Nine-year-old boy gets shotgun licence

British police have granted a nine-year-old boy a shotgun licence in a decision that has horrified anti-gun campaigners.

The boy can legally shoot live game after Norfolk Police deemed him “responsible enough” to own the deadly weapon.

The licence was issued in 2006, but has only just been reported after a journalist sought the information under freedom of information laws.

The child, who lives in Walsingham, has been legally using the powerful weapon for 16 months.

Anti-gun campaigner Marshall Andrews expressed her horror to The Daily Mail.

“We have long been campaigning for guns to be available only to those over 18.

“It is totally absurd … No one that young could possibly be responsible for a gun,” she said.

“We should be trying to make guns less available to the young not more.”

Richard Dennison, Norfolk Police firearms manager, stood by the licensing.

“This boy is the youngest we have granted a licence to in at least five years,” he told The Daily Mail.

“A firearms officer interviews every person applying for a licence in their own home to check they are responsible enough to hold a gun.

“In cases of young people we sometimes also speak to their school to check their good character.

“I stress to the community that we are here to keep them safe.”

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=339282