17 Dec 2016 – The head of the Metropolitan Police’s anti-terrorist division has sought to blame the licensed firearms community for the murder of Jo Cox MP by a political extremist.
Responding to a fiercely worded letter sent to him by NRA chief executive Andrew Mercer, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley suggested that the licensed firearms community was to blame because they are targeted for burglaries by criminals.
Rejecting Mercer’s description of a previous interview with the Daily Telegraph as “unhelpful”, where Rowley had claimed 800 licensed firearms were lost or stolen in 2015 without breaking down the figure, the assistant commissioner wrote: “We do see licensed firearms recovered in criminal circumstances and we do, on occasions, see licensed firearms holders acting outside their licence conditions.” (sic)
“A recent and high profile example is the firearm discharged in the murder of Jo Cox. This was originally a licensed firearm that was stolen from a vehicle. It then ended up in the hands of Thomas Mair.”(Mercer/Rowley information link)
Incidentally, Andrew Mercer is chief executive of NRA/UK.
Help me work through the logic here:
Basic Background for those unfamiliar with UK gun control laws:
Great Britain has some of the most stringent gun control laws in the world. The main law is from the late 1960s, but it was amended to restrict gun ownership further in the latter part of the twentieth century in response to massacres that involved lawfully licensed weapons. Handguns are prohibited weapons and require special permission. Firearms and shotguns require a certificate from the police for ownership, and a number of criteria must be met, including that the applicant has a good reason to possess the requested weapon. Self-defense or a simple wish to possess a weapon is not considered a good reason. The secure storage of weapons is also a factor when licenses are granted.
- England doesn't allow anyone to possess a firearm. Except under strict license laws.
- England keeps a record of every licensed firearm owner, available (only?) to the police.
- The privately owned, licensed firearms were stolen by thieves who obviously knew who had them.
- As far as I know, there is no public record of licensees.
- The police have no leads.
- The police are looking for some way to distract public attention from their incompetence. Or malfeasance.
Did I miss anything?
In passing, I note that the lauded "Gun Control" measures imposed in "Civilized Countries" seem only to penalize honest, legal firearms owners.
That's all I have to say about this.
1 comment:
Might I add that the Brits have some really awful laws against defending oneself from an attacker, or trying to defend one's property from a thief. In other words, and in either case don't attempt it. If possible, run like hell, if not, well sorry bout that. Ain't ultra PC great?
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