Here is an archive of older news items

25/8/11 - The response to the article below by the London Olympic Games Organising Committee

"Just to clarify the position. In relation to the recent article in the Standard regarding the Olympic Shooting Sport and ticket sales to school children.
LOCOG worked very hard yesterday to clarify its position with the media. Hence as a result, there has been little or no follow up in the wider media.
Please cascade as you see fit to any concerned people.

LOCOG's position is this;

• - Shooting tickets are included in the Ticketshare programme;
• - The Ticketshare programme includes a range of groups - schools, BOA/BPA and Tickets for Troops;
• - There are a small number of shooting tickets in the Ticketshare programme, and we planned to issue the tickets where the demand was greatest;
• - Our initial consultation with schools suggested that there wasn't a demand for shooting tickets;
• - However, if schools request shooting tickets, we will provide them, subject to availability;

We are absolutely clear that children are allowed into the venue at Games time - indeed, shooting is one of our Pay Your Age sports, and we have sold tickets to children and will continue to do so dependent upon availability."

24/8/11- Schoolchildren "banned" from Olympic Shooting Sports
Free tickets to the Olympics - but not for children to watch the shooting sports? You may wish to comment.
See- This is London

24/08/11 Radio Interviiew about firearms Licensing and doctors.
Following a tragic suicide, a Norfolk coroner has called for more contact between GPs and the Police. BASC's response is in this interview.
See (or rather hear) BBC Radio Norfolk The interview is just after 2 hrs into the programme.
This interview will only be available until 31st August.

11/5/11 Shotgun couple avoid jail
A man who was caught with a shotgun despite not having a licence has avoided a jail term.
See- Worcester News

3/5/11 - An attack on the Houses of Parliament rifle range
(which appears to be stocked with AK47s !)
See - E-politix

27/04/11 - Farmer menaced with death threats by gang of travellers dials 999... and police turn up to confiscate her shotguns
Having confronted travellers cutting down trees on her farm, terminally-ill Tracy St Clair Pearce found herself subjected to a terrifying ordeal.
Some of the group pelted her with rocks while a youth threatened to slit her throat and slaughter her cattle.
When she dialled 999 she expected the full weight of the law to be on her side......
See - The Daily Mail

27/04/11 - Stirton gunning to get to next year’s Olympics by himself
Shooter Neil Stirton insists he isn't prepared to accept any London 2012 handouts, instead attempting to be in the Olympic range - and not the stands - in his own right.
See - This is Plymouth

27/04/11 - Cheshire Scouts shoot for the stars at National Inter-County air rifle and pistol competition
A team of Cheshire Scouts returned triumphant after the National Scout Inter-County air rifle and pistol shooting competition.
The team of eight, chosen from a group of 11, won the overall competition after a nail-biting success in the pistol event.
See - Crewe News

18/4/11 - Good news on the small-bore rifle front
James Huckle has broken the British record in the men's Three Positions Rifle.
See- Inside The Games

11-4-11 - Dozens of handguns and shotguns stolen in London
Dozens of firearms were stolen in London between 2008 and 2010 and not recovered by the police, figures show.
See- BBC News - London.

11-4-11 - Ex-gun club chairman appears in court
The former chairman of a Worcester shooting club has appeared at court charged with firearms offences.
See - Worcester News

8/4/11- Shooting for gold:
Olympic hopeful Geikie is ready to fire at London 2012
See- The Daily Mail

30/3/11- Even more on children and shotguns - but a well-written piece this time.
See- The Plymouth Herald

28/3/11 - An over-dramatised set of figures relating to gun ownership - but interesting!
I see we can still have pistols! Well done the 'Grauniad'....
See- The Guardian

23/3/11-Do you shoot muzzle-loading revolvers?
Then This letter from the Association of Chief Police Officers may be of interest to you.

23/3/11- Medical records and Derrick Bird
See- The News and Star - again.

16/3/11- Georgina Geike and Olympic pistol funding
See - More than the games

16/03/11 - Firearms laws made easier !? (Well, very slightly.)
From 1st April 2011, THE FIREARMS (ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS) ORDER 2011 will take effect, which will amend the (already tremendously amended)1968 Firearms Act.

All it does it to allow notifications of guns sold, bought, transferred etc to be done by e-mail rather than by recorded delivery, as is currently the case.

