Examination of Witnesses (Questions 193
- 199)
THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2002
MR W G DOE
AND MR
DOUGIE GLAISTER
Chairman
193. Thank you, Mr Glaister and Mr Doe, you
are welcome. You know what we are about because you were there
when I made the introduction before. Let us return to the subject
of competency to see what your views are. I suspect that they
might well be similar to the previous witnesses. The proposed
draft Order requires the Chief Constable to be satisfied of an
applicant's competence in handling a firearm before granting a
certificate. Do you think this is a reasonable test of an individual's
fitness to possess and use firearms?
(Mr Doe) The National Small-bore Rifle Association
is an organisation of target shooting clubs. Anybody who is introduced
to such a club goes through an introduction course on the safe
handling of firearms and then coaching on how to properly hit
the target.
194. As a beginner?
(Mr Doe) As a beginner. Any person who comes in as
a beginner goes through this course of instruction by club officials,
by competent club officials. In that sense it is competence either
through years of experience or they may hold a qualification from
either of the national governing bodies. The purchase of a firearm
thereafter would be after they had been in the club for a year.
To actually certify a person competent, somebody has got to decide
the test. As the Gun Traders' Association have made the point,
in the draft audit it is suggested that dealers could certify
a person to be competent and our response is the same as theirs:
who is going to certify the certifier? It was only last night
when I had a copy of the paper from the Northern Ireland Office
dated 22 July listing a number of suggested headings, most of
which we would certainly put under the category of safe handling
of a firearm.
(Mr Glaister) Basic firearms etiquette,
most of them.
(Mr Doe) But in particular, as a person who has represented
my country 70 times, including World Championships, I would fail.
Item eight talks about "always clean a firearm after use",
and in 34 years I have never cleaned mine, it does not need it.
Item 10 "strip down for cleaning and reassemble", I
have never stripped down and reassembled, I hand it to an armourer
to strip down and reassemble. I would fail.
195. Not everyone has that luxury.
(Mr Doe) I agree, some people do not have that luxury,
but I would fail a competency test. One needs to look very, very
carefully at what you mean by competence, that is our concern,
very much so. We do not believe there is a need.
196. You do not believe a test of competence
has anything to do with it. You would agree that it is perfectly
satisfactory for me when I have got my firearms licence, having
bought a firearm, to be issued with that certificate without anybody
having any idea of whether I was competent or not. That is the
nub of the question, is it not?
(Mr Doe) No. On the application for a firearms certificate
the good reason will be investigated by the police. If the applicant
is a member of a target shooting club he will have had to have
been a member for at least one year before applying for that certificate.
After one year within a club I would suggest the person would
be competent or would have been turfed out.
197. But if he is not a member of a club, which
I am not?
(Mr Doe) I do not represent you as a national governing
body.
198. I am not asking you to represent me, I
am asking you whether you think it is satisfactory that I can
get a firearms certificate without anybody questioning whether
I am competent to use it.
(Mr Doe) I would turn round and ask the question "what
do you consider competent?"
199. You have not answered my question. I have
a firearms certificate. I purchased a firearm when I moved to
a house when I needed a .22 rifle and I got a firearms certificate
for it.
(Mr Doe) You need to handle that gun safely.
| 
