Incoming crossbow ban

Bwian_eh?

Bwian_eh?

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While there's very few people that have a genuine valid reason for owning one, when will those who make the rules ever understand that banning one sharp pointy item just means that scumbags or nutters will find something else to do harm with, pretty soon we'll be using paper cutlery & everything we eat will come pre-sliced from the supermarkets, lest granny loses her shit halfway through the Sunday roast & turns grandad in to a shish kebab.
Kin nanny state🤬
 
Yeah, we all know- or should be acutely aware- RIFs can be banned this quickly with no act of parliament either.

I do- or did, I'm looking for somewhere closer- HEMA fencing, (smashing each other with blunt steel swords) and there's also consultation on banning those but it's not as far along as the crossbow thing, although the crossbow ban went from 0-getting outright banned with very little notice.
No idea how long it will now take for them to implement this.

I feel for the retailers as well, especially when they are quite likely to still have the loss of the blank firers still raw.

I have my eye on a couple of traditional archery bows, I nearly bought one last month, but I'm not going to bother now, don't trust them not to go further.
 
Obvious I know, but every tool that I've used today could kill someone. Hammers, screwdrivers, saws, knives, bradawls, even the bloody drill. As for the heavy duty all steel spade and pick... and as for the 3.5T van that they all live in!
 
Nuts.
Broadheads I can just about understand, but a total ban is just ridiculous. Saw this coming through, after the last few attacks with one.
I already had to get rid of a load of blades, didn't hand them in on principle though. I destroyed them safely. I'll do the same with my crossbows if I have to.
 
I am almost certainly in a very small minority here but I don’t have any problem with removing crossbows from sale and requiring existing owners to obtain a licence.

Crossbows are ranged lethal weapons that have been far too easy to obtain. Making it much harder to obtain one would have been an option but I can understand why they have gone down this route.

As for the decision not being in line with the consultation, as someone who does a lot of work with data I am highly suspicious that such a high percentage of the very small number of public respondents were opposed to further legislative controls on ownership.
 
Colin Allen said:
I am almost certainly in a very small minority here but I don’t have any problem with removing crossbows from sale and requiring existing owners to obtain a licence.

Crossbows are ranged lethal weapons that have been far too easy to obtain. Making it much harder to obtain one would have been an option but I can understand why they have gone down this route.

As for the decision not being in line with the consultation, as someone who does a lot of work with data I am highly suspicious that such a high percentage of the very small number of public respondents were opposed to further legislative controls on ownership.
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I just resent any further restrictions and control Colin. We know the criminals don't follow the rules, it just affects the legal owner's.
 
Rickwales said:
I just resent any further restrictions and control Colin. We know the criminals don't follow the rules, it just affects the legal owner's.
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But it isn’t necessarily about criminals, is it? It is often about ordinary people who get into a situation where they lose control and use a conveniently available ranged lethal weapon, such as a crossbow.

In the past, I have thought about buying a crossbow, but I have never done so because what the heck would I do with it?

The same applies to knives for me; apart from having knives as tools, I have one utility knife that I take when I am walking on Dartmoor or anywhere else remote; it has occasionally come in useful. I neither want nor need a collection of knives.

I do have a sword though; it is a French Revolutionary Wars light infantry officer’s sword.
 
The sort of crossbows relevant to the conversation serve no purpose outside of inflicting gbh even when used for hunting which is their only conceivable usecase outside of murder.
I'm not too keen on things being banned in general but honestly in this case it makes sense, they're easy to make, easy to use, functionally silent and all but impossible to regulate as a result and I for one wouldn't want a random individual with easy access to something so readily dangerous.
 
Which is it? Are they impossible to regulate, or in need of regulation?
 
Colin Allen said:
But it isn’t necessarily about criminals, is it? It is often about ordinary people who get into a situation where they lose control and use a conveniently available ranged lethal weapon, such as a crossbow.

In the past, I have thought about buying a crossbow, but I have never done so because what the heck would I do with it?

The same applies to knives for me; apart from having knives as tools, I have one utility knife that I take when I am walking on Dartmoor or anywhere else remote; it has occasionally come in useful. I neither want nor need a collection of knives.

I do have a sword though; it is a French Revolutionary Wars light infantry officer’s sword.
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I have to be honest and declare my crossbows are in the attic... Lol. The novelty wore off quickly. I have access to a place to shoot safely, but the bolts break far too easy if you miss your target.

I do own a fair few knives, and I have a few swords too. I have a 1918 Japanese NCO sabre. 😆 None obviously used in anger, I just like to collect things.
 
Like Colin I've always thought "yeah they look cool", but justifying having one, no chance, there's probably only a very select few that could tick all the potential boxes for possibly owning & using one, think wealthy landowners with massive estates, & suitable things to shoot at (legally), & i would imagine anyone who fits the bill probably already has rifles, maybe even a gamekeeper to do the dirty work.
Only other viable option is a target shooting club setup, similar to your average shooting club, where all the kit is registered & kept under lock & key, but do they exist ?, i thought most clubs used proper bows ?

BUT
I'd have preferred the authorities, irrespective of party, had given more consideration to there being a legal avenue for legitimate users, either current or future, rather than an outright ban that will just drive many of those in circulation underground, almost definitely in to the wrong hands.
 
Like most of these “bans”, the average owner won’t know a thing about it. I still meet people at my shooting club who have air cartridge revolvers, when you ask are they on FAC, they look at you as your daft, “it’s an airgun not firearm”. When you tell them the law changed years ago they claim to nothing about it. Some I believe. 😂
But in truth, if you didn’t buy shooting mags or newspapers at the time you probably wouldn’t know.
Same with the recent blank firers and it will probably be the same here.
 
novioman said:
Like most of these “bans”, the average owner won’t know a thing about it. I still meet people at my shooting club who have air cartridge revolvers, when you ask are they on FAC, they look at you as your daft, “it’s an airgun not firearm”. When you tell them the law changed years ago they claim to nothing about it. Some I believe. 😂
But in truth, if you didn’t buy shooting mags or newspapers at the time you probably wouldn’t know.
Same with the recent blank firers and it will probably be the same here.
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I was at a health and safety trade show (very rock and roll) recently and there was a huge knife importer/distributor there, and they knew absolutely nothing about the plans to licence knives that was in consultation till last month.

I also feel for the local gun/tackle shop, 2 rounds of blank firer bans and this now looming. It's a fair chunk of stock to be left with.
Then you've got the bigger ones like solware.

Its just more chip, chip, chip away at what is legal.
 
To say it only hurts legal owners of crossbows as 'criminals' would still have them doesn't make sense IMO...

1987 Hungerford massacre... legally owned weapons
1996 Dunblane massacre... legally owned weapons
2010 Cumbria massacre... legally owned weapons
2012 Horden shooting... legally owned weapons
2021 Plymouth shooting... legally owned weapons
add to that the many documented stabbings, bombings & vehicular killings.

Yes, criminals will have a source for weapons if they want one but personally I'm not keen on any knee jerk reactions for legislation, as much as I appreciate 'militaria' I can also appreciate the hoops a UK resident needs to jump through to obtain a weapon legally, crossbows are cool, longbows etc are cool too but I'd rather see a license requirement for them than a complete ban.
 
Just another knee jerk PR stunt by the government to appear to be doing something while actually doing bugger all. Crimes involving crossbows are pretty rare and I wonder if this incident, as tragic as it is, would've made such an impact if it hadn't happened to the family of someone in the public eye.

I agree that some kind of licence would be the best but unfortunately these things have a cost to them. An outright ban is quicker and far cheaper
 
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