To quote Britain’s Bonzo Dog Band, dear dear dear oh dear dear dear oh dear dear oh dear no. “Schoolchildren in London are eligible for 125,000 free tickets for the 2012 Olympics next sumer,” theblaze.com reports. “but any event that involves a firearm will be excluded from the massive giveaway.” Yes, it’s come to that. The nation that first enshrined gun rights into law, the nation that went on to disarm their people in the interests of protecting an inherently corrupt class system, has concluded that young, impressionable minds should not watch international shooting competition lest it lead to a life of violent crime. What member of the “loony left” came up with that one?
UDPATE after the jump (as well)
That would be Boris Johnson. The Conservative London Mayor who recently proved he was soft on rioters, soft on the causes of rioting. Hey, at least you now know the truth: in the Land of Hope and Glory, police state thinking unifies all political parties.
Of course, there are still a few pro-gun voices left in the British wilderness, pointing out that Boris and organizations like the Communities Against Gun and Knife Crime are a bunch of morons. I’m particularly fond of this quote from David Penn, secretary of the British Shooting Sports Council:
There is no link between Olympic-level shooting and crime. It’s like saying that a thief would use a Formula One car as a getaway car.
Not it’s not. It’s nothing like that at all. But David’s heart’s in the right place. As are the commentators underneath the post. My fave, from RAYBLUE:
No guns, no knives . . .
Germany, try again. It’s time.
UPDATE [via HAVEGUN]: The Powers That Be have decreed that UK urchins WILL get free tix to Olympic games. The telegraph.co.uk flags the good news:
Outcry from the British Olympic Association, shooting organisations and athletes has forced Locog to open up its free Ticketshare tickets to shooting events to schoolchildren as well as other Ticketshare recipients like Tickets for Troops.
A Locog spokesperson said there had been little demand for shooting tickets from schools, but schoolchildren will now be allowed to access the Ticketshare tickets to the shooting events.