will be punished for the stupidity of one owner leaving the weapon & pellets for children to find & play with.After Dunblane, pistols were banned, yet gun crime continues to rise. The safe users of guns obey the law, but criminals & fools ignore it. The law is completely pointless - all it has achieved is that our Olympic pistol team have to practice in Paris!Airguns offer safe fun, but need to be used sensibly. They are useful for pest control & offer many people sporting opportunities in field & target disciplines. How can a law be framed that will affect those at risk yet not destroy the sport of millions who use their guns safely.Britain is a leading manufacturer of quality air weapons. Such a law would undermine that industry and make many jobless.

hamish
people like this give air rifles a bad name, most holders of air rifles are responsible and only use them in a safe place where no people are about or cats in this case. hamish. 13

p loveland
for every 10,000 cars, there is a death each year. 4,000,000 air guns in uk - 1 or 2 deaths a year

olivia, jesse, aaron
why do innocent people suffer?

Kyle Sessions
I believe that toy shops should't sell them but the internet can for 18 year olds who have a UKARA licence and participate in airsoft.

Mr Tony Gavin
The airgun is not responsible, the user is. Can I blame the pecil for the miss spellings in my letter ? NO !Education is the answer. With so many airguns already in circulation youngsters are almost certain to come into contact with them at some point. The more secretive and elusive we make them, the greater the appeal and the less of a likelyhood that they will be used where they can be properly supervised and where the youngsters can be trained in their safe operation and use. The ATEO and the BASC have people who go into schools and give youngsters instruction regarding the dangers of airguns and the current laws relating to their ownership and use. Unfortunately talking to youngsters about guns at school is still as taboo a subject as talking about drugs was several years ago. I personally have visited schools locally and when the pupils are asked who has access to or who owns an airgun, over 60% claim that they do. What is required before we "Talk Frank" about the dangers of airgun mis-use in schools as routinely as we do drugs? Education Education Education.

David Steel
Cracking down on air guns isn't the answer. Cracking down on irresponsible users should be. Catapults, crossbows, bows and arrows, knives and any other form of 'weapon' are equally dangerous in the wrong hands. Even a broken beer bottle is a killer. How far do you expect legislation to go and what resources do you think are available to enforce it all?How many people are killed on our roads by irresponsible people who, through drink, drugs, poor driving or deliberate negligence kill others, maybe several, in a single incident in a car accident? Do we try to legislate cars off the road as being dangerous? No, we pursue the driver. That's what we should do with air guns and the like. Let's not have a nanny state but let our justice system make good examples of those who do act in an irresponsible fashion to make others think a little more about the outcome of their actions before others get hurt. We need to cure society and banning this and that, while being seen to be doing something, isn't really tackling the root cause.

p loveland
airguns are dangerous - but fishing equipment, pushbikes ,gardening equipment and stairs are more dangerous . cars kill 10 people a day in the uk; that is why when you buy one it can exceed 70 mph . are you, if a child steals your car ,pushbike or gardening eqipment , responable if they injure themselves or someone ? what if they fall down the stairs while stealing the air gun?

elaine clayton
today another child lies in hospital fighting for his life as the result of an air rifle and as we have sadly seen these guns can kill.so i think they should be treated as an ordinary fire arm they should be illegal.certainly they should be licenced.i do hope that the little boy who was shot at the weekend is soon on the mend.so that another family is spared the death of a child i wish my cousin joanne and andrew picken well in their campaigne against air rifles.

William
Are airguns dangerous?A firearm held in the arms of a person with malicious intent is a weapon. Nothing but ignorance is illustrated by those who attempt to brand all air rifles as "air weapons". 5% of owners does not represent the other 95% of those who responsibly enjoy target shooting as a sport and secure the air rifles in their possession. Can we legislate against freak accidents?Evidently the UK govt. can legislate against these "accidents".Since Dunblane/pistol ban gun crime has increased over 4 times; that legislation has been a failureThe VCR Act...not enough time has passed to judge but stabbings are a daily occurrence and in London how many youngsters have lost their lives? The success of this legislation is highly doubtfulI'm in favour of securely locking up air rifles but one significant problem1. with an estimated +4m air rifles in the UK how does one go about enforcing current ownership by the police? - the resources are simply not there to ensure all are under lock & key, it is simply not realistic - the cost significantly outweights the benefits.(I apologies for the callous and perhaps cold heartedness of this remark but that is reality)A ban then?The United Kingdom "literally leads the world" of air rifle technology/quality with more advanced air rifles than any other country can muster - famous British companies such as Daystate, Theoben, British Sporting Arms, Air Arms are sought by sports shooters from the US to Australia...the entire globe!So yes you can ban them but in doing so you will kill something intrinsically British when in fact the air rifles in these freak accidents are "knock cheap chinese imports" bought for a dime a dozen and not the worldwide known British engineered air rifle that retails from GBP600 up to 1.7k. Again legislation to ban will do more harm than good to British jobs, government revenue and British engineering ingenuity.Should people who own an airgun be responsible for its misuse even by someone else?100% YES! THIS IS THE KEY! This is what needs to be enforced through a massive push behind education/strong warnings via newspapers, tv adverts, internet, local police involvement at the community level.(they have started hand in policies in parts of the UK for unused air rifles).People who possess an air rifle should be entirely accountable under the law for the misuse of their <12ft/lb air rifle. The prospect of a substantial fine or imprisonment would result in a lot of air rifles being put under lock & key.

