Minimum Age For British Children Using Shotguns?

There is no minimum age for applying for a shotgun certificate . . .

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk...

Hundreds of children aged 13 and under have shotgun certificates in England and Wales, Home Office figures reveal.

There were a total of 313 youngsters in that age group who held the documents as of April this year.

The statistics were not broken down further, but freedom of information requests have previously revealed that certificates have been issued to children as young as eight.

www.theguardian.com...

Another news article includes the opportunity to vote. 'Should there be a minimum age for when people can apply for a shotgun certificate? Yes or No.' Vote apparently 50/50 at the time of writing. metro.co.uk...

This looks very much like an attack on British shooting. Good habits can be learned early. There's no need for a minimum age for a child to hold a British shotgun certificate.

a reply to: Kester
I agree, teach em while they are young and by the time the are an adult, most things will be like instinct.., do this, don't do that,. will feel natural.

a reply to: Kester

This looks very much like an attack on British shooting. Good habits can be learned early. There's no need for a minimum age for a child to hold a British shotgun certificate.

What possible reason could there be, in a society with no gun culture, to promote gun use? What is good about the habit of using a gun? When would the average child in the UK have to put good gun habits into use?
WTF?

a reply to: ware2010

I don't know, I see no reason to teach a child how to use a shotgun. Why? For what reason? So they can hunt?

There are very few places in mainland Britain where hunting with shotguns is allowed, so why teach children how to use what is, in effect, a useless tool?

I do't get this thread, unless it is somehow a way to promote another cultures failure as something we wish to emulate.

If they don't fly backwards when they shoot it they're old enough.

a reply to: gortex

As long as they don't point it at the wrong thing...no problem.

a reply to: Jonjonj

It can and will teach maturity and responsibility that can be used in all aspects of their lives. And shooting is fun. If the kids want to learn, let them learn.

originally posted by: DAVID64
a reply to: Jonjonj

It can and will teach maturity and responsibility that can be used in all aspects of their lives. And shooting is fun. If the kids want to learn, let them learn.

No. Sorry but using guns doesn't teach maturity, unless you consider maturity to mean being able to use a lethal weapon...

Oh hold on, you were kidding, right?

Probably most of those applying for the license will be either clay pigeon shooters or possibly kids who work on the family farm and would have need to use a gun for livestock purposes.

They can't buy guns or ammo at that age from shops etc so all it really does is allow them to carry a gun without an adult around who has a license themselves and technically stay within that adults sight/voice range.

a reply to: Jonjonj

In the countryside food is produced. In towns and cities food is consumed. Of course it's a lot more complicated than that, but I hope the message is clear. Those who live in towns and cities often have a massively distorted and understandably ignorant view of food production. Your comment seems to illustrate this well.

According to this link, www.tradingeconomics.com... 70.95% of the UK was agricultural land when measured in 2011.

This comment,

There are very few places in mainland Britain where hunting with shotguns is allowed . . .

is profoundly ignorant.

a reply to: Jonjonj

There are now more deer in the UK than at any time since the last Ice Age.
What we are advocating isn't removing deer from the countryside - what we are advocating is trying to get on top of the deer population explosion
Dr Paul Dolman, University of East Anglia
In the absence of natural predators deer populations are continuing to expand, threatening biodiversity and causing road traffic accidents and crop damage

www.bbc.co.uk...

In recent years there has been a growth in the num­ber of reports of acci­dents involv­ing deer on the road net­work in Eng­land. The cause of this rise is believed to be grow­ing deer pop­u­la­tions and chang­ing dis­tri­b­u­tions com­bined with increased road traf­fic.


. . . the deer vehi­cle col­li­sion (DVC) issue . . .


. . . the num­ber of DVC occur­ring in Britain each year is likely to be over 42,000 and pos­si­bly as high as 74,000. Some 80% of these DVC occur in Eng­land.

www.highways.gov.uk...


Deer alone are a big issue. It isn't entirely the fault of roads/cars. With more deer than ever there will be conflicts of interest. Other species and the deer themselves suffer from overpopulation, regardless of human interests. The population is growing in spite of 350,000 a year being shot.

With a lack of natural predators in the UK, the role of human control becomes more important. An estimated 350,000 deer are culled each year.

www.thedeerinitiative.co.uk...

Around half of the UK's growing deer population needs to be shot each year to stop devastation of woodlands and birdlife, a group of scientists says.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Shotguns are only used for deer in special circumstances. If crops, including timber, are being badly damaged and the individual concerned only has a shotgun then it can be legally used for pest control purposes. It probably isn't something children should get involved in so not strictly relevant to a children and shotguns thread, but a little glimpse into the real world of gun culture Britain. Rifles are used for the vast majority of deer population control.

In England, deer shooting must be done with a calibre of at least .240" with a minimum of 1,700 FPE. In practical terms this means the .243 Winchester calibre although .308 Win, 6.5x55 Swede and .270 Rem are also popular, especially among stalkers of the larger species such as Fallow and Red. One point to note is that if you want a single rifle to shoot deer and fox or shoot in a particularly windy area, the HO Guidance to the Police says you may choose a 6mm or 6.5mm calibre rifle.

In Scotland Roe may be shot with a minimum of a 50 grain bullet travelling at least 2,450 FPS to give 1,000 FPE which in practical terms means a minimum of .222 Rem calibre. For other deer species, a minimum of a 100 grain bullet travelling at 2,450 FPS giving 1,750 FPE is required.

www.riflesintheuk.com...

If you click on the riflesintheuk link you'll see this picture.


Many shooters and other country people have seen black leopards in the British countryside. Personally I've seen several. Many of these appear to be trans-dimensional shape-shifters and as such not an advisable quarry. However the more meathead type shooters will attempt to shoot them.

Feral Boar weighing up to 300kgs live in the Forest of Dean. I frequently camp in their territory. They're mostly harmless, unless you hit one on the road. Population control is essential. Everywhere in the world were there is a feral boar population they tell us we have to get on top of it now or face a multitude of serious problems.

Before myxomatosis

a highly infectious and usually fatal viral disease of rabbits, causing swelling of the mucous membranes and inflammation and discharge around the eyes.

every field was eaten back from the edges. When the disease hit the whole countryside smelt of death. Now numbers are not as high but rabbit population control is essential, this is relevant to farming children using shotguns.

Wood pigeon are breeding prolifically, raiding other bird's food sources and causing crop loss.

The woodpigeon (Columba palumbus) is both the UK’s major agricultural bird pest and one of the most popular species providing sporting shooting. It is legal to shoot the bird all the year round under the current general licence arangements. The woodpigeon makes good eating and provides nourishing cheap food . . .

basc.org.uk...

There are many reasons we have an ancient, well established, and very active gun culture.

Bonus video.

Learning proper handling of firearms might save a life if they are some place and find a unsecured firearm.And of course if they end up in the military familiarity and respect of firearms is a huge asset .