We will still have to wait for many police forces to provide an authorised e-mail, web or fax "address" to do this, and it would be as well to keep copies of any transactions you send in any case, as many spam filters can be awkward about acccepting webmail addresses such as hotmail, for example.

14/03/11 - Labour threat to consensus in row over Scotland Bill
Labour has threatened to withdraw its support for the Scotland Bill because the UK government is attempting to push through major constitutional changes without any scrutiny from MPs.
See The Scotsman

11/3/11 - Good news for Northern Ireland
Proposed changes to firearms laws in Northern Ireland may include simple one-for-one exchanges of firearms or a type of licensing by category
See: See - BBC News London

28/2/11 - The Ashley Coles air rifle story
As reported by the Daily Mail - but look a the "air rifle"!
See - The Daily Mail

18/2/11 - Man shoots burglar
....and DOESN'T get prosecuted - now that's news.
See The Daily Mail

18/2/11 - It looks like things are going to get costly
It appears that the minister for crime prevention - James Brokenshire - has decided that certificate fees will be set "on a full cost recovery basis."
Papers we have seen from ACPO appear to suggest that this may be as much as £200 - but this is NOT set in stone. It seems we may have to pay far more for a service which is currently poor, and which will definately decline as the government's financial cuts bite.
see - BBC NEWS... ... ... AND SO... ... ...

14/2/11 - Olympic Shooting venue will feature "a stunning background"
.... which spectators will not be able to see - very clever.
See - Wharf.co.uk

11/2/11 - Local difficulties for a Flint clay pigeon club:
See- the Flintshire Leader

9/2/11 - Beds and Herts - (there's got to be a joke in there somwewhere)
Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Police intend to do away with home visits for shotgun renewals. see-BBC NEWS

7/2/11- House of Lords question about Bisley
A question about the decision not to hold the 2012 Olympic shooting events at Bisley,.
see - Lord Hansard

31/1/11 - Shooting is a safe sport! (Well, there's a surprise!)
After an earlier very anti gun articles, "This is Croyden" may be trying to redress the balance - let them know YOUR thoughts.
See: This is Croyden

28/01/11 - Chris Franks AM calls for change to gun licence laws
Two 10-year-olds have been given shotgun certificates by South Wales Police. This information was obtained by Plaid Cymru AM Chris Franks under the Freedom of Information Act. Clearly another politician who can't see father than the end of his own nose: Hasn't he heard of the Home Affairs Committee enquiry into firearms law?
See- Wales On-line

28/01/11 - Man smuggled 80 guns into Britain
An American man is suspected of smuggling 80 weapons into the UK by hiding them in his suitcases.
Former U.S. marine Steven Greenoe, who holds British citizenship, apparently strolled through airport security in both Britain and America with dozens of pistols stashed in his suitcases on ten flights last year.
See - The Daily Mail

There is a form of cable and trigger-lock combination Here, at FirearmSecurityCable.com which might deter the casual thief, but more importantly will comply with requirements of the new Act.

You have GOT to watch this! The Parliamentary debate on firearms Controls You'll have to move the "slider" to about 03:48:30 to the start of the debate.
I know it's a three-hour debate, but it really is worth listening to it all when you have the time. This is important for the future of our sport.

20/11/10 THE HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE REPORT INTO FIREARMS CONTROLS
This is the report published this morning by the Home Affairs Committee after their enquiry into firearms controls (via the BASC website.) This first part is the important bits, including their conclusions and recommendations. And this is the second part of the report which contains the written evidence submitted to the committee - which is less important.

(20/11/10) Home Affairs Committee Evidence session
There's a video covering all this evidence - including ACC Whiting's controversial answer to the age at which certificates might be granted.
See The Home Affairs Committee Evidence session 16th November 2010.

24/1/11 - Lowest murder rate - liberal gun laws
An article on the encouragingly low crime figures for England & Wales. It also comments that Austria has the lowest murder rate in Europe whilst having one of the most liberal gun laws.
see - The Guardian

14/01/11 - Liverpool auctioneer cleared over police swoop on antique guns
Auctioneer John Crane was questioned by officers from the Matrix unit last June after they were tipped off that the respected 64-year-old had a collection in his Heswall home.
See Liverpool Echo

13/01/11 - Wirral man due in court after standoff in Aigburth.
A Birkenhead man is due in court charged with firearms offences, following a five-hour standoff.
See The Liverpool Echo

12/1/11 - Illegal shooting on club ranges
A piece in the British Mountaineering Council (Yes, honestly!) website on what appears to be illegal use of rifle ranges near Bolton.
See - BMC Website

11/1/11 - New Tracer ammunition for shotguns
A press release on Fiocchi’s new chemical tracer shotgun ammunition:
see - The Shot Show

10/1/11 - UK Club Register
I've added our club details to the UK club website which is at - PSA CLUBZ presence If you'd like to visit you can also write reviews of your experiences of Phoenix - good and bad.
This is yet another way of raising the profile of target shooting both nationally and locally. Please visit and comment!

