YOUNGSTERS have been running the town of Monmouth, using it as a Welsh OK Corral, after obtaining imitation guns at the Monmouthshire Show, The Beacon has been told. We contacted Monmouthshire Show Secretary Kay Spencer after receiving complaints from local people and she said: "We have received comments that a trader was selling BB Guns at the Show, unfortunately these were received after the Show was over and not during the Show. "We have since traced the trader responsible and can assure people that he will not be invited back! It is sad to realise that some traders are not entirely honest when completing the part of their application form which asks for the type of goods to be sold. "There is also a paragraph in our regulations sent to traders strictly forbidding the sale of any such items". Beacon reader, Caroline Brown, told us one of the things this year would unfortunately be remembered for is what seems a dramatic rise in gun related crime and tragically the number of people, in particular young people, that were falling under the very dubious spell of guns and what they see as some sort of street status symbol, even worse the number of young people who have lost their lives to the gun and the gun fanatic. "These crimes are not just happening in the cities away from the rural idylls such as Monmouth, the seeds of it are growing right here under our noses in the place where we think such things don't exist. "We believe that the gun and its terror will never visit our town. Thankfully, until now it has not - but for how long" Her statement added: "At Monmouthshire Show this year there was at least one trader selling BB guns and imitation firearms to children as young as ten. "For days after the show certain parts of the town at times resembled the OK Corral, with these youngsters running round playing bang bang games. "All harmless fun you might say, the nanny state again but think again .... This sort of thing glamorises guns to young people; they feel good even with a toy gun in their hand. Some soon get tired of the play guns and will seek out the real thing and then the tragedy that visited Liverpool, Manchester and London amongst other places arrives in our rural idyll. "What if you saw one of the young people running around with a gun in their hand would you be absolutely sure that it was replica? "Even a BB gun causes painful bruises. Only recently a young baby in the South Wales Valleys nearly lost her sight after being shot in the eye by one of these dreadful toys". Caroline Brown added: "It needs to be remembered that a BB gun is an imitation firearm, but if it is in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse and being used with intent to cause fear or violence, then it can lead to a criminal conviction. "So this all begs the question: why on earth were these items available for young people to purchase at Monmouthshire Show and how many other places are openly selling them all year round, not just in Monmouth but country wide? We are all shaking our heads in disbelief at the apparent lawlessness on the streets: perhaps we need to look under our noses to find the origin of some of it". With a new law restricting the sale of realistic imitation firearms coming into effect on 1st October, Gwent Police are advising retailers that they will be committing an offence if they continue to sell these items. Ahead of the change, which is aimed at reducing the numbers of imitation firearms in circulation, Gwent Police is writing to retailers of air and imitation or BB (ball bearing) guns to warn them that the sale of realistic imitation firearms will be prohibited. Under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, any seller wishing to sell air weapons must become a registered firearms dealer. Any retailer or member of the public wishing to dispose of these items safely before the new legislation comes into place can contact Gwent Police in order for the item to be collected. Callers should ring FREEPHONE 0800 5877472 to provide their details. This service will operate 24 hours a day. Under the new legislation, school staff will be given the power to search pupils for weapons. The maximum term of imprisonment for having an article with a blade or point, in a public place, or on school premises, will increase from two to four years. Sgt Neil O'Connell of Gwent Police's Community Safety Department welcomed the changes: "This is a positive step forward in tackling the problem of imitation firearms on our streets. We have seen several cases of terrified members of the public calling us to report that someone is brandishing a gun in a public place when it has in fact transpired to be an imitation gun. "The people who buy and use these products don't appreciate the level of fear they generate in members of the public. Experienced police officers would struggle to distinguish between a real firearm and an imitation one from a distance, let alone members of the public, so we can fully understand why we receive calls from people who genuinely feel they are in danger." He continued: "Reducing the numbers of outlets who can legitimately sell these products should make it far more difficult for people to access them, and in turn reduce the numbers of incidents that cause undue alarm to members of the public, as well as waste police resources. "We would therefore encourage all retailers to contact us prior to 1st October so these items can be removed from outlets and disposed of safely."
