Is air rifle licensing a must?

By James

The only currency that can buy back freedom is blood.

By AJ

Crims will not stop using what ever weapons which they have got hold of, just because new restrictions are put in place.

The government is talking about licensing all PCP's.
Does this mean that a 12 ftlbs (low powered), pnuematic airguns will also have to be licensed?

Competition shooters do not use un reliable semi auto PCP's such as the FX range, so IMHO I think that the government should look further into those semi auto PCP's than just putting a blanket law in place which suggests that ALL PCP's regarding of power will need to be licensed.

It is just like saying that just because an imitation glock bb gun was used in a crime, then ALL air pistols/handguns will have restrictions coming their way.
That is exactly what is happeneing at the moment. Just because a FX monsoon PCP was used in a few crim situations, now the government/police want ALL PCP's licensed.

PCP's are just like springers. There are weaker mods such as 177. cal springers and then there are more powerful 25. break barrels as well.

SO I do not think It is very fair to have licenses put in place for ALL PCP models. Just the non-competition powerful types.

By patric

well the answer is yes,but thats not going to stop low life getting hold of unregersterd guns and killing people,what they should do is give a min one year jail sentance for anyone who has a unlicenced firearm.

By Shane

Im all for licenses to buy firearms (inc air rifles) at the very least it ensures people buying their first firearm are taught safe and responsible handling and storage.

As for registering each firearm, well Canada has proven that provides no benefits to crime reduction and just costs the tax payer money.

By Sam Doyle

I see the point you are making and I can agree with some of the specifics. Particularly the people who talk about shooting anyone who, as you said, steals gas from the car. This is annoying because anyone who owns a firearm and is licesned to do so shouldn't have the opportunity to shoot someone who is entering their house, technically they should be spending too much time getting to the safe location they keep the actual weapon, getting it out of it's lock-up, and then going to the seperate place they keep the ammo (and bolt, if it is a bolt action rifle) which should also be locked up.
But yes, unfortunately not all licensed owners abide by the conditions of their license, and that includes owning their firearm(s) for a valid reason.

By The_Frugal_Socialist

My grandfather carved his gun in the trenches of WW2 and my father shot clay with shotguns and hunted all his young life. I grew up respecting and able to use guns under supervision , also our property was rural and backed onto a farm. Pulling a gun out in the suburbs is only going to cause terror if your neighbours see it. Lets face it, society has changed and suburbs aren't as neighbourly as they once were. If we reduce the amount of firearms then the police can focus on wearing fire arms to specific investigations like, hold ups, drug busts, and gang related incidences. If they wear them to mcdonalds then i would say that's extreme. For the sake of a safer community, lock up the guns till they need to be used. Sporting contests can still go ahead, just where the gun is stored and used is more controlled. People talk tough about protecting their property but will they really be better off pulling the trigger and killing someone whose stealing gas out of a car? Only if your drunk and high on P do you use such force, as we see in armed robberies. I'm not advocating a ban to recreational activities, i hope that point is made clear.

By Sam Doyle

"Rural, farming, and hunting purposes will require special licenses and exceptions. But Guns in suburbs, banned!"
This is a little extreme. Not all firearms owners are criminals or irresponsible, perhaps you should look into an organisation called COLFO.
And as for your claim that we should get rid of guns as they are only being used for recreational purposes, that is a ridiculous thing to suggest. Sure, gun owners use their guns for recreational purposes but what is wrong with that? My father is an avid fullbore target shooter (which, by the way, is one of the largest individual participation sports in the world) and competes for The Ballinger Belt most years at Trentham rifle range (which is one of the oldest, if not THE oldest, sporting trophy in New Zealand). And you would have these banned because of the minority of people who use firearms irresponsibly? Something needs to be done, but it is not that.

By The_Frugal_Socialist

Whoever has the job of monitoring the sale of fire arms and have allowed high powered rapid fire air rifles to be sold in the same manner as their predecessors, should be lined up and shot with these guns so they realise the difference. If anyone uses a firearm in a robbery, then the police should have the right to search everywhere for more firearms. Punish hard if caught with more. Chop their index and middle fingers off if they point a gun at anybody. Use anesthetic if you feel sorry for them or they donate their body parts. How often do burglars get caught at home requiring a gun to shoo them away? Once in??? Get rid of guns as they are only being used for recreational purposes. Keep them in a secure armory and sign them out when you use them. Rural, farming, and hunting purposes will require special licenses and exceptions. But Guns in suburbs, banned! Crime involving guns - heavily punished as mentioned