In a new report Animal Aid claims that the “lurid, pro-violence content" of country sports magazines could have a "corrosive, long-lasting effect on impressionable young minds”.
But shooting organisations dismissed the campaign as “pathetic”, pointing out that the magazines promote responsible use of guns and conservation of the countryside.
There is no minimum age for holding a shotgun licence in the UK, however children under 18 cannot buy or own a gun themselves and children under 14 must be supervised by an adult.
The report, ‘Gunning For Children: How the gun lobby recruits young blood’, argues that magazines promoting guns should be put on the top shelf alongside pornography and tobacco and banned for sale to under-18s.
It claims the magazines sold in WH Smith [large magazine outlet] and supermarkets show pictures of young children holding up or standing over shot pheasants, rabbits, foxes and pigeons and "glorifies" cruelty. Andrew Tyler, the Director of Animal Aid, said that if people do not learn to shoot by the age of 14 the chances of them subsequently getting involved rapidly diminish. He said the campaign would encourage customers to lobby supermarkets and newsagents to put shooting magazines on the top shelf.
"Children who kill animals for sport in urban areas are considered dysfunctional and a social menace. Yet Britain has a gun lobby, composed of well-connected groups, that devotes considerable resources towards encouraging children to take up guns at a young age.
"Their actions are damaging not just to wildlife but also to the emotional development of young people."
Professor Peter Squires of the University of Brighton [Gun Control Network's tame academic] said children under 14 are not allowed to shoot without supervision yet they can look at adverts for guns and pictures of dead animals.
“Shooting magazines celebrating the casual cruelty” of shooting wild animals – a kind of “shooting porn” – should not be on sale to children and young people (under 18),” he said. “Shops and retail outlets selling such magazines should position them both out of reach and sight of children and young people.”
He also said shooting organisations should not be allowed to educate children in schools about country sports. "Fostering healthy and environmentally-conscious attitudes to nature and wildlife conservation is fundamentally inconsistent with deriving pleasure and enjoyment from shooting animals for fun," he added.
Simon Clarke, of the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, pointed out that shooting magazines only promote the responsible use of guns to control pests or as part of country sports. He said the death of the animals itself is not the aim and is not glorified in any way. “Shooting is carried out for a number of reasons. It is either just pest control or shooting game. There is no glorification of the shooting itself, it is a means to an end.”
David Taylor of the Countryside Alliance said shooting magazines educate readers about safety and nature conservation as well as promoting an important part of the rural economy. “Tobacco and pornography is on top shelves because there is an age limit but there is no limit for anyone of any age to have access to country sports," he said. “Shooting is a perfectly legitimate interest and hobby. You can't just ban something because you don't like it. Lots of people don't like cars but they don't ban magazines about motor sports."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/co...n-the-top-shelf-say-animal-rights-groups.html
But shooting organisations dismissed the campaign as “pathetic”, pointing out that the magazines promote responsible use of guns and conservation of the countryside.
There is no minimum age for holding a shotgun licence in the UK, however children under 18 cannot buy or own a gun themselves and children under 14 must be supervised by an adult.
The report, ‘Gunning For Children: How the gun lobby recruits young blood’, argues that magazines promoting guns should be put on the top shelf alongside pornography and tobacco and banned for sale to under-18s.
It claims the magazines sold in WH Smith [large magazine outlet] and supermarkets show pictures of young children holding up or standing over shot pheasants, rabbits, foxes and pigeons and "glorifies" cruelty. Andrew Tyler, the Director of Animal Aid, said that if people do not learn to shoot by the age of 14 the chances of them subsequently getting involved rapidly diminish. He said the campaign would encourage customers to lobby supermarkets and newsagents to put shooting magazines on the top shelf.
"Children who kill animals for sport in urban areas are considered dysfunctional and a social menace. Yet Britain has a gun lobby, composed of well-connected groups, that devotes considerable resources towards encouraging children to take up guns at a young age.
"Their actions are damaging not just to wildlife but also to the emotional development of young people."
Professor Peter Squires of the University of Brighton [Gun Control Network's tame academic] said children under 14 are not allowed to shoot without supervision yet they can look at adverts for guns and pictures of dead animals.
“Shooting magazines celebrating the casual cruelty” of shooting wild animals – a kind of “shooting porn” – should not be on sale to children and young people (under 18),” he said. “Shops and retail outlets selling such magazines should position them both out of reach and sight of children and young people.”
He also said shooting organisations should not be allowed to educate children in schools about country sports. "Fostering healthy and environmentally-conscious attitudes to nature and wildlife conservation is fundamentally inconsistent with deriving pleasure and enjoyment from shooting animals for fun," he added.
Simon Clarke, of the British Association of Shooting and Conservation, pointed out that shooting magazines only promote the responsible use of guns to control pests or as part of country sports. He said the death of the animals itself is not the aim and is not glorified in any way. “Shooting is carried out for a number of reasons. It is either just pest control or shooting game. There is no glorification of the shooting itself, it is a means to an end.”
David Taylor of the Countryside Alliance said shooting magazines educate readers about safety and nature conservation as well as promoting an important part of the rural economy. “Tobacco and pornography is on top shelves because there is an age limit but there is no limit for anyone of any age to have access to country sports," he said. “Shooting is a perfectly legitimate interest and hobby. You can't just ban something because you don't like it. Lots of people don't like cars but they don't ban magazines about motor sports."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/co...n-the-top-shelf-say-animal-rights-groups.html
Let them show what firearms are really for.
