Take a guess at what the new penalty for carrying a round of ammo in your pocket is? Yes, that’s right. It’s five years. And I thought being thrown in lock up overnight for carrying a spliff was draconian.

Meanwhile of course the Government and the Left continue to push for the liberalisation of our drug laws.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for liberalising drug laws but it’s the height of hypocrisy to at the same time be creating more and more draconian gun laws. Obviously guns can be dangerous but the vast majority of gun owners are responsible and the tiny minority that are not ignore the rules anyway.

In any case what possible reason can there be for sending someone to jail for up to five years for having a stray .22 in their pocket?

Let me put on my devil’s advocate hat for a sec. Basically carrying a bullet in your pocket, like sending a quick text while driving, or being stoned in public, are “crimes of risk”. I mean, after all, that bullet might fall out of your pocket, land in a gun chamber, cause the gun to fire and kill someone.

Yep, the risk to the public definitely justifies five years in prison, not.

Oh, and by the way, don’t expect National to come to the rescue over this. According to one National MP, while five years is excessive, three years is perfectly reasonable.

The way I see it the only gun laws we should have are ones that serve to reduce the risk to others and that risk must be real, and the penalty must be appropriate.

I admit I don’t know much about guns or owning them. But I do know when a whole group’s liberties and freedoms are being attacked and taken away. And right now gun owners are in the firing line.

Libertarian and pragmatic anarchist. Has voted National and ACT. May have voted Labour once but too long ago to remember. Favourite saying: “There but for the grace of God go I.”