Children under 10 licensed to use shotguns, BBC learns

[Gerald]

Thirteen children under the age of 10 have been issued with shotgun certificates in the UK over the past three years.

The youngest child to be granted a licence was seven years old, figures obtained by BBC News show.

Last year, the Association of Chief Police Officers suggested under-10s should be banned from using shotguns.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation says children use shotguns for sports and on farms.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12840557

Note: 24 March 2011 Last updated at 12:57 GMT

[UnderseaLcpl]

In related news, the number of shotgun-related deaths due to mishandling by ten year old children in the UK recently skyrocketed to zero, leaving authorities scrambling to contain the disaster.

In a prepared statement, a spokesman for the ACPO stated that there was no cause for public concern, and that the UK government was taking "every possible precaution" to ensure that firearms would be restricted only to government-sanctioned children operating in other countries who have been given at least six weeks' training.

"This oversight will swiftly be corrected" assured the spokesman. "When Britain was threatened by a wave of gun violence, we took the measures needed to ensure that it would only be threatened by proper melee and unregistered gun violence. This case is no different."

The ACPO spokesman was unavailable for further comment, but tens of thousands of former gun owners in the UK simultaneously shook their heads in disapproval and bewilderment. One of them had this to say:

I'm Undersealcpl, reporting live from what was once almost a part of Britain if Spain hadn't gotten there first and messed everything up. Back to you, Vendor.

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by UnderseaLcpl

In related news, the number of shotgun-related deaths due to mishandling by ten year old children in the UK recently skyrocketed to zero, leaving authorities scrambling to contain the disaster.

In a prepared statement, a spokesman for the ACPO stated that there was no cause for public concern, and that the UK government was taking "every possible precaution" to ensure that firearms would be restricted only to government-sanctioned children operating in other countries who have been given at least six weeks' training.

"This oversight will swiftly be corrected" assured the spokesman. "When Britain was threatened by a wave of gun violence, we took the measures needed to ensure that it would only be threatened by proper melee and unregistered gun violence. This case is no different."

The ACPO spokesman was unavailable for further comment, but tens of thousands of former gun owners in the UK simultaneously shook their heads in disapproval and bewilderment. One of them had this to say:

I'm Undersealcpl, reporting live from what was once almost a part of Britain if Spain hadn't gotten there first and messed everything up. Back to you, Vendor.

I think you handled it well, have nothing to add that possibly this occurs in many countries other than U.K

[Skybird]

Sick.

[claybirdd]

Hell when I was less than 10 years old I was running around the pasture shooting ant hills with my 410 shotgun. However, in sixth grade one of my classmates did manage to blow off 3 toes with a shotty. 20 years later and we still give him hell about it.

[krashkart]

10 years old? Lucky little beggars. In my family we had to wait until we turned 13 before we received our own shotgun and hunting rifle.

[jumpy]

Originally Posted by article

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation says the law still prohibits people under-18 from owning or buying a shotgun, or using one without supervision.

At least the beeb managed to get its reporting right this time.

We make such a fuss over firearm ownership over here it's almost embarrassing.

[krashkart]

How common is gun ownership in the UK?

[jumpy]

Couple of hundred thousand in england/wales, FAC holders back in 2006?
Seems from some articles dated 2009, neither the police nor the Home Office has been able to tell how many firearms are in legal possession or how many people own firearms in England and Wales legally.

But there are more than 600,000 licensed shotgun holders in Britain (2009).

[gimpy117]

i was like 12 when i got my hunters safety cert. in Michigan

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by gimpy117

i was like 12 when i got my hunters safety cert. in Michigan

Some start early,

[gimpy117]

Originally Posted by Vendor

Some start early,

well to my states credit its required to be trained in safety. besides, I was shooting 80% in clays at that age still am too.

[krashkart]

Originally Posted by gimpy117

well to my states credit its required to be trained in safety. besides, I was shooting 80% in clays at that age still am too.

It's a requirement where I grew up, too. A few years after I had earned mine, I accompanied a friend to his final test and was asked by an instructor to participate. As luck would have it the man wasn't happy with how I handed my rifle to him before crossing the fence. I could have sworn all up and down that I had done it right; the barrel was pointed up in a safe direction, the safety was on, the chamber was empty. I made sure of all those things. But I missed some tiny little detail. I was so ashamed.




On a slightly unrelated note:

Who here remembers what went through their minds the first time they fired a high-powered rifle? My thought was; "This thing is going to break my shoulder and put me on my butt. I just know it. Dang! Okay, here goes...". Of course, it didn't hurt my shoulder, and it didn't send me flying backward like a ragdoll. The barrel just seemed to lift up in slow motion after I pulled the trigger. Hard to remember the rest, but it was a cool experience.