Dave M
Both my son and myself shoot air rifles using them for target sport and are both members of a club.When not in use the rifles are kept under lock and key and only come out when they are going to be either cleaned or taken out for use.I have sympathy for the families whos members have been hurt or killed by air rifles and it annoys me when I hear stories of people who misuse them and bring our sport down.Used correctly there is nothing dangerous about air rifles and I would encourage anyone thinking of buying one to join one of the many target clubs up and down the country.It is a fun sport that can be enjoyed by everyone and hurts nobody.

H.Brown
Reading through the comments on this story makes me dispare at how little people know of our laws and history.Buying guns from toys'r'us I would like to point out I bought my first air guns and shotguns from my mothers caterlog paying for them weekly.At that time guns were freely avalable could be carried and used by almost anyone and gun crime 50 years ago almost nillSo please let us put the blame where it belongs namly in our sick society that glorifies violence in films and games.A gun is only the sum of its parts wood and metal I and millions more like me choose to use this in harmless target shooting.If you wanted to kill or harm someone with a airgun you would do better to use it like a club because you would have to be very lucky/unlucky to acheave your intentMention has been made of the GUN CONTROLE NETWORK this is not a place to look if you want facts this is a preasure group that at its peak had TEN members and now becouse of how it has been run only has THREE.So please let common scence have a chance and put the blame where the blame lies'

A King
in response to C Hall's opinion... should the same be true for Kitchen Knives?

Andrew L
Gun laws are too tight??? In that case why is the use of air weapons not sufficiently controlled? How can laws controlling the use of guns, manufactured for the sole purpose of destruction ever be too tight? Comments such as this highlight the fundamental reason why controls are required. Perhaps all firearms should be freely available in Toys R Us. Provide a nice "educational" DVD with every purchase outlining what nasty things these weapons might do if not used "responsibly" and everything will be alright!"Almost any object can kill, if used the wrong way" Only in the minds of the less intellectual members of society. Guns are the only things manufactured for no other purpose than destruction.

Fred
Gun laws are way too tight as they are. Almost any object can kill, if used in the wrong way.

C from Glasgow
Im a 17 year old boy who is considering buying an air rifle but before doing so im currently looking into becoming licensed and trained in using such firearms because of recent events. I dont feel that air rifles should be banned, but i do think stricter regulations should come into force, these are dangerous weapons if they are handled and used by certain people. I feel that a law stating that before anyone can purchase a rifle they must have a criminal background check carried out. Anyone with a violent history or a record of crimes that are of a violent nature should not be aloud to own such a weapon. Also, what about training programmes, young people in schools see these weapons as fantasy and exciting and so feel a wanting for them, but they dont know the dangers or how to use them correctly, if schools could organise a day trip to a firing range or such, pupils should be taught the proper use, care and just as important the storage of these weapons and also be taught about the dangers of them. Now im not saying this will stop people being hurt by these weapons because there will be no doubt that some ignorant ned or disturbed child will look past the warnings and commit a crime anyway, in which case they should be punished accordingly, they fired upon a human with a live firearm seriously injuring or killing them and should be sentenced for doing so.

Ross
well i think that this was more the parents of the person who had the gun cus they should not have bough the gun for someone of that age who doesnt know the consequeces of it. also i was wondering what the airgun was... was it an airsoft or and actuall air rifle. im an airsoft scirmisher and im am restricted of buying my guns cus im not yet UKARA registered.... this is one good law that came into action but also a bit stupid because there are always loop holes to get past this... so i think that ppl that posses an airgun should be responsible for its misuse

andrew p
To mike and everyone else that talks about education we have been advised that we cannot discuss on this forum the circumstances of Mitchels death but let me just say that your argument for education would be as flawed as the current laws surrounding airweapons as would those who like to talk of iresponsible owners as the owner in question is the type of person you would have called one of your own.One more question,was 3 year old Somma Chapman shot by a 6 year old because they had not been educated about guns ? Or because someone left a loaded airgun unattended and accesible?

