Thread: Man who shot teen dead in hunting accident 22 years ago loses firearms licence bid

@timattalon

Argument for driving license reinstatement is that people need to drive, it causes them hardship not to have a license, unable to work, do school run, take kids to violin lessons etc etc. Those are of course relatively minor concerns compared to the risk of death and injury - but people get their licenses back.

Same argument of necessity is not as readily made for a firearms license. Other hobbies available. Still, the unsuccessful FAL applicant here is a middle aged man in a rural area, well out in the sticks, and shooting sports is likely a major pastime for most of his friends. Excluded in a very real way, with predictable negative effect on his health. But the actual the risk to human life of him having a FAL, at least based on the 1996 accident, is minuscule - particularly compared to being a car driver.

I get it the two later incidents featured in the latest decision, but as he applied 5-6 times for his FAL, the first turn down at least was not done for any other reason than that 1996 accident.

To repeat, I take it nobody on this forum knows of anyone who got his license reinstated after an accidental shooting.

Wrong! Whaaaat?!? So OK if you are a drinking-and-shooting rugby player, not if you are a firefighter. Yes, the courts take their cues from the cops on this one.