Cumbrian Horror
It is impossible to imagine the shock, grief and trauma of the people of one of the most beautiful and peaceful parts of England, as they struggle with the consequences of an armed taxi driver rampaging on a mission of death, including his own. The whole country is now focused on this picturesque area with a mixture of sympathy and dismay. As one would expect there have been calls for tighter gun laws and the Prime minister has rightly responded with words of caution.
We already have robust gun laws. There may, however, be an issue about how they are administered. The last two mass killers held valid licences for their armoury. After Dunblane hand guns were banned for private ownership and use. Sporting guns are allowed to people who apply on the basis that they wish to shoot vermin, game or clays. It clearly makes sense for farmers, gamekeepers, members of pheasant shoots and so on to have suitable guns. It is not clear why loners living in urban or suburban environments need them.
It should not be enough to declare a wish to shoot this and that. It should not be possible to get a licence unless a member of a shoot or engaged in some other wildlife professional activity. This concession is so that the balance of the rural ecology and economy can be sustained. It is not, or should not be if it is, there for the asking.
Whatever is done will never be enough and someone will always suddenly snap somewhere. Nevertheless we should have in place a system that does not inadvertently deliver a disturbed loner staring at a rack full of legally held guns as he sits isolated in his living room becoming increasingly unhinged. The more that emerges of the circumstances and state of affairs surrounding this everyday bloke turned killer, the more there is cause to wonder and worry.