Let's Not Let This Happen Here

Courtesy the NRA-ILA, we learn that the AMA's Brit twit cousins are looking at increasing the pariah-status of gun owners in Formerly Great Britain:

Lasting legacy of Osbaston House

Jo Garvin
BBC Shropshire

The coroner who conducted the inquest into the deaths of Christopher Foster, his wife Jill and their daughter Kirstie in Shropshire called for changes in the way shotgun and firearms licences are issued and renewed.

The British Medical Association (BMA) and Association of Chief Police Officers have discussed ways in which doctors can be made aware of patients who own firearms.

The BMA's plan to "tag" - or highlight - the medical records of patients who have shotgun or firearms licences have received a mixed reaction.

Last August Bank Holiday Mr Foster killed his wife and 15-year-old daughter before setting fire to their home at Maesbrook, near Oswestry, and killing himself.

It emerged at the inquest into the deaths that Christopher Foster had been suffering from depression and had mentioned suicidal thoughts to his GP.

This prompted Mid and North Shropshire coroner, John Ellery to recommend a closer link between the medical profession and the police, who issue gun licences.

In the last few days the British Medical Association (BMA) has said it is about to update its ethical guidance on firearms.

The plan is that medical records would remind the doctor the patient either held a firearms or shotgun certificate, or had applied for one.

The Gun Control Network was set up after the Dunblane tragedy in 1996 when 16 children and an adult were shot by Thomas Hamilton. It campaigns for tighter controls on guns of all kinds.

Spokeswoman, Gill Marshall-Andrews described the new guidelines as "absolutely wonderful".

She said her concern was for the risk faced by the families of gun owners: "If an individual commits suicide, that is a matter for him, but if he is going to kill his family, it is a very different matter."

Mrs Marshall-Andrews said the Gun Control Network was very supportive of the move by the BMA, but would like consultation with partners and ex partners made a requirement for the granting of licences.

Gah.

Now, I'm not the only gun blogger who has pointed out that Government Control of health insurance means that government bureaucrats get to decide what is and is not a safe activity for you to participate in--although I may have been the first to raise the issue, when His Imperial Majesty signed bills increasing taxes on tobacco by 100% or more--but here we go again!

OTOH:

However, the mental health charity, Mind, does not share Infer Trust's views and fears the new guidelines will further stigmatise people with mental health problems.

Spokeswoman Katie Prior said: "The link between violence and mental health problems is often grossly exaggerated. Any tragedies that do occur are terrible, but it's important to recognise that such cases are rare."

She said people with mental health problems were extremely unlikely to be dangerous: "In fact, research shows that they are are more likely to be the victims of crime than the perpetrators."

Obviously did not get The Word that all gun owners are violent whack jobs...

And, of course,

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) is not happy with the new guidelines either.

The BASC's senior firearms officer, Mike Eveleigh said: "I believe the BMA's proposals to tag medical records would cause more problems than it would prevent.

"For example the records could fall into the wrong hands leaving firearms owners vulnerable to theft and certainly the proposed system would create much more work for GPs and the police who are already overstretched."

Mr Eveleigh also said the new guidelines could deter people from seeking medical help if they thought their shotgun or firearms certificate might be revoked.

Well, it's good that they should be unhappy, but as far as I am concerned, the fact that you cannot just say "This Crown culture of control, of surveillance of our every waking moment, of intruding into our personal lives 'for our own good' is Orwell's 1984 brought to life. We thought we had defeated fascism and tyranny in 1945, all we did was postpone it the imposition of a home-grown version of it."

Etc., etc. But he won't. They won't. They're lost.