Northern Ireland Justice Minister David Ford is considering lowering the age at which young people can have supervised access to shotguns and airguns to 12 years.
BASC NI has been working on this issue for some considerable time along with partner organisations Countryside Alliance Ireland and the Gun Trade Guild NI.
The change has NOT happened yet, as it will have to be agreed by the Justice Committee prior to implementation however BASC and others organisations believe that 10 years of age would be more appropriate as this is the age of criminal responsibility in NI.
In many respects the age of the young person is irrelevant as it is the age and experience of the supervisor that really matters. BASC NI will continue to work in partnership with Countryside Alliance Ireland and the Gun Trade Guild NI to ensure that the supervision criteria is robust and that the proper safeguards are in place prior to the change of legislation.
On 12th November there was significant media interest in this topic in Northern Ireland and Tommy Mayne, BASC NI director, took part in four radio interviews.