"....The following are incidents in which children and young people have accessed air weapons and killed siblings, family members, friends or others.
In almost all cases the air weapon was accessed by children because the weapon and ammunition had been irresponsibly stored by an adult; a phenomena linked to the ‘boys toys’ culture surrounding these guns.
Opportunities exist for family members, friends and neighbours to intervene in the interests of crime prevention and public safety regarding irresponsible storage of, and unauthorised access to, air weapons by children.
(Ref. Section 46 Crime and Security Act 2010:- It is an offence for a person in possession of an air weapon to fail to take reasonable precautions to prevent someone under the age of 18 from gaining unauthorised access to it)
Rhys Johnson
Ten year old Rees was killed by a 12 year old child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing with a friend near his home in Llansamlet, Swansea on 27th September 2009.
Jonathan Cooke
Five year old Jonathan Cooke was killed by another child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing with several other children and an adult in a garden during a weekend camping holiday in Wiltshire in August 2009.
Sam Shaw
Fifteen year old Sam Shaw was killed by a young person after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing in a garden with his brother and a friend in Hayes, West London in March 2009.
Rachel Davis
Eighteen year old Rachel Davis was killed by a friend after being shot with an air weapon pellet while socialising with friends in a flat in Bury, Greater Manchester, in December, 2008.
Rashid Ullah
Eighteen month old Rashid was killed by a five year old girl after being shot with an air weapon pellet in a Birmingham garden. His father had been shooting in the back garden and left the loaded weapon out there in September 2008.
Danny Marsh
Seventeen year old Danny Marsh was killed by a young person after being shot with an air weapon pellet when he and his cousin were in a garden shed at the home of his grandmother in Maesglas in November 2007
Mitchel Picken
Twelve year old Mitchel Picken was killed by a thirteen year old child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing at the home of a friend whose father, a licensed gun owner, had failed to store his gun safely enabling access to the gun by children ‘home alone’ in Staffordshire in August 2006
Andrew Morton
Two year old Andrew Morton was killed after being shot with an air weapon pellet fired from a window by a young sniper while he was being carried down the road by his cousin in Glasgow in March 2005.
Alex Cole
Twelve year old Alex Cole was killed by a fourteen year old child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing at the home of a friend where a loaded air weapon belonging to his friend's father had been left under a bed, enabling access to the gun by the children when ‘home alone’ in Doncaster in May 2005
Scott Heap
Eleven year old Scott Heap was killed by an eleven year old child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing with the weapon in a friend’s bedroom in Glasgow in October 2004.
Matthew Sheffield
Fourteen year old Matthew Sheffield was killed by a thirteen year old child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing with friends in a garden when ‘home alone’ in Stockton on Tees in April 2001.
George Atkinson
Thirteen year old George Atkinson was killed by another child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing with a cousin at the home of his mother’s sister near Mold in July 1999.
Margaret McEwan
Eight year old Margaret McEwan was killed after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing with a cousin at the home of an aunt in Warwickshire in August 1995.
Danny Sondergaard
Fourteen year old Danny Sondergaard was killed by another child after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing with his sister and friends at home in Kent in August 1994.
Matthew Fowkes
Ten year old Matthew Fowkes was killed after being shot with an air weapon pellet while playing in woods with his sister and brother while other people were shooting nearby in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire in 1989....
Tell me again that these aren't firearms.
Tell me again that a licence shouldn't be required for firearms.
I don't think you really can.
"Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "We have a long-standing commitment to crack down on the misuse of guns, and a licensing scheme for airguns will help address the problems that these weapons can cause to individuals and communities in the wrong hands. Too much misery and harm has been caused.
"We are not banning air weapons outright but there has to be a legitimate use for them. We do not believe that there should be half a million unlicensed firearms in 21st century Scotland.
"We are not consulting on the principle of licensing; this will happen. While our primary concern is for public safety, we do not wish to penalise those who use air weapons responsibly and who can demonstrate a legitimate use for a gun such as sport shooting or pest contr....
So by theis post you acknowledge tht you already ave laws that are not accomplishing anything. Do you really believe another license would change that?