Clause 29 - Restriction on sale and purchase of ammunition loading presses
Violent Crime Reduction Bill
11:45 am
Jonathan Djanogly (Shadow Solicitor General (Also Assists Shadow Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs), (Assist the Home Affairs Team); Huntingdon, Conservative)
Clause 29 restricts the sale of ammunition loading presses and dies to all persons except those who may be permitted to purchase them by virtue of their being certificate holders, registered firearms dealers, exempt persons and so forth. It is sufficient to produce a certificate, and no recording of transactions is envisaged; again, persons may purchase on behalf of others. Offences, if committed, would be committed by both the seller and purchaser. We believe that that will serve only to penalise collectors and create a further unnecessary administrative burden yet do nothing to combat violent crime.
The amendments tabled by the Liberals are prudent; they would ensure that those who acted without malice or criminal intent were not unintentionally caught by this needless offence. We have debated the subject before; I do not intend to go over it again, although this is an issue that we will want to revisit at later stages.