BASC has been flooded with calls from members worried about claims circulating on the internet that the police are targeting the shooting community with breathalyser tests over the festive period.
BASC has spoken to several police forces and there is no evidence to suggest that that this is happening. Anti drink-driving campaigns are normally stepped up over Christmas and our advice must always be to stay within the law when it comes to drink driving limits. It is also an offence to be drunk in charge of a loaded firearm (including shotguns and airguns) in a public place.
BASC’s senior firearms officer Mike Eveleigh, who is a former police officer, said: “We have been besieged with calls from our members who are worried about emails saying that the police are targeting muddy 4×4 vehicles and looking for shooters who have been drinking. I have contacted several firearms licensing departments in different parts of the UK, and none have any knowledge of such a policy, if in fact it exists. It is a shame that this appears to have caused unnecessary distrust of the police.”
ENDS