Mike
We don't need any more laws we just need common sense. What happened to Education, Education, Education???

peter
When I was young, guns were not an issue. Ban all guns or make the person who owns the gun, that gets used in an incident fully accountable and strongly punished.

Sarah Bennett
Air guns are not toys, they are lethal weapons that can kill. I am a relative of Andrew and Joanne and until a tragedy like the death of Mitchel effects a family as it has ours, no one can fully understand how the consequences of that can tear a family apart. no one concerned in the death of Mitchel has been made accountable under the current law that stands at the moment in this country. everyday life will never be the same again for Andrew and Joanne

v for vendatta
did the banning of live fire hand guns work after dunblane??? No it didnt....gun crime is high then ever before....if you ban guns or whatever only the lawabiding subjects will obey it....think about it....a criminal is NOT going to a give a toss about the law he will get a gun regardless prob from the easten block and use and after he has used throw it in the river....So please do tell how would banning anything would stop the criminal???

Marc & Kath B
We believe that the laws should be changed so that air weapons should be locked away in a secured unit, so that children can not get hold of them. In this case children of 12 years old should never have been able to have access to an air weapon. And in such cases the owner of the air gun should be held responsible and prosecuted. If the law states that children under 14 years old must be supervised by an adult over the age of 21, WHY was the owner of the air rifle not prosecuted? If such a law was in place at that time maybe Mitch would be here now!

Mrs Andrea Vickers
I am the Auntie of Mitchel Picken who was fataly shot by an air rifle.My brother and his wife have been relentlessly campaining to make the owners of air rifles responsible and accountable for there use and safety. had the gun that killed Mitchel been under lock and key i am sure we would still have that wonderful boy still with us.My brother and family arent asking for a complete ban on air rifles just a little common sense as to how they are stored, who uses them and where.Young lives are been taken and no body is been held accountable surely we must do something because tomorrow it maybe your child. Mrs Andrea Vickers, Wistaston Crewe

Andrew L
Why does anyone with a sane mind feel the need to fire a gun of any description? The sole purpose of "any" type of gun is to destroy, kill or mame.I fail to see why anyone, other than a combat soldier needs a gun.Yes other things such as knives, tools etc can be dangerous in the wrong hands but they are manufactured for other uses in the first instance. I question the very sanity of people who feel the need to own or use any kind of gun. Theres plenty of opportunity in Iraq and Afghanistan if their passion for these ludicrous instruments requires quenching.

David
I lived in Scotland for 4 years and airguns were what got me interested in firearms. The thing is if i had to register it i would never have gotten my hands on them, i used them responsibly and never shot anyone. Why should legitimate people be blamed for a few irresponsible people. If there are people misusing airguns then i agree they should be prosecuted to the the full extent of the law but it is no reason to curtail the freedom of innocent people who enjoy using airguns

C. Hall
The problem is there are NO laws about storing airweapons. If airweapons were registered (like other lethal weapons) there would be - but right now there aren't and as a direct result of this loophole children are being injured, blinded and killed.This family, and others in similar circumstances, aren't calling for a ban. They just want registration so airgun owners undergo Police checks to filter out the yobs, and are required to store their airweapons in proper locked gun cabinets. What's so unreasonable about that? Shooters, you'd still have your guns, you'd just have to keep them locked up when not in use.Shotgun owners get registered and store their weapons safely in locked cabinets, they cope. And there are far fewer deaths, injuries, cases of criminal damage, accidents etc. relating to shotguns than there are relating to airweapons. Those who want air weapons need to buy licences, like car owners, tv owners and fishermen. The cost of the licence should be sufficient to cover the cost of administering the system.Airweapons are responsible for approx 50% of all recorded gun crime. The financial cost of all that criminal damage, death and injury is met by the tax payer. There would be significant economic benefits throughout uk if airguns were licenced.Thankfully here in the UK we have some of the tightest and best firearms legislation in the world, which is why we have one of the lowest rates of firearms deaths in the world. Gun legislation works, visit www.gun-control-network to see the evidence.

