Battle Re-Enactment in Our PLI Policy: He Was and Still Is Active in an American Civil War Group and Thus Emerged the Second Half, Collectively ‘Living History’
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1 battle re-enactment in our PLI policy: he was and still is active in an American Civil War group and thus emerged the second half, collectively ‘living history’. Re-enactment got off to a shaky start with administrative obstruction on all sides. Many police forces opted to require re-enactment firearms held on certificates to have barrel obstructions to ‘prevent’ live ammunition being used. This was part of a wider policy of restricting a firearm solely to the ‘good reason’ for which it had been granted. Live ammunition shooters fared no better at the hands of the so-called public servants in firearms administration. The Met, for SHOOTERS’ JOURNAL example, decided that there was no legal Published by TSRA Ltd way to take a gun to a shoot. The firearm PO Box 3, Cardigan SA43 1BN certificate condition said it had to be locked ISSN 2398-3310 away at all times except when in actual use, which meant any attempt to take a firearm to a range would only avoid prosecution if CONTENTS Page undetected. All such difficulties placed in the way of Editorial 1 our social activities by bureaucrats have Firearms Fees 2 been overcome – and then replaced by new News in Brief 4 ones, as the firearms managers used to get Grace v DC – US court report 5 together under the auspices of the defunct Prohibited Person Applications 6 Association of Chief Police Officers to think Blair Grindle appeal 9 up new ways of not doing their jobs. They Firearms Statistics 2016 11 were all hired, after all, to issue certificates Mark Holmes Appeal 14 to applicants. No other branch of The Mac Ten Man 33 bureaucracy has invested so much time and Scottish Air Guns 38 public money in searching for ways of avoiding doing the work they were hired for. BOOK REVIEWS And there’s more to come: fed up with the (1) The Mint by T E Lawrence 15 courts not treated every law-abiding (2) Dead on Time by John McVicar 18 taxpayer dragged through them as the villain (3) The battle to clear Barry George Home Office policy thinks they should be, by Mike Bourke 22 they are in the process of changing the law. (4) Justice for Jill, by Scott Lomax. 24 It’s a case of tearing up the rule books as established by Parliament and the courts FEATURE ARTICLE over the past quarter century and replacing What really happened in Dallas? 26 them with the rules they tried and failed to bring in by prosecuting certificate holders EDITORIAL and dealers. Antiques, de-acs and The SRA is an organisation of two halves: component parts are in the process of being founded in 1984 as a legal interest group re-defined, although of more interest in the monitoring government interest in firearms policing and crime bill is a clause that controls, all our founder members were expects everyone to ‘have regard’ for Home shooters. Dick Baxter suggested mentioning 2 Office guidance on firearms matters. Since before: attendance was up, but the stall that guidance is at times vague, at others count declined. That hasn’t stopped them doesn’t articulate the issue and elsewhere is and although some of the smaller events just plain wrong, it’s going to get interesting. have been cancelled this year, it’s still the Also of passing interest should be the case that we have lost more shows to attitude of the shooting organisations to all adverse weather than to costs or negative this. Britain has never had a ‘gun lobby’ per legislation. se: the organisations that make up the The SRA doesn’t exhibit, costs issue, but British Shooting Sports Council are that doesn’t stop us attending without governing bodies. They each have a portfolio, so we might meet some of you as constitution and rules and are thus governed the season progresses. That is, when we’re by their members’ wishes and their not tracking the progress of the law’s conflict members generally want their sport with your rights and privileges, not to administered, scores recorded, medals mention your peaceful enjoyment of your issued. That leaves shooting organisations possessions in your chosen social pastime. rather in the position of Cowslip’s warren in Watership Down: tolerant of the occasional FIREARMS FEES empty chair, closed business or a The Home Office launched a consultation membership subscription not renewed as in January 2017 about the fees it intends to long as it’s not theirs. charge for the authority to possess Which is where the SRA came in – back in prohibited weapons, the approval of rifle 1984 with an interest in matters legal. So and loose ammunition pistol clubs and we’ll get on with that while you all enjoy the museum collections in anticipation of the season. Last year, re-enactors experienced authority to charge fees being vested in them police checks of their de-acs against by the completion of the Policing and Crime certificates at some shows. At some point Bill currently before Parliament. this year, the new law rendering all de-acs to They have taken to calling these date ‘defectively deactivated’ will kick in. authorities ‘licenses’, although there has Essentially they are retrospectively being been no change in the law either to make deemed ‘out of proof’ and can’t be sold until them into licenses or to call them such. re-worked to the new European spec. But The Home Office has issued prohibited this is going to be much harsher than selling weapons authorities under section 5 of the a real gun out of proof, as that’s a matter for Firearms Act 1968 since 1973, when they the proof master to prosecute and his took over the role from the Defence Council. primary interest is in getting the fee for re- Since then the category has been swollen to proofing it. With the police involved, it could include some forty types of firearms and become difficult, or it may pass, as have so ammunition, as well as some products that many other attempts to crack down on the are not firearms at all. An applicant has to law abiding in hope of finding fault; such as prove his need to possess prohibited the kitemarks for gun cabinets farce in the weapons separately for each category 1990s. applied for. Some prohibited weapons are in If this year is much marred, we suspect it more than one sub-category of section 5. will be how the shows manage that will Prohibited weapons that are firearms are make the difference. The trend seems to be also subject to section 1(firearm certificate) toward venues getting dearer, which control, so one requires either such a translates into higher pitch fees for certificate or registration as a dealer as well exhibitors and the latter saving their money as a section 5 authority to possess them. The by not attending. The Midland Game Fair Home Office propose a fee of £1,860 for a seemed hard hit last year and the year dealer to trade in prohibited weapons, with 3 a £200 discount if an RFD is applied for at rather pointless – a duplicate rubber stamp. the same time, since all the checks for a There is no appeal mechanism for refusals, section 5 are carried out by the police in the which violates EU law. context of issuing the RFD apart from Our view of the section 5 issuing function confirming the business or other need that of the Home Office is that it would be better the applicant has. vested in the DTi, since they have more to do APPROVAL of rifle and loose ammunition with the day-to-day business of the pistol clubs currently costs £84. The Home prohibited weapons trade. Or back to the Office propose charging £1,050 to grant a Ministry of Defence, from whence it came in six-year ‘licence’ and £900 to renew it. The 1973. Those two departments are both proposal document refers to shooting clubs involved in the export of military weapons as businesses and proposes a fee of £690 to anyway and would thus have a better handle change the address at which club firearms on an applicant’s ‘need’ than the Home are stored, £470 to change the name on the Office, which is outside the loop. club firearm certificate and £110 to alter the The approval of clubs is not fit for name of the club on their records. purpose, as it does not cover all the firearms This is quite bizarre, given that an officer that might be used at clubs. We have this of the club usually holds club firearms on a weird situation in which one has to belong to certificate, so a change of address involves a Home Office approved club in order to the police amending the firearm certificate possess firearms for target shooting on a (for free) and the Home Office doing nothing firearm certificate, including types that for their proposed fee. Changing the named Home Office approval does not extend to, certificate holder is likewise entirely a police such as long-barrel revolvers and section 1 matter. shotguns. In every case we have had Some clubs are either part of a firearms involving clubs in difficulties over their dealership or are registered as dealers, Home Office approval, the local police whereupon a change of personnel involves instigated all the decisions causing the the new owner applying to the police for an difficulty. It seems to us that the club’s RFD, as they aren’t transferable.