Spike95609
Member
Has anyone seen that the government is calling for evidence to decide whether additional controls are needed for crossbow ownership - Controls on the use of crossbows on public safety grounds (accessible)
Depending on the evidence submitted no changes may be made, but three options are suggested: a license for sellers and suppliers of crossbows which would include an individual who owns a crossbow and wants to sell it; licensing sellers and buyers without police checks (similar to a fishing license); licensing sellers and buyers with police background checks (similar to a firearms license).
I don't own a crossbow myself, and I know they can have a bad reputation as they sometimes get used illegally, but there are many who use them safely and responsibly for field and target archery, and if something similar to a firearms license was introduced, which would presumably involve a fair amount of paperwork and expense, I can imagine that many would give it up, particularly those who own one but only use it every so often. Also I don't like the idea of setting a precedent for licensing archery equipment because it could be the thin end of the wedge which ultimately drags in the rest of us. And for what, because according to their own evidence crossbows were involved in just 10 homicides between 2011 and 2021. That's 10 too many of course, but as there are something like 6-700 murders in the UK each year, it doesn't seem like an urgent problem which needs to be addressed, but rather a knee-jerk reaction to the 2021 incident, which they cite, when someone got into the grounds of Windsor Castle with a crossbow.
They're also looking at possibly prohibiting the sale and possession of broadhead arrows. Which is not something that anyone in archery can really use, and in any case bow hunting has been banned in this country since the 1960s. Again though I don't like banning things for the sake of banning things, just because people who don't use them don't like the way they look.
If you're interested in submitting a view to the government on this, you can do so through that link before 9th April.
Depending on the evidence submitted no changes may be made, but three options are suggested: a license for sellers and suppliers of crossbows which would include an individual who owns a crossbow and wants to sell it; licensing sellers and buyers without police checks (similar to a fishing license); licensing sellers and buyers with police background checks (similar to a firearms license).
I don't own a crossbow myself, and I know they can have a bad reputation as they sometimes get used illegally, but there are many who use them safely and responsibly for field and target archery, and if something similar to a firearms license was introduced, which would presumably involve a fair amount of paperwork and expense, I can imagine that many would give it up, particularly those who own one but only use it every so often. Also I don't like the idea of setting a precedent for licensing archery equipment because it could be the thin end of the wedge which ultimately drags in the rest of us. And for what, because according to their own evidence crossbows were involved in just 10 homicides between 2011 and 2021. That's 10 too many of course, but as there are something like 6-700 murders in the UK each year, it doesn't seem like an urgent problem which needs to be addressed, but rather a knee-jerk reaction to the 2021 incident, which they cite, when someone got into the grounds of Windsor Castle with a crossbow.
They're also looking at possibly prohibiting the sale and possession of broadhead arrows. Which is not something that anyone in archery can really use, and in any case bow hunting has been banned in this country since the 1960s. Again though I don't like banning things for the sake of banning things, just because people who don't use them don't like the way they look.
If you're interested in submitting a view to the government on this, you can do so through that link before 9th April.