Thanks to pledges of support from the media and donations, and with the backing of Edinburgh-born international star Sean Connery (who lives in Spain, not Britain) the `Snowdrop' group have launched an ad campaign to the value of one million pounds. It is unclear how much of this figure will be paid for, and how much is media donation. (For instance the London advertising agency Delaney Fletcher Bozell produced a cinema commerical featuring Connery free of charge.)
The primary target of the ad campaign is the "possession" of .22 calibre hand guns. Centre-fire hand guns are banned from civilian ownership under the new Firearms Act and are to be confiscated. No British civilian will be able to legally own or shoot a centre-fire hand gun. Under the new law, it will still be legally possible to `own' a .22 calibre hand gun if it is stored at a gun club armoury, not in the home. Shooting groups and the Home Office expect this to practically eliminate the legal ownership of .22 hand guns. For instance, no gun club in Edinburgh has yet been able to formulate plans that would allow it to meet the expensive requirements for the high security armoury required.
The `Snowdrop' campaign wishes the complete prohibition of hand guns to include .22LR. Also required are unspecified "improvements" in "gun control" as regards other types of firearms. One example idea is the prohibition of ownership of shot guns in "urban areas" - whatever that may mean in practise…
All this is timed to put pressure on whichever party wins the up-coming General Election and forms the next government. This looks likely to be the Labour Party, which means that `Snowdrop' are pushing against an open door. Tony Blair, the Labour leader, has promised to introduce further "gun control" legislation in the new parliament if elected.
Johnny <johnny@dvc.org.uk>
See also, Snowdrop becomes Gun Control Network.