BBC News

Gail Cochrane, 53, had kept the gun for 29 years following the death of her father, who had been in the Royal Navy.

Police found the weapon, a Browning self-loading pistol, during a search of her home in Dundee while looking for her son.

She admitted illegal possession of the firearm, an offence with a minimum five-year jail term under Scots law.

Cochrane told the High Court in Edinburgh that she had never contemplated she might be committing a crime by keeping the gun or that she might need to get a licence for the weapon.

She said: “I thought it was just a war trophy.”

It actually sounds like it’s a Czech-made pistol chambered for 7.65mm Browning ammunition, not a Browning pistol.

The judge in the case said”I am not satisfied that a reasonable explanation has been put forward for not handing this gun into the authorities throughout the 29-year period she says she has had it in her possession.”

and I guess that, considering the law, that it was the legal thing to do.

Which is why no such law must ever ever ever be allowed in this country.

Police were searching for her son who had missed a court date. They found the gun underneath a mattress. Did they think the guy was underneath the mattress?

Oh, well. She’ll be out when she’s 58.

Sad.

A Tayside man is calling on Gordon Brown to block an attempt to hand legal control of airguns to Scotland.

Mr Lamb, of Dundee, fears the SNP government will use the power – if granted – to ban all unlicensed air weapons.

His petition says: “This measure harms the legitimate sporting shooter and fails to address the real problem, that caused by unlawful use of airguns.

What? Use of gun control to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens while doing nothing to criminals? Is that possible?

Via Sebasitan, who writes

Yes, even airgun sports are not safe if our numbers and political power are dropped to a sufficient degree.

In Michigan, my 14-year-old son cannot purchase BBs for his air rifle.

Muzzles are not enough: dogs are weapons

In the UK:

There is a new weapon in town: lethal, intimidating and yet openly carried, largely with impunity.

While an illegal gun will get you ten years inside, and a knife four years, there is a weapon that can tear off a man’s arm but will get you only up to six months or, more likely, a small fine. More and more people are using their dogs as instruments of fear and attack and they are choosing certain types and breeds.

One thing that’s interesting about this is the fact that unlike gun, dogs actually do possess the capability to cause harm on their own. They are not inanimate objects like firearms and knives. The article makes that point repeatedly.

Funny that the issue of independent action (or lack thereof) is conveniently ignored by those arguing for increased gun control. (via Uncle)

Hopefully this turns out to be a hoax: Council bans parents from play areas

Anarchy in the UK:

Only council-vetted “play rangers” are now allowed to monitor youngsters in two adventure areas in Watford while parents must watch from outside a perimeter fence…Councillors in Watford claim they are only following Government guidelines and cannot allow adults to walk around playgrounds “unchecked”.

We would do well to look across the pond and see where things have gone.

Grandmother admits ‘poke’ charge

Britain:

A 71-year-old grandmother has admitted assaulting a teenager after she poked him in the chest for throwing stones at her house.

Wait. What?!?

Ah yes, ‘sensitivity’ taken to the level of utter stupidity

A large port-wine birthmark on the face of an alleged criminal will not be allowed to be used to help identify him in Britain because it it is too distinctive and makes the list of possible suspects too small.

When the witness is shown the line-up, everyone in it will have to cover half of their faces to conceal a birthmark or the lack of one.

If I put this in a screenplay, it would be dismissed as unbelievable. (via Hell in a Handbasket)

Deadly Arsenal

Sad Sad Sad

But it’s not just the knives that should be governed:

Sheriff of Nottingham: Locksley! I’m gonna cut your heart out with a spoon.

Guy of Gisbourne: Why a spoon cousin? Why not an axe?

Sheriff of Nottingham: Because it’s dull, you twit! It will hurt more.

Photo via Robb. War on Guns has a link to the law.

UPDATE: Donovan notices that the number of fatal stabbings soars in the UK.

Photographing thugs ‘is assault’, police tell householder snapping proof of anti-social behaviour

It’s the Daily Mail, but given the direction of things in Britain these days I’m buying it:

David Green, 64, and his neighbours had been plagued by the youths from a nearby comprehensive school for months, and was advised by their headmaster to identify them so action could be taken.

But when Mr Green left his £1million London flat to take photographs of the gang, who were aged around 17, he said one threatened to kill him while another called the police on his mobile.

And he claimed that a Police Community Support Officer sent to the scene promptly issued a warning that taking pictures of youths without permission was illegal, and could lead to a charge of assault.

When he started taking pictures, one of them called the cops. That’s something right there, law-breakers asking the law for help. But the law sided with them.

Nothing to laugh about. This sort of thing is the natural next step after the right to defend oneself is outlawed. Note that I wrote that the right is outlawed, not removed. Big difference.

One thing worth laughing about is the Daily Mail’s alt text for the image they included in the story:

Picture of yobs taken by David Green

Why is it that Green is apparently being treated like the yob?

David Hardy points out the continuing spiral in the UK:

Police in the UK’s worst knife crime hotspots will be told to prosecute anyone caught with a blade, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said.

Mr Brown told The Sun that carrying knives or guns was “completely unacceptable” and that officers should stop giving offenders cautions.

Those who dismiss claims that small forms of gun control will lead to larger forms of gun control and will eventually lead to other limitations on someones ability to defend themselves should watch Britain closely. Last month it was samurai swords. This month it’s

“It is completely unacceptable to carry a knife or a gun. Where police have previously been cautioning people, there now has to be a presumption of prosecution.”

Set the Wayback Machine for ten years ago. I’ll bet there was no talk in Britain of including knives in the gun ban. Of course there wasn’t. Knives aren’t guns. Until now.

Think things will stop there?

He also said he was concerned about violent computer games featuring knives.