06/01/11 - Hornchurch Olympic hopeful becomes sporting ambassador
An Olympic hopeful who trains in Horchurch has been named as a sporting ambassador for young people in Essex. James Huckle, 20, a member of Romford Rifle and Pistol Club, will spend time over the next year visiting schools and community projects in Essex to inspire young people to become involved in sport.
see - The Romford Recorder

4/1/11 - Aristocrat's unique triple-barrelled shotgun makes a killing at auction
A unique triple-barrelled shotgun made for a Scots aristocrat has been sold at auction for £43,000. The shotgun - dubbed the "Holy Grail" - was made in April 1891 for John Adrian Louis Hope, 1st Marquess of Linlithgow and the seventh Earl of Hopetoun. See The Scotsman

7/2/11 - Heavy sentence for an old soldier
Even after a reduction, this is heavy punishment for a pensioner in possession of a shotgun without a certificate:
see This is Staffordshire

7/2/11- Go-ahead for 2014 Commonwealth Games shooting complex
The construction of the Scottish shooting complex for 2014 at Morton Farm has been given the green light.
See -Leisure Week

7/2/11 - The first two firearms licensing departments merge.
From March, there will be a joint Bedfordshire-Hertfordshires firearms licensing unit.
See- Bedfordshire News

02/02/11 - Scottish police have concerns over air gun laws
Plans to give Scotland new powers to regulate the country's 500,000 air guns could be difficult and costly, a senior police officer has said. Fife Constabulary's assistant chief constable Tom Ewing said the move, under the Scotland Bill, could cause confusion with two sets of laws.
BBC News Scotland

5/1/11 - How can this happen in a "Gun free" society?
China prohibits the personal possession of firearms - yet things like this continue to happen.
See The Guardian (or "Grauniad" for Private Eye fans)

4/1/11 - The Scottish Government to consider air gun laws
Assuming the devolvement of airgun laws from the Westminister Parliament is to go ahead, sor Scottish Parliament will be looking at their options for airguns on 2nd Fenruary 2011 - see The Scotland Bill Committee 2011
You'll note that there is no detail in this - it's simply a timetable for discussions - but it would be helpful if Dcottish constituents contacted their MPS to let them know of their concerns. Obviously licensing would put a massive workload on the police (if they decided to go that way), and holding them in secure central armouries would be expensive, bureaucratic and inconvenient. MPS also need to be educated about the way the sport operates, and that the VAST majority use airguns in a responsible and safe manner so that either of these options would cause the majority to suffer for the criminal misdeeds of the very few - and there are enough laws to deal with them already.

04/01/11 - Puzzle of 600,000 with right to possess firearms
Almost 600,000 people living in England and Wales have the right to possess guns, but police cannot say how many of them have criminal records.
See The Yorkshire Post

01/01/11 - 600 guns handed in in Merseyside in 2010
Nearly 600 guns were handed in in Merseyside this year – as the number of shootings fell by almost a third.
See The Liverpool Echo.

OR - see -
4/1/11 - Firearms amnesty nets 42 weapons
Dozens of Olympic 380 BBM revolvers were handed in to Merseyside Police during a nationwide amnesty.
See The St Helens Reporter.

Now even Costco are on the bandwagon!
Costco, the multinational wholsale store,have just published an article in their influential trade magazine "The Costco Connection" entitled "Should our gun control laws be more stringent?"
They have an e-mail address at which you can vote yes or no, BUT it asks for a postal address and 'phone number. the article in their magazine gives space to Gill Marshall-Andrews of the so-called "gun control network" who harps on about the secrecy of shooters, and how no-one can easily find out if a person has a gun or not. We should let Costco know that we will NOT be giving our addresses, as we have been targeted by antis such as her organisation, and in any case the police and home office recomend that we do NOT supply such details as they are a gift to any criminal seeking to obtain guns by burglary. This would destroy G M-As argument at the same time as providing your "vote." We were also annoyed to see that an image of a revolver was used in the article - implying that they are still in use in the UK - they may need to be disabused of that fact as well - perhaps G M-A had helped them ?

