The UK's Finest Independent Forum for Shooters and Gun Owners. Est 2010.

The Truth will out... we hope!

The NCA don't just "happen" upon people like this. The NCA conduct investigations at the highest level of organised criminality. To have eventually closed in on this bloke means they have everything they need to secure the conviction and limit the potential harm.

All this namby-pamby "wait till truth" and this "this is the attitude of the antis", please, put a little thought into it. Just because he was an RFD, that doesn't automatically buy our allegiance as gun owners. Recently there have been some right slag dealers that have made the news. And not because of errors in paperwork or confusing a s1 with a s2 shotgun, but because their has been a tier of these dealers that have been using their privileges to arm criminals.

Apart from the obvious risk and harm to the public, the criminality of these specific dealers will be used to besmirch the name of honest dealers and ultimately certificate holders, when the authorities put to parliament or the public, that tighter controls are needed in place.

Hopefully the judge will hand down a severe penalty.

Google 'Mick Shepard'

Not NCA I give you, but the Mets' Operation Trident - both very large targeted police operations.

FYI: I am both extremely pro-police (got accepted for SWP 10 years ago but had to turn down for family reasons) but I'm also anti-authoritarian in that I believe it is every citizens duty, where they see fit, to challenge authority to keep it honest - 'They' work for us, we don't exist to serve them....

Mick Shepard I don't need to Google. I have personal experience of that man after his trial and he got his licences and stack back. I bought a rifle and ammunition from him. During the transaction he thought he was committing a certain offence. He continued the transaction despite this, stating "Keep it to yourself".

The thing is, he wasn't committing any offences, but thought he was....

Yeah, the Met had it right, the court got it wrong.

I struggle to feel outraged on Mick Shepard's behalf, the rant on his website was borderline tin foil hat stuff!

The basics are if you come across as being slightly odd, a bit of a rogue or gung ho, you may well end up on the licensing authorities radar, and find yourself under a bit more scrutiny than your average shooter that does everything by the book.

I'm not saying it's right, just something I've noticed over the years.

I am clearly getting very old, and/ or still suffering from a recent bump to the head, as I agree completely with everything Sim has said.

Ceri

[quote="Sim G"] Recently there have been some right slag dealers that have made the news. And not because of errors in paperwork or confusing a s1 with a s2 shotgun, but because their has been a tier of these dealers that have been using their privileges to arm criminals.

quote]

Not just recently.

Some years ago I purchased a .38spl Rohm derringer from a RFD at an arms fair in Cheltenham. All perfectly legal at the time. My friend and I recognised the RFD who was from the Forest of Dean as also being a stand up comedian who had appeared several times on HTV regional television.

Well the next time we saw him on television was a TV report showing footage used in his trial taken on Temple Meads platform of him selling two submachine guns to a yardie gang.

http://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/ ... is-cracked

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/lo ... oth-716456

"converted lawfully held firearms for Harkin and Khan by shortening barrels and removing serial numbers from shotguns "

Makes you wonder why he was doing this when it could have been done by a child with a hacksaw and a file ??

And if the RFD was supplying the shotties how was he making them "dissappear" ?

Gazza wrote: And if the RFD was supplying the shotties how was he making them "dissappear" ?

By declaring them destroyed...?