Kids Owning Weapons
Kids Owning Weapons
Recent figures were collected by the BBC from 51 forces across the United Kingdom, under the Freedom of Information Act. They revealed that 7071 gun licenses were issued to under 18's between 2008 and 2010.
West Mercia and Cumbria police issued licenses for eight year olds, while Gloucestershire police approved a license for a seven-year old. Ten other permits were given to nine-year olds.
West Mercia Police claimed the eight-year-old boy was granted a license only for clay pigeon shooting and was supervised by his dad.
The Commons home affairs select committee asked for tighter restrictions on gun licenses, demanding minimum age limits.
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) recommend the introduction of an 'absolute minimum age' set at 10-years old for anyone using firearms and shotguns.
Spokesperson for the Home Office, which is examining the laws, said: "Public protection is the first duty of any government and our firearms laws are among the toughest in the world".
"A shotgun certificate is a piece of paper which allows people under the age of 18 to shoot under supervision," said Christopher Graffius, of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), the United Kingdom's biggest shooting organization.
"The law still prohibits a person of this age from owning or buying a shotgun or using one without supervision. It is important to remember that you cannot buy so much as an airgun pellet in this country until you are 18. An applicant for a shotgun certificate is subject to the same procedure whatever their age which includes police vetting, face to face interviews and a home security check. In the case of children, they will come from families where shooting sports are a part of daily life and where the police are convinced that the young person and their family will act legally and responsibly," Graffius said.
A representative of West Mercia Police said "They are not allowed to own a firearm and cannot even have access to a gun cabinet - a member of their family or the gun club would supply them at the appropriate time and then take back possession of the firearm afterwards".
It was reported in 2009 that America is the most heavily armed nation in the world, with more than 60 million Americans bearing 200 million firearms. An average of the death of a child from gunshot wounds occurs every 3 hours.
In the documentary, Locked and Loaded: Kids and Guns in America, one family proudly proclaimed that his five-year old son was the youngest to ever shoot an M16.
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