Dusty Balz, SASS#46599 Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 Brits require ID to buy hunting magazines http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/shoo...ail/story.html No shooting magazines for sale to under-14s Country sports enthusiasts are furious at a decision by Britain's biggest newsagent to ban children from buying shooting magazines after a campaign by animal rights activists. WH Smith says youngsters under 14 will not be sold shooting titles, even though it is legal to hold a shotgun licence below that age. 'I hope the store will realise that they have made a big mistake' Alison Hawes And even adult customers attempting to buy a magazine featuring shooting now face a humiliating alert as staff receive a "till prompt" to check the buyer's age. The high street retailer based the policy on the qualifying age for a firearms certificate and says checks are already in place for a range of products, including scissors and adhesives "where an element of common sense" is required. However, sports groups point out that there is no minimum age for holding a shotgun licence in Britain, although children below 18 cannot buy or own a gun themselves and under-14s must be supervised by an adult. Countryside campaigners say the company has shown a "complete lack of understanding of the law" and may now feel the backlash of an angry countryside. Alison Hawes, South West regional director of the Countryside Alliance, said the ban was "ignorant and ridiculous". "I hope they will realise they have made a big mistake and have a change of heart," she added. "If word gets around, as is likely, then it may be that country people will no longer buy their magazines from WH Smith. "They are now going to face the backlash of the countryside rather than a handful of animal rights activists." Earlier this year, Animal Aid, Britain's largest animal rights organisation, published a report which claimed that the "lurid, pro-violence content" of country sports magazines could have a "corrosive, long-lasting effect on impressionable young minds". The report, Gunning For Children: How the gun lobby recruits young blood, argued that titles promoting guns should be put on the top shelf alongside pornography, and banned for sale to under-18s. A spokesman for WH Smith said it did not wish to act as a censor, adding: "As part of our commitment to operate our business responsibly, we have a till prompt on shooting titles. "WHSmith seeks to do its best to satisfy all of its customers who often have strongly opposing views. We aim to display all of our magazines in locations where they are accessible to those who want to buy them, but do not offend those who do not. The till prompt system has been in place for many years on a range of different products and this has not previously been an issue for customers." The British Association for Shooting and Conservation said it was a "knee-jerk reaction to an extremist campaign" which would hit 7,000 young members. Spokesman Christopher Graffius added: "It is extraordinary that in WH Smith you can buy a car magazine at any age, despite the age limit of 17 for driving. "They are also causing enormous offence to adult shooters who are stopped at auto-scan tills."
Springfield Slim SASS #24733 Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 I didn't even know they HAD a gun lobby in Great Britain.
Doc Cherokee, SASS#48332 Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 Whenever I read stuff like this I am reminded how very lucky we are to be living in the good 'ol U.S.A.! I just hope we can keep it that way..
Virgil Ray Hality, SASS# 37355 Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 A gun lobby in GB?! Some folks over there have too much time on their hands!
Tex Jones, SASS 2263 Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 As a frequent visitor to the UK over the years, I remember being able to buy magazines like Guns & Ammo at places like WH Smith. They were banned sometime in the mid '80s. I was there when Parliament passed the law leading to confiscation of rifles and pistols. The British NRA basically laid down and let the government do what it wanted without a fight.
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 When the limeys told me I could ride to the hounds any longer, I wrote them off.
Virgil Ray Hality, SASS# 37355 Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 So, basically, freedom of speech does not apply in GB. How sad.
Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 and a certain leader in America wants us to be just like them.... GG ~
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