Fifty Cal Shooters’ Association: Judicial review fundraising launched

27 Nov 17 – The Fifty Calibre Shooters’ Association’s chairman has warned that police efforts to ban target shooting rifles stretch beyond .50″ BMG rifles and MARS-action rifles.

In a message intended for public distribution, FCSA chairman Chris Stevenson warns that the Home Office wants to ban all rifles with a muzzle energy greater than 10,000ft-lbs, not only the .50″ BMG cartridge alone.

He also warned that the proposed ban on MARS actions actually applies to all self-unloading rifle designs, though as these are outside the FCSA’s remit, the association will not be leading the fight to retain them. The NRA has been engaging positively with the Home Office and the responsible minister, Nick Hurd – contrary to the bizarre and concerning statements he has made to Parliament claiming that the NRA has done nothing.

“At first sight it would appear that were the Home Office to pursue legislation effectively banning firearms with an excess of 10,000 ft/lbs muzzle energy on the basis of the current consultation document, then such “consultation principles” would not have been met,” wrote Stevenson. “We understand that the Home Office is already drafting legislation to put forward to Parliament and that it is highly unlikely that they will not pursue some change to firearms legislation.”

He suggests that shooters write to the Home Office via their dedicated consultation mailbox, Offensive.Weapons.Consultation@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk, to register concerns. He also advises that shooters ignore the consultation proforma issued by the Home Office in support of the ban, which UKSN’s author agrees is obviously skewed and designed to produce responses from the uninformed that support bans on a range of items.

Crucial to overturning the police plans is pointing out the fact that the consultation talks about .50-calibre rifles and MARS actions when subsequent meetings with the Home Office by both the FCSA and the NRA revealed that the true intention was much wider. Stevenson urges shooters to write to their MPs and help drum up opposition within Parliament, which is the only way to secure votes against the forthcoming bad law.

The FCSA is also raising funds for a judicial review of the gun ban law, preparing for the inevitability of MPs voting for something idiotic that they were warned against passing in its proposed form.