Emma
I agree air guns are absolutely the responsibility of the owner. The point here is that not all air gun owners are responsible and the current loop hole in the law means that there is nothing that can be done to punish those that aren't.
Until you have had experienced any personal tragedy that even compares to the loss of Mitch you have no right to say that a law that may have saved his life is pointless

Lee in Longton
if everyone adhered to the laws of air powered guns, regarding how and where you keep them everything would be ok,if they are locked up and keeping the ammunition very separate,then maybe things wouldn't happen like this.the parents should take more of the responsibility when they buy these weapons as they really are weapons.i really do feel for the parents but the majority of responsible air weapon owners are responsible and do not break the law,the issue could be raised that well if you're doing nothing wrong why not get a liciense,but why when we are doing nothing wrong should we as a majority of responsible air weapon owners need to get one,i do agree that something should be done about this issue but for the air weapon owners that use these weapons safely something should be done to protect safe and respectable owners and prevent the irresesponsible owners owning these very leathal weapons

Esther
I don't understand why 'responsible' air gun users would be against the legislation. If you are using a weapon within all the laws and regulations that already exist then what is the problem with simply registering it? It's hardly an inconvenience and if it means that people are prosecuted for their actions then surely any responsible adult would be willing to do it. Fair enough it won't stop incidents like this happen but it will help bring to justice the people involved and bring a small amount of comfort to the grieving family. How anybody can oppose this is beyond me. How can parents be blamed for the actions of other peoples children? People should find out all the facts before laying blame at peoples doors and airgun owners should stop acting as if they are being targeted. These laws are designed to work with you not against you, if people stopped complainig and complied it would benefit everybody.

Rich
Tragic as this is, I have to agree that licensing would have zero impact on airgun crime - if criminals are already using them for illegal activities, then why would an extra law make them stop? Same as the handgun ban.In this sad case, the boys should not have had unsupervised access to the airgun. A parent can be prosecuted for firearms offences - namely allowing children under the age of 17 un-supervised access to a firearm. How stupid can you get?
We had an air rifle at home to teach us firearm safety. Dad kept it in his wardrobe. We were under no illusions that we were not to take it out under any circumstances. Only he could get it out, and we could only shoot when he was supervising us.I now shoot .22 and 7.62mm rifle and have never killed anyone - because I know how to handle firearms safely, and I respect that while they are 100% safe on a range, or used sensibly. Mess around with one for long enough, and someone's going to get hurt. I don't mess.
Yes, access to firearms should be restricted to an extent, minimum age limits to buy/possess, supervision under a certain age, etc (what we have already) but education is critical, if only because parents often don't know the law when they gift these "toys" to their kids.
Ignorance is no excuse, but if the parents are ignorant, then why not let the kids pick up the slack - firearm education and safety lessons as part of PSHE in schools?
Finally, can we legislate against freak accidents?That seems to be what this government has spent 10 years trying to do. And look at what we have. A highly litigous culture ("Didn't look where you were going? Tripped over a crack in the pavement? SUE!!" How pathetic), crime is higher than ever, and noone seems to be capable of taking responsibility for their own actions.
No. Freak accidents are exactly that. Accidents. They happen. We live with it. We can take reasonable steps to stopping them, by legislating that all factories must have safety guards over machinery. hat's sensible enough, but there IS a limit.

robineff
The Pickens are understandably grief-stricken by the loss of their son and desperately want 'something to be done', but new legislation is not the answer. The finger has to be pointed fairly and squarely at parents who allow access to an air rifle and - much worse - never teach the basic safety procedures.
As one who trains young Pony Club children to compete in Tetrathlons, which include air pistol shooting, I know that the great majority of them easily accept the strict safety rules and procedures which we enforce rigidly, and the very few who think they know best are quickly straightened out!There are plenty of clubs around the country where the young may be taught to shoot safely, and well, and there are few sports where more mental discipline is required to achieve good results.
It has become a feature of modern life that so much legislation is introduced as a substitute for common sense and responsibility that huge numbers of decent people have their lives restricted because of the actions of the feckless, stupid and plain criminal few.
Successive governments of both parties bowed to the noisy rants of a few tiny pressure groups and the red-top press following the Dunblane massacre, and Britain is now the only civilised democracy in which pistol ownership is prohibited - and the Dunblane massacre only happened because of an appalling error of judgement by a middle-ranking Scottish police officer who overruled a junior who had expressed great doubts about the suitability of Thomas Hamilton to own pistols.The existing legislation at the time was quite adequate to regulate gun use and ownership, provided it was intelligently applied, which it wasn't in that case.Restrictive legislation to cover up the actions of the irresponsible and the failings of the Administration flies in the face of natural justice.

