It’s a gloomy prospect for airgun shooters north of the border. The Scottish Executive (has anyone noticed how (aided by the BBC) it always refers to itself as “the Scottish Government” which it is not. Well not yet, anyway) is determined to press ahead with the introduction of the licencing of airguns? It is a move which seems to have little to do with reducing crime (offences involving airgun misuse have been falling for some years and the country could only muster 195 of them – nearly all of those involving damage to property – in 2011) and as numerous individuals pointed out when responding to the Executive’s invitation to join in a consultation, licencing won’t stop misuse.
This legislation is a dry run of course for the SNP’s plan to manage its own firearms policy; something that will come to it by right should the referendum vote in favour of an independent Scotland. But even it doesn’t, it is possible that Westminster will include this in further devolving powers to Holyrood. If that happens shotgun and rifle owners in the country can expect to be buried in a blizzard of new regulation, much of it inspired by envy and none of it likely to stop firearms ending up in the wrong hands.