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Our View: Time to review law governing shotgun permits

hunters
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Tragedy had to strike for the authorities to come round to thinking that permits issued for the possession of a shotgun by hunters, must be reviewed from time to time. At present, a shotgun licence is for life and only the chief of police has the power to revoke it for reasons of public interest. Of course, the revocation, if it ever takes place, would happen only after disaster has struck and rarely pre-emptively.

After a young man was shot dead and his father seriously injured by a suspect allegedly using his shotgun, the Law Commissioner, Lousia Zannetou, tweeted that “permits should have an expiration date and the criteria by which they were issued reviewed, to establish they are still valid, because many things change concerning the holders and their ability, with time.” How right the Commissioner was.

When a person reaches a certain age, they are obliged to have another driving test because the authorities want to ensure they are fit enough to drive and not putting other road users at risk. There is no such requirement for someone with a shotgun permit, even though, as Zannetou said, many things change concerning the holder with the passing of time. And the fact that the overwhelming majority of shotgun owner act responsibly is no justification for not carrying out checks.

Wednesday’s was not the first crime committed with the use of a licensed shotgun, which makes it an imperative for the authorities to look at the possibility of reviewing permits. For instance, a person who has been fined for violent or aggressive behaviour should have his permits revoked automatically. This is not the case at present, because there is no such provision in the law, but it is time the law was tightened to protect people.

The government must put aside any concerns about the angering the powerful hunters’ lobby and re-examine the law governing shotgun permits. It could invite the hunters’ association or the so-called Hunters’ Party to take part in consultations about tightening the law. If they do not want to participate it should still go ahead, by trying to secure the support of a couple of parties.

It will certainly have the full support of ordinary people, all of whom could be categorised as potential victims of a bad-tempered or sociopathic shotgun owner. We are sure the hunting community would not object to a few unreliable members having their licences revoked on public safety grounds. The issue must not be forgotten after the shootings of father and son are out of the news.

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