The e-mail address is debate@costco.com

Well-designed legislation which regulates and restricts the legal supply of firearms can help to reduce gun crime. The Home Affairs Committee recognises that thousands of people use firearms responsibly for recreation and in their work. It has no intention of restricting such activity.

However, the Committee today concludes that interpreting and applying the current 34 pieces of legislation governing the control of firearms places an "onerous burden" on the police and on members of the public who wish to abide by the law, because it is "so complex and confused". It urges the Government to codify and simplify the law. In particular, the Committee recommends introducing one licensing system to cover all firearms which require a licence (which would also add greater safeguards), and identifies age restrictions on firearms use as a particular area of uncertainty.

Although the majority of firearms-related crimes are not committed with licensed firearms, the Committee is also concerned about the use of legally-owned weapons in domestic shootings, including those related to domestic abuse. The Committee therefore:

• Calls for a review of the minimum age limits on the use of firearms and eligibility for firearms certificates, with the aim of reducing inconsistency and complexity around the use of firearms by children;
• Welcomes the news that GPs are to be consulted on every new and repeat licence application, to ensure that they are assessed on the basis of accurate information about the applicant's health. However, it was unconvinced by arguments in favour of "tagging" licence holders' medical records.
• Recommends tighter restrictions and clearer guidance to the police on the granting of firearms and shotgun licences to individuals who have engaged in criminal activity.
• Suggests that the Government considers requiring the police to consult the domestic partners of licence applicants in making the decision as to whether to grant a licence.
• Advocates raising the fees charged to applicants so that it covers the costs of licensing, to ensure that police spending cuts do not jeopardise the rigour of the licensing process.
• Urges greater enforcement of air weapon offences.

The Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Keith Vaz, says,

"The terrible murders perpetrated by Derrick Bird in June highlighted gaps in the current licensing regime, notably around the ease with which convicted criminals can gain access to firearms. We have heard evidence of further cases in which individuals applying to obtain a licence for firearms have lied about their mental health problems and have subsequently gone on to misuse their weapons.

"Our report has made a number of recommendations to minimise further the risks posed by legally-held firearms and calls for a review of the minimum age limits on the use of firearms. Current gun law is a mess - it needs to be simplified, clear and consistent to be properly understood by both those using firearms for legitimate purposes and those in charge of enforcing the law."

(25/11/10) BASC's responses to the Home Affairs Committee
BASC have submitted no less than four sets of evidence to the Home Affairs Committee - as well as giving oral evidence at two sessions and at the Bisley visit by the committee.
You can read them for yourself at The BASC submissions to the Home Affairs Committee

Want to read the police report on the Cumbria murders committed by Derrick Bird?

01/10/10 - Ex policeman due in court on firearms charge
A former Nelson police sergeant will appear in crown court next week charged with firearms and other offences - also Wirral Magistrates courts feature in the case. Lancashire Telegraph

30/09/10 - Extreme clay pigeon shooting unveiled
A new ‘extreme’ version of clay pigeon shooting was unveiled yesterday – with targets that EXPLODE when hit. Exploding Targets! (We have some!)

Lib Dems Look to Public Benefits of Shooting and Angling
The public benefits of conservation and economic generation provided by shooting and angling will become increasingly important as spending cuts come into effect, delegates at the Liberal Democrat conference in Liverpool were told last night. Anglers Net

Armed police respond to Lincoln woman's 'text threat'
Armed police in Lincoln have been called out after a woman said she had received a text message which contained a threat to shoot her. Lincolnshire news

Gun club starts welcoming newcomers again
A gun club is now taking new members after a temporary ban on new people joining following the arrest of its former chairman. Dudley News

'Chaotic' shooting condemned
A police watchdog condemned officers from the West Yorkshire constabulary yesterday for "chaotic" and "ill-considered" tactics which led to a man being shot in his home last year. Morning Star Online

(19/10/10) Air rifle owner is cautioned after Leeds postman is shot
An air rifle owner has escaped with a caution after telling police he shot a Leeds postman in the head by accident Yorkshire Evening Post.

