UK gun owners now subject to warrantless home searches

[Robby999 1,024]

Registered gun owners in the United Kingdom are now subject to unannounced visits to their homes under new guidance that allows police to inspect firearms storage without a warrant.

The new policy from the British Home Office went into effect Oct. 15, permitting police and constabularies to conduct surprise home visits to legitimate gun owners.

“Americans should view the UK’s ever-expanding gun control efforts with grave concern,” the National Rifle Association’s lobbying arm said on its website Friday.

Britain’s gun owners were subject to the home visits before the update, but the inspection had to be conducted with prior notice.

“Where it is judged necessary, based on specific intelligence in light of a particular threat, or risk of harm, the police may undertake an unannounced home visit to check the security of a certificate holder’s firearms and shotguns,” the updated policy says.

In a letter to legal gun owners, a British police organization, the Association of Chief Police Officers, said the revamped guideline does not grant police any new powers but clarifies “the basis on which the visits should be conducted.”

ACPO is also encouraging tipsters to call a new Crimestoppers hotline to report any concerns they have about the storage of legal firearms.

The Home Office is apparently worried that legitimate guns could easily be stolen and wind up in the hands of terrorists.

But Shooting UK, a website for gun club members in Great Britain, said those worries may be overblown. The group said the Home Offices own figures show that theft of guns is not a widespread concern.

“On average, in the past five years, annually just 0.025 percent of the 1,837,243 legally held firearms and shotguns in England and Wales were stolen — an average of just 475 guns per year,” Shooting UK said. Those figures were not broken down to indicate how many firearms were stolen from a legal gun owner’s home.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/10/19/uk-gun-owners-now-subject-to-warrantless-home-searches/?intcmp=latestnews

Looks like a downward spiral for what little rights private gun owner's had in the UK. Can't blame this one on Obummer, but I do believe that all the jihadist and wannabees roaming around the UK brought this one on!

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Glad to hear it. No need for POWs in the UK anyway.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Looks like a downward spiral for what little rights private gun owner's had in the UK. Can't blame this one on Obummer, but I do believe that all the jihadist and wannabees roaming around the UK brought this one on!

Of course you do. Here's a question. If jihadists aren't known for mass shootings, why tie the two together? Wouldn't it make sense to go raid a mosque?

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Of course you do. Here's a question. If jihadists aren't known for mass shootings, why tie the two together? Wouldn't it make sense to go raid a mosque?

Maybe I'm getting my terms mixed up, but I've seen lots of videos the past few months of innocent people getting shot by the hundreds or thousands. I was under the impression that jihadists were doing the killing?

[Robby999 1,024]

Of course you do. Here's a question. If jihadists aren't known for mass shootings, why tie the two together? Wouldn't it make sense to go raid a mosque?

jihadists aren't known for mass shootings Not at this time, but I believe a jihadist would jump at the chance to mow some infidels down if he did have a gun and opportunity.

Wouldn't it make sense to go raid a mosque? Yes it would, but we all know the police aren't willing to jump on that political grenade! Remember all the pedophiles in Rotherham? http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerscruton/2014/08/30/why-did-british-police-ignore-pakistani-gangs-raping-rotherham-children-political-correctness/

[Pitaya 2,576]

There was a similar Orwellian unwarranted warrantless search bill introduced in the Washington state legislature back in 2012. Thankfully, for a number of reasons, the measure did not pass. Not the least of which were the objections of LEOs that there was little inclination by LEOs to perform such searches on law-abiding citizens, nor necessary additional time and staffing provided to perform such searches without a commensurate increase in public safety budgets.

BTW, if I remember correctly one of the primary reasons for the enactment of the US Fourth Amendment was the "unreasonable search and seizure" antics and behavior of British King George's government toward the then-American colonies. Thank God for our US Bill of Rights !!!

YMMV.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

Maybe I'm getting my terms mixed up, but I've seen lots of videos the past few months of innocent people getting shot by the hundreds or thousands. I was under the impression that jihadists were doing the killing?

