badlyDrawnToy

Once again the world is shocked by another gun massacre in Virginia State, USA. It was a tragedy, but sadly not a surprise, as gun licensing laws are so lax in the USA.

Simon Rumble points out that Australia’s response to the Port Arthur Massacre was to restrict gun control. Similarly, the UK introduced extremely tight gun controls after the Hungerford and Dunblane massacres. All firearms in the United Kingdom with the exception of low-powered airguns must be licensed. Compare this with Virginia State law.

According to The Brady Campaign, gun control in Virginia State is as follows:

• There is no requirement for a firearm license/permit
• There is no waiting period for buying a gun, so that depressed or suicidal people can obtain a gun immediately.
• There is no requirement for guns to be registered, and while details of sales from gun shops are kept by the police, this is not required when a firearm is sold at a gun show.
• No background checks are required relating to private gun sales
• There are no limitations on assault weapons and magazines. Yes, you can buy an AK47 or an Uzi, as easily as a hunting rifle
• No safety training is required for handgun buyers
• Child safety locks are not necessary on guns
• There are no limits on selling or giving kids 12 or older rifles, shotguns or even assault weapons – without even parental permission, though handguns are restricted to over 18’s.

Now, I’m no expert on this matter, but I reckon that gun controls such as those practised in Virginia State might just be part of the problem. They’re certainly not a solution.

I’m not saying that gun control is the answer, perhaps just part of the answer. Since gun controls have been introduced in the UK, gun crimes have doubled. This seems partly to do with the flood of cheap firearms entering the UK from Eastern Europe. This year has seen a spate of shooting incidents in the London, along with a much higher incidence of knife crime. It is suggested that society and class are a more fundamental part of the problem, and the issue is high on the agenda of the main political parties.

But surely, without gun controls, the issue in the UK would be much, much, worse. It’s common sense.