(27/10/10) Pro and anti-shooting views at the Home Affairs Committee enquiry into gun control.
The Home Affairs Committee continue to take evidence in their enquiry into UK gun control laws. Watch the Home Affairs Committee Evidence Session - 26th October 2010.

(24/10/10) Clay pigeon shooters raise more than £4,000 for Herts Air Ambulance at Hertford event
Fundraisers proved they were on target after making thousands of pounds for the Herts Air Ambulance charity at a clay pigeon shoot in Hertford. Herts Air Ambulance More than 150 people took part in the event, which was hosted by the Lea Valley Shooting Association (LVSA) at Hertford Clay Pigeon Shooting Club in Bramfield Road, and raised £4,030. The Hertfordshire Mercury

(09/11/10) Now it's my turn to call the shots
As Carole Middleton is pictured at her first shoot, Victoria Moore joins the increasing numbers of ladies who are picking up a shotgun - and bagging their own dinner. The Telegraph

(1/11/10) Man shot by police missed his wife
A Sussex man who was shot dead by the police felt life was not worth living wihout his sick wife.
The Argus

(19/11/10) Buy a truck, get a free AK-47: used car dealership launches unusual promotion
A used car dealership in Florida has launched an unusual promotion to help it through the sluggish US economic recovery: a complimentary AK-47 with every purchase.
See < a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/8134804/Buy-a-truck-get-a-free-AK-47-used-car-dealership-launches-unusual-promotion.html"> Telegraph - World News

(25/11/10) Man accused of helping fugitive Moat in court
A man from Northumberland charged with helping fugitive gunman Raoul Moat has appeared before a crown court judge.
See The Littlehampton Gazette

Warrington to move?

07/10/10 - Grandmother appeals against five year sentence for possession of "heirloom" pistol.
53 year old Gail Cochrane was jailed for five years when a gun belonging to her father - a Royal Navy veteran - was found at her home. STV News

11/10/10 - Gold and Silver for the UK
Scott and Walton win England's first Commonwealth Games shooting gold medal, Huckle wins his second silver.
BBC Commonwealth Games report and Walton wins second gold

05/10/10 - India Gold, England Silver
Shooters have given India their first gold medal of the Commonwealth Games, with England getting Silver in the 10 metre air rifle pairs competition. BBC Sport Commonwealth Games 2010

04/10/10 - Clive aiming high as he bids to become England's golden shot
Although he is hoping to better the silver medal he brought home from the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Derbyshire shooter Clive Bramley already has one eye on the 2012 Olympic Games. This is Derbyshire.

(09/11/10) anonymity likely to make police pull the trigger?
Well, that's the line the Mail on Sunday seems to be taking.

The November/December edition of the BASC magazine "Shooting & Conservation" has a three-page article headed "A Phoenix Rises" featuring the Geoffrey Place Range (GPR), Mostyn House School, and of course Phoenix Shooters Association.

Mary wrote it just after the opening of the GPR, and we managed to find some interesting old photos of the school shooting on the sands of Parkgate to add spice to the article as well as photos of the range under construction and in use.

The conversion of the air raid shelter into the Geoffrey Place Range is largely due to the hard work of Phoenix members who gave their time, energy, expertise, money and support to this project. We have to thank the Friends of Mostyn House for their support and financial help, and most importantly, the keen support of Suzi Grenfell, the (sadly now ex-)headmistress of Mostyn House School.

You can read the three page article here - Page one - Page two and Page three.

This article has been reproduced by kind permission of the
British Association for Shooting and Conservation

Air raid shelter - or shooting range? (28/2/08)

On Wednesday, 27th February 2008 the Geoffrey Place Range at Mostyn House School had its formal opening.

This is the first shooting range to open in the Wirral area for well over fifty years - and it's been built by PSA in partnership with the school. The range has been constructed in the school air-raid shelter which had been used as an indoor sporting facility for some time, but that came to an end due to poor lighting and seepage, leaving it as a store full of rotting equipment and rubbish for many years.

We have tried to retain and renovate some of the artefacts found when we cleared the shelter, such as signs, lighting accessories and a pump, and we've decorated it in the original style and colours, which we hope this will give some idea of the way the shelter must have looked when it was first built.

Our estimate was that it would take between three and four years to clear and prepare the shelter, and to build the range and clubroom but due to the incredible support, hard work and expertise of the members, we opened in less than two years after the start of work, which was in May 2006.