Most of the time its soldiers fighting. Don't lump them all together.

jihadists aren't known for mass shootings Not at this time, but I believe a jihadist would jump at the chance to mow some infidels down if he did have a gun and opportunity.

Wouldn't it make sense to go raid a mosque? Yes it would, but we all know the police aren't willing to jump on that political grenade! Remember all the pedophiles in Rotherham? http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerscruton/2014/08/30/why-did-british-police-ignore-pakistani-gangs-raping-rotherham-children-political-correctness/

So, you made a generalization that happened to be wrong. Surprise.

And you want to talk about pedophiles? Really? Because that isn't just relative to Islam. Or do I need to post about the Catholic Church scandal? How many thousand of children were sexually abused?

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Most of the time its soldiers fighting. Don't lump them all together.

None of the mass shootings and beheadings I have witnessed on the interwebs lately were done by "soldiers". Soldiers don't assassinate innocent victims. And ISIS fighters are NOT soldiers in any sense of the word, except perhaps in their own warped minds.

[spookyturtle 9,465]

What does Curmudgeon think about this? She is against proving identity to vote, will she be for or against this?

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

None of the mass shootings and beheadings I have witnessed on the interwebs lately were done by "soldiers". Soldiers don't assassinate innocent victims. And ISIS fighters are NOT soldiers in any sense of the word, except perhaps in their own warped minds.

We have mass shooters here that don't have anything to do with jihad. Murderers don't care what weapons they use. My point is checking homes of folks who have guns, when there isn't a shred of evidence in the article that says anything about jihadists is jumping to conclusions. You said it's hard to fix ignorant, don't do like some people here.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Looks like a downward spiral for what little rights private gun owner's had in the UK. Can't blame this one on Obummer, but I do believe that all the jihadist and wannabees roaming around the UK brought this one on!

Things went downhill in 2001 when the Patriot Act was brought in.

This isn't all that different, 9/11 changed the way the authorities all over the world deal with terrorism issues and gives the police more latitude to use their powers in relation to perceived threats of any kind.

Complaining about it now is missing the point.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Hail Ming!

[Robby999 1,024]

Most of the time its soldiers fighting. Don't lump them all together.

So, you made a generalization that happened to be wrong. Surprise.

And you want to talk about pedophiles? Really? Because that isn't just relative to Islam. Or do I need to post about the Catholic Church scandal? How many thousand of children were sexually abused?

I used that link to demonstrate just how much the police allowed to go on in that town due to the fact that the criminals were Muslim and the police did not want to have to deal with possible political fallout. The difference between this instance and the Catholic Church is the fact that the Church was attempting to cover up the sexual abuse themselves to avoid prosecution and humiliation, but in the Rotherham instance the police were covering up for the guilty to avoid possible political fallout and a strong chance that racial tension and violence would be increased in the town.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

We have mass shooters here that don't have anything to do with jihad. Murderers don't care what weapons they use. My point is checking homes of folks who have guns, when there isn't a shred of evidence in the article that says anything about jihadists is jumping to conclusions. You said it's hard to fix ignorant, don't do like some people here.

If by "here" you mean the US, I agree. But they do exist outside the US. And they do kill people in masses, particularly of late.

Don't think this has anything to do with the article posted, I was just responding to your words.

[DavenRoxy 1,073]

Of course you do. Here's a question. If jihadists aren't known for mass shootings, why tie the two together? Wouldn't it make sense to go raid a mosque?

And to be fair to the discussion at hand, I don't see where Robby tried to tie jihadists to mass shootings. You are the one who brought up mass shootings. The OP is about searches of legal guns in the UK because of a perceived (and probably false) fear of guns being stolen.

[lostinblue 1,989]

And to be fair to the discussion at hand, I don't see where Robby tried to tie jihadists to mass shootings. You are the one who brought up mass shootings. The OP is about searches of legal guns in the UK because of a perceived (and probably false) fear of guns being stolen.

It is more about trust.. The government just has no trust in anyone that owns a gun. They have to make certain you have only so many bullets and that your gun is locked in a manner that it cannot ever be used for self defense,..... Even if your head is about to be cut off,