Hi,
Over here in the Netherlands, military weapons are accepted as sports weapons, with some reservations:
Since full-automatic fire is not needed for sporting purposes, a sporting gun may not have a workable full-auto or burst-mode, so they are modified to single-shot mode only.
Also submachineguns are not accepted at all. They serve no sporting purpose whatsoever, so it's impossible to obtain a license for them. Makes sense.
Some examples:
A Colt AR15 with auto-fire disabled is accepted as a sporting rifle.
An UZI is off-limits to all sports shooters.
An AK47 with auto-fire disabled is accepted as a sporting rifle.
Possesion of parts to turn the weapon into a full-auto again is a reason to withdraw the license.
It's a situation I can live with. Sports shooters have to opportunity to use their weapons, but abuse in the form of full-auto mode is prohibited.
Also the linking of gun ownership to a criminal record is acceptable to me. The possesion of guns is a right, granted to those who have proved to have the responsibility and the background to posses them. We have to turn in our license every year and our records will be checked. If all is okay, the license is renewed for another year.
Studies have shown that less than half a percent of annual incidents with firearms were linked to licensed gun owners, showing the current state of affairs here to be effective.
It also shows that the attempts to control legal gun ownership do not in any way help in controlling illegal gun ownership and abuse.
They are two separate issues and should be handled as such.
|