22/12/10 - Not so fast on young guns
The headline, however - 'Kids of 14 are told; you can have a shotgun', and the invitation to the general public to air their opinions on the matter, are less well judged, since they both clearly imply there is some controversy here. What controversy, exactly? The Halifax Courier

20/12/10 Children and shotgun certificates
A factual article in a local newspaper! See The Westmorland Gazette.

20/12/10 - Shooter is nominee for the Scottish "Woman of the Year" Award
Jennifer McIntosh among the nominees for Woman of the Year in the Glasgow Evening Times: see The Scottish Evening Tiimes

(30/11/10) - Videos of the Home Affairs Committee evidence on firearms controls
On the BBC "606" website, a series of links has been posted to ALL the evidence session videos - well worth a look!
See The BBC "606" Sports website

(26/11/10) Scout on National trial
Andrew Williams, a member of Braunton and the North Devon Scout Target Clubs has been asked to trial for the National Scout Shooting Team following his performance at the Scout National Rifle Championships.
See The North Devon Gazette

(29/11/10) Armed police have fired guns accidentally 110 TIMES in last three years
Police marksmen have fired their guns more times by mistake than when responding to threats in the last three years, an investigation has found.
see - The Daily Mail

(22/11/10) Lloyds TSB Local Heroes award given to pistol shooter Gorgs Geike
After she lost her government funding despite a bronze in the Commonwealth Games, Lloyds TSB have given her a "Local hero" award.
see - This iis Plymouth.

(19/11/10) ACPO: Give rifles to kids of 10
A police chief has sparked fury (in the ignorant media) by calling for kids aged 10 to be allowed to use guns such as rifles.
Adrian Whiting, Assistant Chief Constable of Dorset Police, wants the age LOWERED from 14. (I was there- he was pressed hard by the committee for his opinion on a single age for certificates) See - The Sun

(19/11/10) Gun granny who kept WWII pistol under mattress has five year sentence quashed
A Scottish granny jailed for five years for having her dad's World War II pistol under her mattress has had her sentence quashed.
See The Daily Record.

(30/11/10) Firearms Licensing Officer arrested after woman's death
A member of Scotland Yard's CO19 unit has been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter after a pensioner died in a suspected road rage incident in north-west London. The off-duty officer, who is a firearms licensing official, was arrested after a confrontation on a residential road in Hillingdon, north-west London.
See - THis is London

(18/11/10) The number of legally owned firearms in Scotland soars.
According to Scottish Government figures, teenagers as young as 13 have been granted shotgun licences in Scotland, and the number of legally owned firearms and shotguns in the country has rocketed by more than 25,000 in the last 10 years as there are now more than 200,000 legally held weapons in Scotland.
see Deadline News

(15/11/10) Police say they have recovered 9,000 Firearms from the streets of the West Midlands
...but if you read the story this is over three years, in all of Nottinghamsshire, Staffordshire and the West Midlands (a vast area) and it includes crossbows, imitations, toys, and guns handed in by certificate holders for destruction. Remember this quopte the next time you are tempted to hand over an old gun to the police - “Every gun and every bullet taken off the street is potentially another life saved.” See the Sunday Mercury

(29/10/10) Charlotte Kerwood Builds up to the Games
Charlotte Kerwood is building up to the Olympic Games, and is writing for the London "Metro." The Metro

(20/10/10) The Scottish Government’s treatment of target shooting.
Are the target shooting sports treated as pariahs in Scotland? The Herald

(18/10/10) Man named in shooting death at gun club
A MAN who died in a shooting incident at Kibworth Gun Club has been named by the coroner. He was 53-year-old Robert Brailsford, of Oadby. Harborough Mail

(18/10/10) Woman 'shot husband before drowning herself'
Jean Laithwaite, 65, killed her husband, Paul, 64, a property magnate, at point-blank range with his 12-bore double-barrel shotgun as he slept in bed at their mansion. The Telegraph

30/09/10 - New Target Shooting Website
The target sports organisations have started a new website specifically for the sport GUN-CLUB to encourage more people to go target shooting. I can't say that I can recommend it at the moment - but perhaps if you have a look and give them your feedback it may improve to the point of usefulness?
WARNING - DO NOT rely on the legal advice on the site - it can be edited by anyone (antis included) and is therefore completely untrustworthy.

