Countryside Alliance Chief Executive Alice Barnard writes: This has been an exceptional week for our shooting campaign as we promoted and defended shooting sports on the Today programme and across the regional media via a new report. The issue concerned was our strong riposte to the efforts of Thomas Docherty MP to establish a minimum age at which young people can obtain a Shotgun Certificate. Demonstrating a thorough misunderstanding of the law, the Labour MP for Dunfermline and West Fife introduced his Private Members' Bill claiming that society was 'deeply uncomfortable' with children holding lethal weapons. A Second Reading of this Bill is due in Parliament tomorrow but is not likely to advance further. Of course, as the eyes and ears of shooting the threat alone has been enough to spur us into action.
Young people should not be restricted from using shotguns - it is for parents to decide when their children are introduced to shooting and meddling with the current strict rules is unnecessary. Our Shooting Campaign Manager David Taylor appeared on the Today programme yesterday opposite Mr Docherty and made it clear that there is no evidence at all to support Mr Docherty's claim that 'society as a whole is deeply uncomfortable with the idea of a 7-year-old having unfettered access to a lethal weapon.' Listen to the exchange
here and read the BBC News website's story
here. In addition Mark Garnier MP has written an article for the Conservative Home website in support of what he terms the Countryside Alliance's "superb report" and outlines his views on young people and shooting. Read Mr Garnier's piece "
Young people should not be denied the opportunity to take part in shooting as a sport".
Our report supports our case using evidence collected from Constabularies across England and Wales under the Freedom of Information Act. We discovered that only two young people under the age of 14 have had their certificates removed in the past ten years, a figure which shows that young people with Shotgun Certificates take that responsibility very seriously and that there is no logical basis for the proposed minimum age. Indeed, any young shots I have met have been the model of responsibility, sportsmanship and maturity - we have always said that it is a privilege and a responsibility to hold a Shotgun Certificate whatever your age and that holds true.
Mr Docherty has been unable to justify his Bill and we hope a lack of Parliamentary time sees it off, but this whole episode has been an excellent opportunity for us to speak up on behalf of the shooting community. It is our mission to bring young people into shooting sports - especially during Olympic year. We will resist all attempts to deny them access to our sport.
Whilst we are on the theme of young people and shooting, please remember that our national shooting survey, which has already had thousands of responses, closes shortly. Please make sure you have your say.
The Countryside Alliance launched the national survey last summer in order to investigate the number of young people coming into shooting, and how they are being introduced. It is vital that as many people as possible take part - it only takes two minutes.
Click here for the survey.
