Violent Crime Reduction Bill

My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to speak on this Bill. The matters that I wish to address concern Part 2, which deals with firearms, imitation weapons and other related issues. I thank the Minister for describing how she is prepared to make specific to the Bill the date of 1870 for antique weapons. We are most grateful. I declare my interest as a former chairman of the Firearms Consultative Committee, the current chairman of the British Shooting Sports Council and the honorary president of the Gun Trade Association. The latter two bodies have an interest in this Bill. The major sports shooting associations in the UK work together under the aegis of the British Shooting Sports Council. The council’s aims and objectives are to promote and safeguard the lawful ownership and use of firearms and air weapons for sporting and recreational purposes in the United Kingdom among all sections of the community. The Gun Trade Association is exactly that: it represents the interests of its members who trade in firearms, both activated and deactivated, in air weapons, ammunition and a wide range of items associated with shooting sports. It promotes the export of many millions of pounds’ worth of such goods from this country, is actively supported by UK Trade and Investment and, from the world-famous London best quality shotguns to the smallest of air weapons, it makes a considerable contribution to this country’s economy by employing thousands of people, many of them very fine craftsmen and women. I am delighted to say that Great Britain is truly world class in the manufacture and supply of shooting equipment, and in the sporting field the British shooting team has recently enjoyed considerable success at the Commonwealth Games in Australia. I believe that your Lordships would wish to congratulate the team on its resounding achievements, in particular Mick Gault, who has really done British shooting proud. Even before his standard pistol gold medal five days ago, Mr Gault had become the most successful English Commonwealth Games competitor ever—and he is a shooter. It would be nice to think that the Prime Minister, while visiting various British teams in Melbourne, would also pay a visit to our shooting team and especially to Mr Gault, but that is probably unlikely. Notwithstanding the achievements of our sportsmen and women in the shooting field, despite the world-renowned exports of our gun trade, and despite our world-class shooting grounds, anyone who legally enjoys the ownership and use of guns is classed in the main by the media and politicians as unsavoury, to say the least—the phrase ““pariah of society”” comes to mind. Yet it is widely accepted and proven that the vast amount of crime involving firearms is committed using illegally held weapons. This fact was acknowledged by the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, in winding up the debate initiated recently by my noble friend Lord Marlesford on a national firearms register—or rather the lack of such a register, but we will not go into that now. However, the Government appear to land the blame on the doorstep of the legal enthusiast, at whom the resulting legislative action is aimed. It is a widely held view that the possession and use of illegally held firearms has ballooned in recent years, despite the ban on handguns. I am in complete agreement with the comments just made by the noble Earl, Lord Erroll. We in this country have some of the toughest gun laws in the world. Although we in the British Shooting Sports Council welcome any moves to enhance the safety of the public, such matters should be addressed only after full consultation with those who will be affected by such legislation. The Government’s own advisory body, the Firearms Consultative Committee, was stood down in 2004 and its replacement is yet to be established. The FCC proved an invaluable mechanism for consultation with all interested parties. My noble friend Lord Kimball and I know that only too well because we are both former chairmen of the committee. The fact is that in 2004 Her Majesty’s Government published a consultation document on firearms legislation which included an undertaking that,"““specific proposals will be made in the light of comments received in response to this consultation . . . the consultation paper is a first step and a comprehensive review of firearms legislation . . . Next steps will be proposed in the light of comments received””." A further undertaking was made that:"““Impact assessments will be taken forward with those that might be affected as the consultation develops””." I understand that the many comprehensive responses to the consultation paper have yet to be analysed by the Home Office. There has been no feedback to consultees and no further progress in the process for consultation laid down by the Cabinet Office. The 2005 Labour Party manifesto promised only that a Labour government would,"““restrict the sale of replica guns, raise the age limit for buying knives and tighten the law on air guns””." A mini-manifesto was then published, entitled Tackling Crime. It undertook to,"““crack down on the use of replica guns by making it illegal to buy an imitation firearm below the age of 18; to consult on doubling the sentence for possession of an imitation firearm in public places; and to consult on the feasibility and effectiveness of a range of measures including banning the sale of any replica firearm other than one which no reasonable person could mistake for a real gun””." Part 2 of the Bill was brought forward within weeks of the new Government taking office and with absolutely no adequate prior consultation. Two new clauses, Clauses 26 and 27, which will have a serious effect on the sale of air guns and the livelihood of those who sell them, were introduced in the other place at the Committee stage with no prior consultation, as previously indicated, with any of the bodies that would be affected. While wishing fervently to protect and enhance the safety of the public, the Government should not lose sight of the interests of the many who derive their livelihood from the gun trade and the hundreds of thousands of persons who legally and responsibly participate in and enjoy the various sporting shooting disciplines. I make a plea to the noble Baroness to do whatever she can to protect those interests during this Bill’s progress through your Lordships’ House.