Der Kauf einer Armbrust könnte in England und Wales bald illegal sein

This sounds like another one of those things like making it marginally harder to buy/carry a knife that is going to have the square root of fuck all effect on actual violent crime.

If I ever run into trouble on the Thameslink train it’s not going to be from a guy with a 3.1 inch locking swiss army knife. It’s going to be a chef’s knife, machete, cleaver, whatever.

What we need to look at is what changed between e.g. 50 years ago and now that meant that suddenly we feel the need to restrict everything. Is the culture different, are people different? Are there fewer police, fewer father figures, what is it?

Well, when the sons ex girl friends stalker turned up on her door step he was carrying a crossbow and a samurai sword and shouting „I’m going to kill you all“ understandably the coppers showed up and shot him.

Thank God, now we can remember the lesson of Agincourt and all get longbows.

How will this solve anything?

People can just stab with knives anyhow, which are vastly higher contributor to homicide anyhow. 

Oh shit, I better stock up on my emergency crossbow supplies!

Misleading from the Telegraph.

[https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/controls-on-crossbows/outcome/controls-on-the-use-of-crossbows-on-public-safety-grounds-government-response](https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/controls-on-crossbows/outcome/controls-on-the-use-of-crossbows-on-public-safety-grounds-government-response)

It’s clear from the .gov website that policy has yet to be made and some form of licensing of the seller and owner of the weapon is the most likely direction with limits on arrows which are used for hunting which is already banned anyway.

Honestly, I didn’t even know they were currently legal to buy them. Seem like a bit of an oversight for this to not already be regulated.

And yet with a few forms, a visit from the police to check you’re storing it properly, and a GP confirming you don’t have a serious risk to others, you can get a firearms licence and buy something like this –

[https://www.guntrader.uk/guns/rifles/kriss/semi-auto/22-lr/dmk22c-arca-260313104710004](https://www.guntrader.uk/guns/rifles/kriss/semi-auto/22-lr/dmk22c-arca-260313104710004)

That’s a proper semi-automatic rifle. A .22 bullet (note, not a .22 air rifle pellet) can very easily kill. You can even get a 50 round barrel mag for it.

I only found this out in a discussion about firearms in the UK recently on this very sub, and was stunned. I still am.

I am now convinced the only thing that stops mass shootings in the UK is a combo of people not wanting to, and those who might attempt it being unware due to stuff like „banning crossbows“ (which I was 100% convinced were already banned) and making airsoft guns two-tone.

In fact I’m utterly convinced all the bizarre legislation around offensive weapons is designed to hoodwink lazy uneducated gang members or violent „youths“ into thinking there’s no point bothering as it’s an automatic prison stretch.

And if so, fair play. Great way to keep guns out of the hands of idiots and allow people to own them who want to shoot targets or clays or whatever these people do.

There is no point where anti-gun fundies will ever say “that’s enough gun control.”