Locked, stock and barrel!

Robin Scott bemoans a lack quick access to his gun for some impromptu pest control, and the pesky Wild Justice

- Robin Scott

There used to be a time — and not long ago — when it wasn’t a requirement to keep guns and rifles under lock and key in a steel cabinet. Instead, it was left to gun owners to use some old-fashioned common sense in deciding how they were stored.

Having a gun stolen by a passing thief back then was rare, as indeed was any kind of gun-related crime. Instead, ‘safe keeping’ chiefly meant making sure a gun and cartridges didn’t fall into the hands of an inquisitive child about the house. Which is still the case today, of course.

I don’t mind admitting that I was one of many who disagreed with officialdom’s take on safer storage and what was needed. Many argued against this meddlesome piece of state interference, but what was the point? If you didn’t comply with the recommendation it quickly became clear a certificate wouldn’t be issued, let alone renewed if a cabinet hadn’t been installed ready for inspection.

With every gun owner over a barrel, this became a case of game, set and match to the police and politicians. When this cabinet issue all kicked off, it felt like an unnecessary infringement on personal liberty but in hindsight (and I never thought I’d say so) time has proved it was the right thing to do.

Since those gentler days, society has changed almost beyond recognition, and all too rapidly. This island of ours has not only become ever more crowded but too many of its inhabitants are growing increasingly intolerant of others. Quarrelsome rats in a barrel come to mind here. Crime — and the level of it — has changed too. Cabinets are now an essential.