C. Hall
Many responses here are inaccurate and misleading and demonstrate an ignorance about the inadequacies of the law re airweapons. Please check the accuracy of statements regarding the Law before posting. The tragedy suffered by this family is sadly not unique. Several other young boys have been killed in similar circumstances in UK over the last few years but these cases have probably not been reported nationally (see www.gun-control-network.org for details. This family want to address the fact that current law fails to ensure the safe locked storage of air weapons. They are left under beds, in wardrobes, sheds etc. where children can access them. The law must be changed to ensure safe locked storage, in the same way as storage of other lethal weapons is controlled. Responsible airgunners are obviously extremely touchy about their 'public enemy' image, and ashamed when air weapons are used to target cars, cats, swans, windows, pedestrians, train drivers, joggers etc. All air gunners get tarred with the same brush. Understandably they're quick to defend their hobby and try to distance the responsible shooters from the yob shooters. This is an opportunity to show your support to a grieving family - while doing something to genuinely distance the responsible airgunner from the yobs. Contact your MP and insist on a licencing system for airweapons and make uk a safer place for us all.

charlie
Guns don't kill people, sick cretins do.Lay off guns and stop whining,
do something against the CRIMINALS for a change!Bans prove nothing except only criminals have guns!
SEE HANDGUN BAN: Waste of time!

John
"They should be registered. Owners homes must be subject to inspection to ensure safe storage in locked cabinets, just like other lethal weapon owners are"OK, so what about all the other lethal weapons that are more dangerous than airguns, knives in particular are responsible for far more deaths than airguns, should they be registered ?It's all very well banning/licensing some inanimate object, but is this actually going to achieve anything ? What's needed is for people to take responsibility for their actions, in this case allowing an untrained child to have undisciplined access to some potentially dangerous object.Would you leave a child alone with can of petrol and a box of matches, or say a chainsaw ? Unless that child was trained to have the necessary discipline then you'd be behaving extremey negligently.Licensing, or banning, airguns is not likely to prevent their mis-use, be that either deliberate mischief or freak accidents, education and accountability could probably achieve more on the accident front, I'll let others comment on the topic of criminal mis-use. Whatever the answer, banning or licensing is not going to control such criminal mis-use.

Mark Taylor
I can't begin to understand how Andrew & Joanne Picken feel and would support any reasonable move that would prevent a further loss of life like Mitchel's. However, how would licensing air rifles prevent that?
Any responsible adult who owns a weapon whilst there are children in the house would ensure that it is locked away and cannot be accessed. Having licenses is not likely to have changed that adult's behaviour.
As others have mentioned we have some of the strictest gun laws in the world (with which I agree), but gun crime is not carried out by law abiding citizens so why would we believe the introduction of an airgun ban or licence would persuade iresponsible adults to behave differently?

C Edmunds
As usual blame the item rather than the yobbo using it. Whether its drink, knives, screwdrivers or airguns the government fails to tackle the problem - the idiot using it to cause harm. Do the people think that the yobs will listen to new laws any more than they did to the old ones? After all look at the numbers of shootings since they banned handguns! Now only criminals can have guns. Anyone found guilty of this sort of offence should get life, anyone caught misuning firearms should get the 5 years the law already allows. How many more rights will be taken from the law abiding just to allow the scumbags to laugh in the face of the law again and again and again.

Dave, Wirral
@ "Amy"...Education of safe airgun handling reduces the chance of accidents. Bringing young people into contact with airguns in a responsible manner and in appropriate surroundings removes some of the element of mystery surrounding their use, therefore reducing the attraction of playing one. If that attraction is still there then at least the principles of safe handling have been instilled. Remember, if you want a child to do something - ban them from doing it, it makes it far more attractive for them...

paul d
the problem with licensing, regulating, prosecuting is the fact that its all to do with picking up the pieces and that it may actually divert from the real answer..the real answer that we would all be looking for is "what would have stopped this happening"....the simple and sad truth is that at any time boys could have decided "no we shouldnt be doing this".....and its avoided.....
when shooters refer to "education" theres one fundamental rule and this is "Self-responsibility", you are responsible for your own actions, your own safety and maybe that of others....no one else but YOU, this should also be core to ALL YOUR ACTIONS (wether shooter or non-shooter) that could impact others in our lives, wether driving, walking, shopping, playing rugby, in fact pretty much everything we do can affect others and we have to take responsibility for that....
when i was young, i used Airguns in scouts and being only 2 years older i used Firearms in the cadet forces, i knew this back then.....will licensing/banning stop another tradjedy like this ....i doubt it.... but can someone be taught " self-responsibility"...... YES I WAS......and would it have stopped this.... YES...are airguns dangerous???yes if used without "responsibility" so is pretty much everything else too......
that is why it saddens me to see this issue time and time again, its only a hobby but is a freedom that i enjoy and a freedom that i am "responsible" for......in fact, whilst teaching others i pass on this "self-responsibility" to others (being under 30 perhaps a good few others in the future)... surely thats a good thing???
no matter what is said and done my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased......