Loaded handgun, bones, clothes and wig found on wasteland in Wirral
A mum today told of her shock as her eight-year-old daughter ran home saying she had found a loaded gun. Liverpool Echo

PS - check the comments at the bottom of the article for the truth!

GUN CONTROL ENQUIRY - HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

"NEW" AIRGUN LAW

• "Air weapons

  46 Offence of allowing minors access to air weapons
  (1) The Firearms Act 1968 is amended as follows.
  (2) After section 24 there is inserted—
  
  “24ZA Failing to prevent minors from having air weapons
  (1) It is an offence for a person in possession of an air weapon to fail to take reasonable precautions to prevent any person under the age of eighteen from having the weapon with him.
  
  (2) Subsection (1) does not apply where by virtue of section 23 of this Act the person under the age of eighteen is not prohibited from having the weapon with him.
  
  (3) In proceedings for an offence under subsection (1) it is a defence to show that the person charged with the offence—
  (a) believed the other person to be aged eighteen or over; and
  (b) had reasonable ground for that belief.
  
  (4) For the purposes of this section a person shall be taken to have shown the matters specified in subsection (3) if—
  (a) sufficient evidence of those matters is adduced to raise an issue with respect to them; and
  (b) the contrary is not proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”
  
  (3) In section 57 (interpretation), in subsection (3) (offences relating to air weapons), for “and 24(4)” there is substituted “, 24(4) and 24ZA(1)”. 98 Crime and Security Act 2010 (c. 17)
  
  (4) In the table in Part 1 of Schedule 6 (prosecution and punishment of offences), after the entry for section 24(4), there is inserted—
  [effectively a fine of level 3 on the standard scale.]
  
  (5) In Part 2 of Schedule 6 (supplementary provisions as to trial and punishment of offences), in paragraphs 7 and 8 (forfeiture and disposal of firearms), for “or 24(4)” there is substituted “24(4) or 24ZA(1)”.

NOT SO NEW - BUT INTERESTING .....

THAMES VALLEY SHOOTING

Ministry of Defence Ranges - the Certification System.

We appreciate that the information from the NRA at Civilian use of MoD ranges, and Certification is very complex and confusing, but I'm afraid that's what we have to deal with. If you read through the information carefully, you'll be able to work out who requires what sort of certification, and the processess to obtain it.

One thing is absolute - you will NOT be able to shoot on MoD ranges if you do not have a certificate for the type of firearm you'll be using, unless you are supervised on a one-to-one basis.

We've tried to put together a simple guide - see our "Interesting" page under the heading "MoD ranges - things you'll need to know" - bearing in mind this was written for one specific range and club - but it may be of some help to you.

"NOTES FROM THE SECRETARY GENERAL"

The November/December edition of the BASC magazine "Shooting & Conservation" has a three-page article headed "A Phoenix Rises" featuring the Geoffrey Place Range (GPR), Mostyn House School, and of course Phoenix Shooters Association.

Mary wrote it just after the opening of the GPR, and we managed to find some interesting old photos of the school shooting on the sands of Parkgate to add spice to the article as well as photos of the range under construction and in use.

The conversion of the air raid shelter into the Geoffrey Place Range is largely due to the hard work of Phoenix members who gave their time, energy, expertise, money and support to this project. We have to thank the Friends of Mostyn House for their support and financial help, and most importantly, the keen support of Suzi Grenfell, the (sadly now ex-)headmistress of Mostyn House School.

You can read the three page article here - Page one - Page two and Page three.

This article has been reproduced by kind permission of the
British Association for Shooting and Conservation

Air raid shelter - or shooting range? (28/2/08)

On Wednesday, 27th February 2008 the Geoffrey Place Range at Mostyn House School had its formal opening.

This is the first shooting range to open in the Wirral area for well over fifty years - and it's been built by PSA in partnership with the school. The range has been constructed in the school air-raid shelter which had been used as an indoor sporting facility for some time, but that came to an end due to poor lighting and seepage, leaving it as a store full of rotting equipment and rubbish for many years.

We have tried to retain and renovate some of the artefacts found when we cleared the shelter, such as signs, lighting accessories and a pump, and we've decorated it in the original style and colours, which we hope this will give some idea of the way the shelter must have looked when it was first built.

Our estimate was that it would take between three and four years to clear and prepare the shelter, and to build the range and clubroom but due to the incredible support, hard work and expertise of the members, we opened in less than two years after the start of work, which was in May 2006.