National charity calls for airgun licensing

As the UK’s largest cat welfare charity, Cats Protection is always horrified to learn of cases where cats have been injured or killed after being shot with an air gun.
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Sadly, we regularly receive reports of horrific cases across England and Wales where cats have suffered agonising injuries – often fatal – as a result of the indiscriminate use of air guns.

Cats that survive frequently sustain life-changing injuries from air gun attacks, such as limb amputation or loss of an eye.

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Furthermore, a 2016 Cats Protection survey of vets found that 46 per cent of reported incidents result in fatalities.

Many of your readers may be shocked to learn that air guns are unlicensed in England and Wales, meaning that they can be legally owned by anyone over the age of 18.

This is in contrast with Scotland and Northern Ireland, which both have sensible, modern laws in place to regulate who can own an air gun.

It can therefore be no coincidence that over 90 per cent of the air gun attacks on cats reported in the press in the UK are in England and Wales.

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Cats Protection is determined to change this, and our petition calling on the Government to introduce the licensing of air guns in England and Wales has gathered over 110,000 signatures.

The Government launched a review into air weapons legislation in October 2017, including a consultation which concluded on 6 February 2018, but have still not reported their next steps.

In the meantime, your readers can help by signing our petition at www.cats.org.uk/airgunspetition

We’d also ask anyone with any information about shooting incidents to report them to either the police, RSPCA or RSPCA Cymru in Wales.

Jacqui Cuff

Head of Advocacy & Government Relations, Cats Protection, National Cat Centre, Chelwood Gate, Haywards Heath