Justice Secretary requests firearms power transfer
30 May 2012 12:35 PM
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has recently written to the Home Secretary Theresa May calling for firearms legislation to be fully devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
The letter follows the publication of statistics today which show a continuing rise in the number of legally owned firearms in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has repeatedly called for firearms legislation to be transferred to the Scottish Parliament where existing UK regulations could be tightened further.
Mr MacAskill said:
"With recorded offences involving firearms in Scotland already at a 32-year low, today’s figures emphasise the importance of a robust licensing scheme. Each one of the firearms included in these statistics belongs to someone who has a legitimate reason for owning it.
"Thanks to the hard work of Scotland's police forces and responsible dealers, firearms owners are increasingly aware of their responsibilities. This is one of the ways in which we can help to prevent firearms from being used in criminal ways.
"There is more to be done, but firearms legislation currently remains reserved to Westminster. As we have repeatedly made clear, we believe that the law is long overdue for reform and we have been calling for the powers to regulate all firearms legislation in the Scottish Parliament. That will allow us to modernise and clarify the law, and so better protect our communities.
"I have today written to the Home Secretary Theresa May raising once again the need to tighten control over firearms."
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