[Rupert the bear]

MSPs have passed legislation requiring all airgun owners in Scotland to hold a licence.

Hopefully this will stop the inappropriate types purchasing and owning an air rifle, sadly with several hundred thousand weapons kicking around will this be enforceable ?
And how many hoops will we have to jump through and how much to pay to acquire or keep an air rifle ? Then what is next to be targeted ( no pun intended )
And yes I do think it is a good thing
Rupert the Bear

[Womble]

Yes, I'm not going to complain about it either, though I do wonder how on earth they're going to administer it. From what I've read, it's going to be like a mini version of the firearms certificate, i.e. needing to prove good cause etc.

I've been waiting for six months now for my shotgun and firearms application to be processed, yet all I've had is a letter apologizing for the delay and saying it was because they were understaffed. I wonder how they're going to cope now??

[Buttermilk]

Those who want to be off the record will head south and buy them.

[bloomer]

The airgun licence is a waste of time it will only cause problems for lawful users/buyers.

By the government's own figures firearms crime in Scotland is almost nonexistent. Airguns specifically accounted for 0.04% of reported crime...

I think there are more important things they should be doing...

[Womble]

Those who want to be off the record will head south and buy them.

For now they will, which is one of the myriad problems with this bill. It's really a knee-jerk response to the tragic murder of toddler Andrew Morton a few years ago. However, what if he'd been hit by a rock instead of a pellet?  Compulsory licensing for anybody owning rocks over 2kg in weight?

They're clearly taking a long term view on this, hoping that it will reduce the numbers of air guns over the next couple of decades. Also they'll now be able to come down like a ton of bricks on anybody who misuses an unlicensed airgun.

However, having nearly the same criteria for airguns as rifles is a nightmare - just cause to own it, which you don't even need for a shotgun at the moment, suitable land to shoot it over (will plinking in a suburban garden be considered acceptable? perhaps not!), proper secure storage (please can I buy shares in a Scottish gun cabinet manufacturer?), etc etc.

It will be interesting to see how this one pans out!

[john and helen]

it will give them another revenue….not sure how i feel on this one, shotguns and firearms yes, without doubt, and yes to FAC air rifles ...

[marka]

This will a complete and utter mess - despite the best intentions of everyone, even the MP's have cast doubt over the measures but because the bill is actually a combined bill they have voted to pass it based on the other licensing amendments so the airgun laws get changed as a by-product.
It was a sneaky move by Holyrood as they probably knew that the MSP's would have kicked out a seperate bill on the subject.
Our neighbour is a policeman and he doesn't think it will work due to the additional administration burden in a time of reducing resources - as Womble has said, he is still waiting for his license after 6 months - imagine the waiting time involved when all the of airgunners submit their license applications.
It will do nothing to cut down on gun crime as people who are prepared to commit gun crime aren't going to give a damn about complying with a licensing law.
Imagine the scenario..... "Sorry Mr Crime Boss, I cant do that bank job as my airgun license hasn't come through......"
Even the Carry On team couldn't come up with such a farce as Holyrood have.

[doganjo]

It's just another DDA mess

[Womble]

Just in case anybody's interested, the full text of the bill as passed can be found here.

The key points as I understood them were:

1) you need to get a license for your airgun or you're going to jail! 
2) To get a license you have to be a fit and proper person, provide references and have a genuine reason for having it,
3) It will be an offence not to keep your airgun secure (note, this is not defined, but I should imagine it means kept in a gun cabinet, or at very least fitted with a trigger lock).

and, rather bizarrely (why is this stuff even in there?)......

4) a woman showing her nipples classes as sexual entertainment. However,  a man showing his doesn't (see page 52). Beer bellies also seem to be excluded.
5) Scrap metal dealers will have to pay you by cheque or electronic transfer in future (page 45). This presumably also applies to scrap air rifles, which I predict will increase in number markedly within the next few months!!

[Rupert the bear]

I think the bottom has just fallen out of the air rifle market, my RFD is offering 50% discount on new ones. Thinking about it to replace the 20yr old one.