Violent Crime Reduction Bill

moved Amendment No. 116:"Before Clause 23, insert the following new clause—" ““OLYMPIC TARGET PISTOLS After section 7 (firearms of historic interest) of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 (c. 5) insert— ““7A OLYMPIC TARGET PISTOLS (1)   The authority of the Secretary of State or the Scottish Ministers (by virtue of provision made under section 63 of the Scotland Act 1998) is not required by virtue of subsection (1)(aba) of section 5 of the 1968 Act for a person to have in his possession, or to purchase or acquire, or to sell or transfer, an authorised pistol if he is authorised by a firearms certificate to have the pistol in his possession, or to purchase or acquire it, subject to the following conditions— (a)   that it is only for use in connection with training for and competing in the Olympic sport of target pistol shooting, (b)   that it is only for use at regional shooting clubs designated by the Secretary of State as a place where such pistols can be used, (c)   that it is stored at such designated sites and can only be removed subject to the authorisation of the Secretary of State. (2)   For the purposes of this section an authorised pistol is a pistol whose specifications are determined by order made by statutory instrument by the Secretary of State. (3)   In determining such specifications, the Secretary of State must consult the International Shooting Sports Federation. (4)   This section shall not come into force before 1st January 2010.”””” The noble Lord said: With this amendment, I am once again wearing a sportsman’s hat—not as part of the Home Office team. It is time to reassess the ban on the possession and use of sport target-shooting pistols in this country. It is 10 years since legislation was introduced that resulted in the ban on target pistols. That was in the aftermath of the terrible events at Dunblane, which shocked the nation and led, perfectly understandably, to calls for a ban on handguns. I do not wish to call into question the intention of the Government at that time to ensure that such a tragedy was never repeated. But that was 10 years ago and, in hindsight, the ban went a step too far. Two Acts dealing with firearms legislation received Royal Assent in 1997. The first, introduced by the Conservative government, banned larger calibres, and the second, under the new Labour Government, completed the process by banning smaller calibres, including .22 pistols. The combined effect of that legislation was practically to destroy the sport of target pistol shooting in this country. I have drawn attention to the fact that the legislation was passed by both Labour and Conservative governments because I want at the outset to acknowledge that this is not an exercise in apportioning blame for the 1997 ban. This issue affects sportsmen and sportswomen in this country, and I have tabled the amendment entirely in their interests. This is not a party-political issue. The ban has had an entirely disproportionate effect on the ability of our pistol shooters to train for and compete in international events. Competitors have to travel abroad to train, rather than using their own pistols in the convenience of their own club ranges. That makes it effectively impossible for young aspiring sportsmen and sportswomen to train effectively and to fulfil their potential. As such, it is a self-imposed handicap on our medal-winning potential for the 2012 Olympics, to which your Lordships will know that I am very close. Allowing Great Britain to compete on an even footing with other nations is the strongest reason for this ban to be removed and for other arrangements to be made. Another reason is our ability to host the 2012 Olympics in a way that will bring credit to this country. Three of the 17 shooting disciplines were affected by the ban. I understand that some local arrangements were put in place during the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester to ensure that the three affected disciplines could still take place. But those arrangements have been described by shooting organisations as administratively cumbersome, expensive and even insulting to the competitors of the nations who took part in the games—our guests. When it comes to hosting the 2012 Olympics, surely we can find a way to do better. I understand that the Great Britain Target Shooting Federation and other interested parties have been discussing this issue with the Home Office. I have also discussed this matter with Ministers and I thank them for their time and our sensible and constructive talks. I also take heart from the Minister for Sport’s comments in another place in response to calls to remove these restrictions. He stated:"““The strong representations that have been made are justified””.—[Official Report, Commons, 24/4/06; col. 342.]" He added that the Home Secretary was considering whether he could come to some arrangement to give the three disciplines practice facilities in this country and that he would report back when he had made his decision. I appreciate that there is now a new incumbent in the Home Office, but perhaps the Minister could today indicate the proposed arrangement and when it will be formally announced. UK Sport gives £4.8 million a year to shooting. Is it not right that that level of investment should be supported by allowing our competitors to train and compete effectively in their home country? Pistol shooting has a long history; indeed, it was one of the first Olympic events. It is also a sport in which Great Britain has, despite the odds, consistently excelled. This House should need no reminder of the magnificent achievement in Melbourne of Mick Gault, who by winning four medals claimed his 15th Commonwealth Games medal. He is currently Great Britain’s most prolific medal winner in the Commonwealth Games, having overtaken Karen Pickering’s record of 13 medals. If we want others to follow in his footsteps, and if we wish to reach the top four of the Olympic gold medal winners’ table in 2012, we must do something now to remedy the situation. This amendment would allow enthusiasts to train and to use their pistols at designated sites and under close control. These pistols could be used only at designated shooting clubs and could not be transported away from such sites without express authorisation. We have tried to draft the amendment in a way that affords the Home Secretary an opportunity to consult the International Shooting Sport Federation to ensure that the specification of the pistols is correct and that any relaxation in the ban achieves no more than is necessary to allow our Olympic hopefuls to train for the games in the way that they deserve. I beg to move.