G.Davies
The current gun laws are already strict enough, there should be no more burdens placed upon decent law abiding shooters.I have been shooting for over 50 years without any accident or incident of any kind.People need education not more laws. A 12 year old child should not have been in possession of a gun unsupervised,it would seem that parents do not have enough control over their children anymore, this incident is down to lack of supervision by parents and total ignorance of the law. Why should innocent people suffer because of the actions of others. Gun licences will not work anymore than dog licences worked, people who did'nt buy a dog licence where the type of people who let their dogs roam the streets just like some people let their children roam the streets today.Licences would have to be policed costing more money to the tax payer and imposing even greater burdens on decent honest people. Education of parents is the only answer, parents should be made to stand up to their responsibilities and stop blaming everyone else for their own shortcomings.As for the criminal element, does anyone think for one moment that a criminal is going to get a gun licence to commit a crime, for goodness sake stop living in cloud cuckoo land and face up to the truth.In case anyone thinks I am being harsh, it is because I am stating facts that some people do not wish to hear.Let me be clear, I do have sympathy with the parents, I have lost a child of my own so I know what they are going through but it does not change the facts.Furthermore, I belive that any person pointing a gun at a police officer should be shot instantly rather than risking that officers life.

sarah
AS A Mother myself i feel heartbroken for the family of mitchel,a life taken for what!a irresponsible family leaving a gun unlocked so a CHILD could use it.These are guns for gods sake!THEY ARE DANGEROUS!A child has been killed!responsible people like alfie know how to make sure there gun was locked up.but the scum bags of this world give responsible people a bad name.the boy that killed mitchel where was his gun kept ?these parents should be held responsible for mitchels death.idont think children under 18 should even be allowed to handle any gun let alone be shown how to fire one,your just aking for more trouble..how can these people sleep at night knowing there son at the age of twelve had taken someone elses LIFE..

Nick
On the contrary Amy, education is the only way to stop problems like this. You think that a parent who dosent know that its illegal for thier underage child to have an airgun is going to know that they need a license? We need people to be taught how to safley use Airguns, not to ban/license or restrict them. The VCR bill will yield results, give it time. And an Airgun is not a firearm.

Ryan
Amy,How can you be shocked at a lack of understanding? The youngsters that I and many others coach have never pointed a gun at anybody else and have nothing but the utmost respect for the guns they use. I do agree with you on one point though, in the absence of intruction at a club, parents should be responsible for teaching their children the dangers of messing around with or not respecting guns and should be culpable for their childs actions. Air guns are not toys and as has been shown tragically in this case they can cause serious damage. There is no need for new laws as the existing laws surrounding firearms are harsh enough. Missusing an airgun carries a hefty prison sentence and fine yet for robbing a young boy of his life, the 12 year old who pulled the trigger (whilst using the gun illegaly) and his parents have escaped punishment from the law. Where is the deterrent for children not to mess about with dangerous tools? How many people have been convicted for comitting a criminal act with an airgun?As has been said before far more people are killed every year by knives, cars, motorbikes, home or sporting accidents even nut allergies. Ilegal firearms are easily available to those who don't mind breaking laws - Note my previous reference to the increase in crime involving handguns which have been banned for 10 years now.If you wish to see how responsible gun users enjoy their air guns I will be happy to guide you through the proficiency programme my club offers for anyone new to the sport, who wants to be safe.

johnnyf
Of course Air guns are dangerous.No we cannot legislate against freak accidents, because they are Accident's!if an airgun is being misused then the person miusing the gun should be prosecuted as they are the ones breaking the laws.

Alfie
let me first say how sad to hear of their sad loss , and my heart go's out to them and their familyI see my self as a resposible Air gun owner, I have a Trigger lock on my Gun and the key is always with me and not the gun , I do see it my responsibility to make sure it is Kept out of another persons hands , and that it is NEVER loaded until it is to be used for the purpose to which I have it , and that is to Hunt responsiblyI do see the argument from both side , and yes Air guns are dangerous in the wrong hands , as is a Knife , car motorbike ,etc, The danger is normally in the hands of the person using the afore said things , and how they use them .but after saying all that , this brings little consolation to the family who have lost their dear ones !!Alfie , Derby

