As an air gun competition shooter I wish to challenge Les Stockers ill informed remarks in last weeks Thame Gazette.
Mr Stocker needs to do some research and get his facts straight before spouting off.
I have been shooting air weapons for 75 years so I do know what I am talking about, unlike Les Stocker.
He calls for a ban on all air weapons because a swan was shot with one. ( I do hope the said swan survived).
There are hundreds of animals killed or terribly wounded on our roads every day as well as humans,does he propose that we ban all cars,lorries and buses and go back to the days of the horse and cart?
He goes on to say that air guns are only toys with no restrictions.This is an absolute lie.
There are plenty of restrictions on buying, selling, where they can be used and even where they can be carried and how.
There are age limits and power limits and where they must be kept for safety.
But the biggest lie of all is to say that “ They have no purpose in the main, not even being used for sporting target competitions”. Unquote.
Air guns have been used for decades both for competition shooting and for controlling vermin, so they certainly do have a purpose. Now more than ever since the ban on centre fire and .22 rim fire pistols in 1997.
Tens of thousands of legit competition shooters now rely on air weapons in order to continue their chosen sport. What does he propose we use instead?
Where would we have been in two world wars without the skill of the rifleman?
No, the answer is not to ban anything because of the behaviour of a few idiots but to punish those idiots when caught and I do not mean just a slap on the wrist.
William H Baker
Address supplied
