Countryside Alliance view on Firearms Debate

Thursday, 03 February 2011 Countryside Alliance

As the Government digests the Home Affairs Committee’s report into firearms licensing, nearly 800,000 certificate holders wait patiently for the official reaction. A history of knee jerk reactions to high profile incidents has victimised legitimate firearms holders, whilst doing nothing to combat the increasing amount of crime committed with illegal weapons. Following the tragic events in Cumbria, the Home Affairs Committee announced that it was revisiting firearms controls in this country. Watch this new Countryside Alliance film in which we investigate the implications of some of the Committee’s major proposals.




During this Inquiry, the Countryside Alliance encouraged supporters to lobby members of the Committee and their local MPs, offering personal accounts about why shooting is important to them. Hundreds of letters were received by the Committee. Representatives from the Alliance provided oral evidence to the Committee at Westminster and gave a presentation on game shooting to members of the Committee who visited the National Shooting Centre at Bisley. Prior to the hastily arranged debate in Parliament just before Christmas, the Alliance promptly briefed MPs on shooting. The resulting Commons debate was peppered with sensible contributions from all sides of the house. Despite this, the Committee has put forward some recommendations which would have serious ramifications for all who shoot.