Amy
I am shocked at the lack of people’s understanding evidenced by the comments that have been posted to this article. I cannot believe that there are people out there who would condone educating young people about how to equip, load and discharge a firearm rather than back a decision to reduce the risk of young people coming into contact with a lethal weapon altogether. Surely this would only serve to encourage young people rather than deter them, and many young people know exactly what they are doing and are shown how to use the firearm, yet despite this still point the gun at others! This has nothing to do with educating young people about the dangers; the responsibility here lies with parents to teach their children right from wrong. It is the Government’s duty however, to ensure that gun owners take full responsibility for safeguarding other people from the dangers of firearms. They should be held accountable in the event of any injury or death caused by failure on their part to store the firearm securely on their premises. The call for licensing airguns should be answered – this will not penalise the ‘law-abiding sportsman’ but will help to prosecute irresponsible gun owners and bring about justice for the families that are affected by the lax laws around the use and ownership of airguns.

steve
air guns are not dangerouse!it's only you that cause trouble with them, real guns you need i license for yet you people are shooting each other everyday on our city streets!

J Lee
more legislation will only effect responsible users [no point] bad guys will flout the law anyway. so pointless

Ryan
Bans clearly don't work as has been proven by the steady rise since the handgun ban after the dunblane shootings. I teach children as young as 6, boys and girls how to use airguns safely and responsibly, at my local club. Whilst I sympathise with anyone who has had a loved one killed or injured by anything, if young people were aware of the consequences of miss using airguns there would be far fewer incidents like this one. The first rule of handling any gun is that you always treat it as if it is loaded. The second is you never point it at anything you are not going to shoot. Had this boy and his friend known this then an accident would have been averted.The Police have stated that they would not support a ban or licensing, beacause of the amount of extra work licensing the millions of legally air guns held in the UK.Surely educating young people by using the enthusiastic registered coaches, at the many gun clubs all over the UK, would be a better and no doubt more cost effective way of dealing with the issue. Rather than adding more work to an all ready under funded and over stretched Police service?As has been proven from the last knee jerk (vote winning) ban, if guns are outlawed then only outlaws will have guns.

Nick
Fistly may I say that nothing which I say here is intended to insult the family of the deceased nor rubbish the claims that this type of thing needs to be stopped, I do not intent to insult anyones intelligence or imply that their point of view means nothing, I am stating mearly facts. I am an Airgun enthusiast, have been shooting since I was 14 and reading stories like this sickens me as I'm sure it does for non-shooters. I also feel another pain, that is that all Airgun shooters everywhere are being tarred with the same brush irrespective of how responsible we are. However, the child that fired the Airgun was 12 years old? It is illegal for him to be in possession of that rifle/pistol yet two children were allowed to be left alone in a room with it? This was the cause of the accident; the users were not only illegal but also obviously very unaware of the damage an Airgun can do. Surely then the parents/guardians are also blatantly unaware of the danger and all though I hate to say this ; they are responsible. Education is what will stop this type of thing happening, not licensing or a ban. The ban on pistols did nothing noticble to handgun crime figures for sometime, infact they went up directly after the ban. I agree with Emma above : Airguns are dangerous (in the wrong hands) even though they are not classed as 'Firearms' and parents/guardians need to realise this, you are breaking the law if you allow your underage child to possess or use an Airgun without supervision. I fail to see how this can be equated to insufficient airgun laws when the ones already in place where not being followed here, which is the direct cause of this tragedy. As for a licensing system for Airguns, with current back logs and waiting times being encountered with Firearm and Shotgun licenses it is obvious that the system in place at this time cannot even handle the current load on it, to add Airguns to this list would not only do nothing to stop crime (as with the handgun ban) it would cripple the administration system, push the goverment into unfairly banning them completley and yet again punish us responsible and law abiding shooters for actions which we do not commit. And of course give the Police an impossible and un-needed task.The VCR Bill now requires all Airguns sold by RFD's (Firearms Dealers) to be recorded and this information to be supplied to the police, I think this is perfectly adequite and as the system is very young (less than 6months old) we are not yet seeing a change, however I feel confident that we will start to see a drop in Airgun related incidents in the future, anyone thinking that this can be solved over night is incorrect.Once again, education on airgun handling and saftey is what is needed, not a ban or a licensing system. Parents/guardians should be held accountable for young shooters, as they are with shotguns. Why should I, as a responsible, safe and legal shooter be punished and have my sport/hobby/way of life (living for a lot of people) taken away from me because other people are failing to obey the law and placing themselves and other people at risk by acting irresponsibly? The answer is: I shouldn't. If you and your children enjoy Airgun shooting at home in your garden or on land you own then join your local Target club! Enjoy it in a safe and professionally controlled enviroment as I and many others do.Thank you for reading, and may I pass on my most sincere condolences to the family of Mitchel for thier loss and I hope that nothing I have said here has been misunderstood.

