Well, that's not good

[Gopher85]

I was just browsing some local news, and it appears some idiots have been doing drive bys with airsoft guns. 

Staffordshire drive-by shootings: Seven people injured - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-41680777

Thought you guys might like to know. 

(If this belongs in a better area of the forum I apologise, couldn't decide what section was best to post it in)

 

[EDcase]

Oh sh*t.

Authorities need to increase punishment for this sort of crime rather than oppress legitimate players with more restrictions.

 

[Rogerborg]

God dammit.  I hope nobody took one in the eye.

Clearly not actual airsofters, as the consequences should be obvious - a crack down on the law abiding.

Ball-rot on whomever sold or otherwise provided them with that gun.

 

[Tommikka]

Oh sh*t.

Authorities need to increase punishment for this sort of crime rather than oppress legitimate players with more restrictions.

Not necessary - just need to be caught and prosecuted with the selection of firearms, assault, ABH, GBH offences that they have committed.

God dammit.  I hope nobody took one in the eye.

Clearly not actual airsofters, as the consequences should be obvious - a crack down on the law abiding.

Ball-rot on whomever sold or otherwise provided them with that gun.

We must also not make knee jerk reactions ourselves - it often gets said in all recreational shooting activities that it takes one incident with idiots to bring the authorities down onto us.  There have been hundreds of not thousands of illegal airsoft and Paintball incidents in the UK during my 12 or 13 years of play.  The VCRA happened in that time, Scotland had harder legislation as usual, but the authorities have not come down hard on airsoft and Paintball with all the incidents that have occurred - recognizing them for their own crimes

Even consideration of how they got the gun, it’s described as probably camouflaged 

IF and RIF status are irrelevant to the crimes above, if it’s a RIF then under VCRA there’s a possible offence by the seller - perhaps those involved are or were ‘real airsofters’ at the point of purchase / import, if not then someone could be looking a £££s in a fine for the supply 

These guys might have painted a two tone, and committed another crime

Clearly they are cocks, let them be caught and prosecuted for their actions

 

[EDcase]

I sure hope it doesn't cause any problems for us.

There's no doubt that these kinds of incidents add to the list for those campaigning for an end to all projectile firing and replica weapons/toys.

Don't doubt they are out there...

 

[Rogerborg]

Oh, they are out there, but it usually takes a photogenic child being killed or maimed to empower them.

Two year old Andrew Morton was the cause célèbre in Scotchland: a decade long campaign following his callous murder with an airgun by a junkie ned resulted in a licensing scheme that was brought in despite airgun crime falling sharply over that period.  The root cause problem of junkie neds has only got worse though.

So now you can only cause mayhem with an airgun in Scotchland under two circumstances: if you first pay and wait to go through the licencing system; or if you don't.