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Wednesday 8 February 2017

Gunning for controlled EU borders

Many of Europe's nations take a fairly laid-back approach to firearms, and do so with hardly any of their citizens being shot at all. Many others, including the UK, are constipated about weapons to the extent that even some children's toys are illegal, and lots of people still get shot. In Austria, for example, only military-style Category A firearms are prohibited; with a Weapons Pass one can own Category B arms - pistols of all types and semi-auto rifles. Without a pass, anyone over 18 can buy and own as many shotguns and bolt-magazine rifles as they like - but all such Category C weapons must be registered through a gun-shop. For black-powder weapons, cannon, older revolvers, muzzle loaders, CS gas guns, Verey pistols and the like - category D - no registration at all is needed and they can be bought by mail order. 

As ORF reports this week, when police investigated a weapons-pass holder over an unrelated matter recently, in addition to an arsenal large enough to equip an assault platoon with pistols and semi-auto assault rifles (all legally held) they found fragmentation grenades, light machine guns, fully auto assault rifles and other Cat A kit. They told him he was very naughty, confiscated them and fined him €6,000. 

In the UK I expect the Cat A haul would have earned him 20 years. This enormous disparity in criminal law is just another fundamental reason that the 'convergence' needed to create a united Europe is many, many generations away. 

An Austrian schoolgirl returning home from a school trip to London was stopped at airport security late last year with a CS gas spray in her hand luggage. Cue panic and armed police. She explained that many schoolgirls in Austria carry them quite legally, given the new threats in public places, and that she had brought it into the UK with her. She had no idea she could get 5 years chokey in Britain for it. Thankfully, on this occasion she was allowed to go home without charge. 

As long as Europe's nations value their own standards and want to retain their own customs and laws on these matters, borders are needed - needed for all our good. 

The mostly-legal gun haul - only the grenades earned the owner a fine

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like Austria, sometimes I hate my own country. but that doesn't mean I want Germany running my life like they do in little Sudestria.

Cuffleyburgers said...

It seems pretty well every country in Europe has reasonably sensible firearms laws - except the UK.

Bastard John Major has a lot to answer for.

Anonymous said...

You just know that the ideal euro firearms directive would contain the most restrictive aspects
of all member states firearms laws.

Probably based heavily on UK law with an infusion of ACPO fantasy wish list .

G. Tingey said...

Yes, but ... do we really want to go back to the pre-1972 (ish) palaver of a "customs check" at every border crossing?
No we fucking don't ....

Anonymous said...

// "customs check" at every border crossing?
No we fucking don't ...."

yes we fucking do and btw your viewpoint is so out of step, are you abbopotamus|?

anon 2 said...

Last time I went through British customs it required i) being manually molested ("patted down") by some mozzie female - at which I protested loudly as being "absolutely disgusting"; ii) being challenged some British near-teenager about a small box in my hand luggage.
In the latter case, the unpleasant female grabbed the item and announced she was opening it. "Sure," said I, "Go ahead." The expression on her face when she did was priceless. "My mother," I explained; "She wanted her ashes bringing Home."

Now ... if I'd been some crim with a euro accent, or one with a lot of melanin, they'd have been falling all over themselves to let me through with anything that might harm the UK.

rapscallion said...

"customs check" at every border crossing?
No we fucking don't ....

Yes we bloody well do, for the very obvious reason making itself clear right across the European continent. It's because of this crazy "no borders" crap that we had the Calais Jungle, not once but twice. No doubt we'll have another incarnation of it unless the Frogs get all their shit in one sock. Strong fences make for good neighbours.

By your reasoning we should all have unfettered access to your house. It's no different.

John Brown said...

"Yes", we definitely do want a customs and ID check for everyone at every border.

Especially for the UK as we do not have to carry ID at all times like most countries require.

Thud said...

I have no problem with any border checks as long a it makes life difficult for the murdering bastards that the middle east has inflicted on us.

Cascadian said...

yUK is indeed a strange place, Raedwald writes an article nominally supporting more freedoms for people (less government intervention) citing the conditions in Austria, immediately respondents beg for more government in the form of border controls.

It seems they are unaware that the muslim threat is mostly from domestic jihadis-what was the statistic for those wishing a caliphate amongst supposed yUK residents? 25% if my memory is correct. The threat is mainly internal, thanks to camoron, May and their useless cohort. That should trigger a sensible discussion why the population should be allowed ownership of guns.

Anybody who would willingly support sub-contracting their safety to useless plod, and the yUK Border Force deserves exactly what they get in the future.

Anonymous said...

This right wing site must be removed by the rebel troll alliance.

Disabled toilet.

Anonymous said...

The so-called 'domestic jihadis' are NOT British. The Duke of Wellington pointed out that being born in a stable did not make you a horse.

Cascadian said...

Anonymous-please reread my comment, I never styled the domestic jihadis British.

Nevertheless they are British enough (for the government) to milk your welfare, education and healthcare systems, demand and receive Sharia law, implement FGM, make many urban areas no-go zones, and silence the timid (camoron, May etc) for fear of being called racist. You may fetishize what the Duke of Wellington said but it will not improve your safety one iota.

Sebastian Weetabix said...

Actually the Duke of Wellington didn't say it. It was said of him by a Daniel O'Connell, and the sentiment is entirely correct.

As for Tingey's comments we do want checks on every border. We have enough of the bastards within our borders as it is, without letting more of the fuckers in.