Mr Davies
Airgun owners are responsible for thier actions and strict laws are already in place.Any person under 17 years is not allowed to purchase or receive as a gift or shoot one without adult supervision.I have to ask where were the responsible adults?Why and how did the 12 year old bring this gun into the house?Finally parents should take the trouble to familiarise themselves with gun law before allowing a child to use a gun, the parents are responsible or in this case irresponsible.It is time to stop making sensible law abiding gun users scapegoats for other peoples ignorance.

Chris Instone
If proper airgun safety laws had been in use at the time of this awful incident, the rifle would not have been available for the 12 year old to use. Anyone under the age 18, 17 at the time, has to be supervised by an adult when using an airgun.The owner of the airgun should have been prosecuted under the law that stands. Licensing airguns will not stop illegal use of them. The only people who would license them would be the law abiding shooters that use them safely now, without a licence. Do you honestly think some scroat that goes around using an air gun illegally would go to the trouble of licensing his gun? After Dunblane handguns were banned. All law abiding shooters handed them in, yet has it stopped the illegal use of illegal handguns? There's only one answer & that's no.All it has done is stop law abiding shooters carrying out there chosen sport, but has done nothing to stop the illegal use of illegal guns.

P Hewett
As with all weapons,it is not the item that is dangerous on it's own is the user!As a responsible airgunner I will let you know this debate is raging within our community as we speak. The fact of the matter is there are so many airguns in circulation already (1 million approx) it would be impossible to register them.I have just searched the BBC news website and found 13 news stories concerning air weapons since 1st Jan this year.When doing the same search for knife crime there were over 100!When searching "firearms" there were 45 stories.Do we register knives?Firearms are banned or registered!This story is tragic as many stories concerning airweapons and death/injury are. I do not think there will be licensing of airweapons due to the amount of them that would have to be registered to start. That said he law states that all new weapons must be recorded but this is not a register it just says who the first purchaser was.My sympathies lie with the family of Mitchel.

David Mills
I am Chairman of the Airgun Education Org an organisation that campaigns to visit schools and talk to young people about the dangers of unsupervised use of airguns, I am a regular airgun competitor and I train airgun coaches nationally, in this very sad incidence as in others that happen around the country the incident can in the vast majority of cases be tracked back to the point where someone broke the law, in this cae I know that an airgun was left for 12 years old to play with, the law very clearly states THAT ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 14 MUST BE SUPERVISED BY SOMEONE OVER THE AGE OF 21, and this is only when the young people concerned are on property where they have permission to be. I advocate even then that anyone of this age should have received training at a club where they can be taught to respect what a gun can do, something that computer games and bad movies don't do, please don't blame the gun blame the mind set that allows people to misuse what is a serious sporting and pest control tool.

paul harris
Airguns should not be licensed, licensing will only affect law abiding shooter, this was due to negligence, what was a 12 year old doing with an air rifle.Emma, more people die from stabbing but nobody tried to license knives why should airguns be licensed? It won't prevent stuff like this happening as a 12year old shouldn't have an airgun so a license system wouldn't have worked in this case it will only affect law abiding shooters, people who shoot cats etc won't license theres.

Dave, Wirral.
AS unfortunate as an incident like this is, calls for licensing of airguns are pointless. The vast majority of airguns are owned by responsible people who participate in a wide variety of sporting disciplines. The minority who use airguns in an irresponsible and anti-social manner are from the same parts of society who drive cars without a licence, tax or insurance. The Police should use the already draconian firearms legislation in this country to prosecute law breakers, rather than the government introduce yet more pointless legislation that will have absolutely no effect other than to penalise the law-abiding sportsman.

mark
"But it would mean something could be done about irresponsible owners that let anyone use them anywhere." I'm guessing you mean just like it stopped the illegal use of handguns.Mark

C. Hall
Airguns are lethal. They should be registered. Owners homes must be subject to inspection to ensure safe storage in locked cabinets, just like other lethal weapon owners are.

Emma
How can anyone say that airguns are not "proper guns." If they aren't "proper guns" they wouldn't be able to kill or injure and Mitchel would still be here. There are always going to be people who want or have airguns, why would having to put their name to owning one by them being registered weapons spoil "whatever enjoyment" they get from them. If they are responsible owners anyway it wouldn't affect them but it would mean that something could be done about irresponsible owners that let anyone use them anywhere, anytime resulting in peoples lives being torn apart forever.