From: Andy Rodgers <[a--y] at [DESKSOL.demon.co.uk]>
Newsgroups: uk.politics.misc,uk.politics.crime,talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: Compensation for Gun Owners


In article <[l h KANFAxiwayEw m Q] at [desksol.demon.co.uk]>, I wrote regarding
compensation for guns and accessories:
>
>After his statemewnt to the Commons regarding proposed changes to
>firearm legislation after the publication of the Cullen report Howard
>was asked to address these two points specifically.
>
>To the best of my recollection he said that compensation would be £150
>per gun or the market value prior to his statement.  I assume that
>whichever figure is the higher will be awarded but there is obviously
>plenty of room for government equivocation here.
>
>When pressed he also stated that compensation would be given for
>accessories and ancilliaries but did not say how the value of these
>would be calculated.
>
>


Bad news I'm afraid:

This week a bill is to be presented to parliament outlining the government's
proposals for compensating gun-owners, gun clubs and gun shops for their 
losses
as a result of proposed new firearm legislation.

It is reported in the Sunday Times that "One Whitehall Official said=
 'Shooters
will not find us in a generous mood'".  Given the following report this 
appears
to be a massive understatement!

Home office ministers hope to limit the payout to £50,000,000 not the
£150,000,000 estimated by Michael Howard when presenting the proposed new
legislation to the Commons.

How will they achieve this?  If reports in the Times are correct by:

1
Awarding gun owners an estimated average of £250 for every gun confiscated
despite his promise in the commons of £150 or market value prior to the
announcement of the new proposals.
                                
Gun owners will know this is outragous but to put in into perspective for=
 non-
shooters. A second hand 357/38spl. revolver or .45 ACP semi-auto in only
reasonable condition would make that.  A new colt revolver is about £600,=
 a 
new
Beretta 9mm semiauto about £500 and some specialist competition guns used=
 in
practical pistol cost in excess of £3000.

2
Refusing to compensate gun owners for accessories and ancilliaries again 
despite
explict promises to the contrary.

To put a figure on this: Gun cabinets and other security measures insisted=
 on 
by
the police, range bags and shooting mats, gun cleaning and maintenance
equipment, specialist sights, holsters and gun slips,  spare magazines,=
 speed
loaders, unfired ammunition.... For the home reloader add reloading press=
 and
dies, unused cases, case tumbler and cleaning media, primers, powders and 
bullet
heads, weighing scales, chronograph,  ammunition boxes..... 

Not all shooters will have all this, many will have more -  let's say an=
 easy
£750 average per shooter.

The average gun owner is going to be at the very least a grand out of=
 pocket.

3
By awarding gun shop owners only the value (at trade I presume) of=
 confiscated
stock and not for loss of future business. Although I suspect that loss of
pistol sales, pistol ammunition and accessories will cause many shops to go=
 
out
of business entirely - what's a few more on the dole though.

4
Gun clubs forced to close as a result of the stringent new security 
requirements
(expected to cost between £30,000 to £80,000 per club)-will receive no
compensation.

Some good news regarding this though. The Sports Council looks to be able to
obtain up to half of this amount on behalf of shooting clubs from National
Lottery funds.   Ann Pearson ('ban everything' fanatic and Snowdrop 
co-founder)
has predictably called for an all out boycott of the National Lottery!


Andy Rodgers

'There is always hope when people are forced to listen to both sides; it is=
 
when
they attend to only one that errors harden into prejudices' J.S.Mill



              The Second Amendment is the RESET button 
                   of the United States Constitution.  
                          ---Doug McKay" <[m c kay 003] at [maroon.tc.umn.edu]> 


Joe Sylvester
Don't Tread On Me !