BASC cannot comment directly on the Bristol incident where a child was injured apparently by a pellet from an air weapon, due to the fact two people have been charged.
Nevertheless, the sympathy of the entire shooting community is with the family and friends of the young boy.
With regard to airgun safety, Bill Harriman, BASC’s director of firearms, said: “BASC represents airgun shooting according to the law and the association’s code of best practice.
“In any form of shooting, safety is always of prime concern. British shooting has an unrivalled record for safety and tragic incidents leading to serious injury are very rare.
“There are 34 or more laws which currently apply to airgun shooting. It is important these are properly enforced, but more laws do not prevent unsafe shooting; the key to safe shooting is education and vigilance.”
BASC’s code of practice for airgun shooting is available here.