The gun control question

Inevitably, the horrendous tragedy in Cumbria has led to calls for gun control to be reviewed.  An already sensitive issue is complicated by philosophical differences between those who argue that safety lies in tightened controls and those who believe it’s ensured by relaxed controls, or no controls.

So, a political minefield, and the government and opposition are as one today: a premature reaction would be irresponsible, let’s have a review. That seems sound to me. Thankfully armed rampages are rare in Britain partly because gun control is tight, as anyone who’s bought a shotgun will attest – hours of paperwork and endless recommendations and character assessments. A review is likely to maintain that status quo for the most part.