“A gunman who was banned from possessing weapons has been jailed for 15 months after he fired an air rifle at a sign on a Sheffield street,” the star.co.uk reports. “Andrew Beaumont, aged 31, frightened members of the public when he fired the weapon three times outside a shop in Pitsmoor, Sheffield Crown Court heard. No-one was injured in the incident but a judge said members of the public were left scared by the incident. Judge Roger Keen said: ‘You fired the weapon three times in a public street where people were present, thus exposing them to danger and frightening them. Fortunately no injury was caused and the damage was very minimal.'” Beaumont is a former heroin/crack addict with previous convictions for robbery and violent offenses (making him ineligible to own a BB gun). “Jailing him, Judge Keen said he was giving Beaumont credit for his guilty plea and for the efforts that he had made to turn his life around.” And sent him to jail for 15 months.
Wow. If I had grown up in the UK, I’d probably be doing 25-life for discharging BB guns at street signs…
I think the 15 months was related to his previous run ins with the law.
Exactly. At first blush, things seemed really excessive. But after reading of his past criminal history…go ahead and throw the book at him. Robbery and other violent offenses.
Duly noted. I should have read the article before opening my pie-hole. I still find it pretty amusing and proposterous that air rifles are treated like firearms over there. This guy was obviously deserving of some time behind bars.
Quere: How feeble and helpless are the average Brits that they are frightened by a BB gun? I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside plenty of Royal Army soldiers, news of this sort would undoubtably make them blush.
Remember, these are the same people (different generation) that we had to rescue from Germany in the 1940s because their government gave Hitler a large piece of Europe which they didn’t own. History is repeating itself.
“A Gunman,” or as we Americans would call him, “just a guy with a bb gun.” You know, the ones we give to 10 year olds.
England is a Police State.
Not to effing MENTION that slingshot stuff! Oh MY!! That DID cause “considerable damage”…. Furthermore, I meant to do it! I throw myself upon the mercy of the court. May god have mercy on my soul.
p.s. he deserved it.
“members of the public were left scared by the incident.”
These are the people who had an empire the sun never set on?
Not anymore. Now foreigners and criminals butcher them like sheep. If you want to see a later stage of Obama’s fundamental transformation of America, look to the U.K. Now, the guy in the article? Just a fool.
Their ancestors had said empire. Just goes to show you what a world war will remove from the national gene pool. (Backbone)
Two of them, actually.
Really, when so many of the best men of two generations are killed or wounded, it’s bound to have an influence on the national psyche.
I think it’s more the damage done to the remaining gene pool. When you loose so many of the best and brightest, what is left isn’t exactly good breeding stock.
They do seem to try to out french the french.
These days it never rises.
We kicked their azz. Twice. That gave other colonies dangerous ideas.
Heroine=female hero
Heroin=highly addictive illegal opiate
You can understand why he was a heroine crack addict in that case…
Indeed sir, indeed.
Nice.
Hey, don’t make fun of the guy just because he started out as a girl. Apparently he was a pretty good one. It just all went to hell when he changed his name (and other things) from Andrea to Andrew. Maybe he regrets the decision and he’s acting out his rage.
“Heroin=highly addictive, once completely legal opiate”
Fixed that up for you real nice. That’s why it’s incorrect to speak or write of “drug legalization”. The correct term would be “drug re-legalization”.
Didn’t the aforementioned Empire fight a couple wars over their “right” to sell opium to the Chinese?
And Grammar Nazi, maybe he was addicted to female heroes AND crack.
Did you expect any less from the pantywaists from across the pond?
FWIW, I worked with British military when I was in the military and I can tell you that the Brits I worked with were true professionals.
+1 Good men all.
Right up until they get out of the Army, and then a firearm is too dangerous to handle.
FWIW most of the general population of England is not former military. If they were maybe they wouldnt be stuck with such asinine gun laws.
Had Beaumont merely run over a British soldier and cut his head off with a butcher knife, he’d be given psychological counseling and a lesser sentence.
But no, he used a projectile-firing handheld weapon of extraordinary power and lethality to attack a very nice street sign that was minding it’s own business. All the other street signs were traumatized by the event and are now refusing to give directions.
“a very nice street sign that was minding it’s own business.”
Ralph, their misbehavior has been building for a long time now, what with making people drive in circles instead of proper intersections, and sending people to places like the harbour.
Why force each individual driver to stop momentarily before continuing on in an orderly fashion when everybody can go at the same time and be in everybody else’s way? There is a traffic circle (or roundabout, in British-speak) in Long Beach which I believe was built specifically to induce epic cinnamon-ring puckering. Fun stuff.
Cinnamon ring? New keyboard + coffee= newer keyboard… Thanks man..
True confessions: I actually like traffic circles a lot in some places, especially once the locals have gotten used to them.
” frightened members of the public”
…and their grandparents rode out air raids in the metro tunnels…
I find it ironic how the pussification of this world happens as some of the toughest generations die off….
Well, now we’re getting to witness it firsthand. . .
Like watching the last embers of a beautiful campfire wink out. In the middle of the night, and it’s freezing cold.
I don’t find it surprising that wussification has happened. Given that half the people outside of Greater London have nothing to do but collect welfare or punch a civil service time clock (really, this is a fact), there’s a lot of time to worry about the slightest dangers. Afghanistan, the Congo, the Chicongo, still have tough people. And Pennsylvania. Laugh.
Referring to him as “a gunman” is a bit dramatic–even for the Brits. Though the victory was bittersweet, they were able to put a stop to the deadly rampage before the carnage got worse. Be strong Brits. Our thoughts are with you.
Dude, have you ever been shot with a BB gun? That sh*t hurts. He could have shot someone’s eye out!
Seriously, man. Everybody here knows that. Now go wash your panties out.
After he serves his time comes back to the sign with a shot gun. Then what? Serve more time come back with a more powerful gun? Then what? Just to stir the boiling pot some. 🙂
After he serves his time comes back to the sign with a shot gun. Then what? Serve more time come back with a more powerful gun? Then what? Just to stir the boiling pot some.
15 months? That’s it? I’m pretty sure i’d get a mandatory 5-7 years here in Jersey. Here in NJ, BB guns are considering firearms and all firearms are treated the same. BB Gun or a machine gun you’ll get the same treatment.
Exactly one of the reasons I swam across the Delaware to PA.
With his record this guy would have probably done time in the states for doing the same thing. Even though it’s legal for a guy with a record to own an air rifle here, guys like him are always on probation for something. They’re rarely completely out of the system. And the fact that this guy had a record and was still willing to be this stupid in a public place tells me he wasn’t trying too hard to turn his life around.
Yep. “Three strikes” and you’re out. Or in, actually.
I still haven’t gotten over the whole “frightening members of the public” thing… I mean, really? If a BB gun is so terrifying, imagine all the heart attacks their hospitals would undoubtedly have to deal with if somebody ever lit a firecracker.
The jail time may be a little overkill in this case, but that doesn’t mean air rifles are a joke. It’s pretty easy to get a 22 caliber air rifle that will shoot pellets at 1200 fps. Air rifles were even experimentally used in World War 2.
I’m thinking that he got 3 months for firing the BB gun and an additional 12 months for being criminally stupid enough to do it in public in Britain.
“…but a judge said members of the public were left scared by the incident”
Because this is all that matters these days…
With all of his priors, just why in the world was he out on the street in the first place?
sorry, I’m going to say, “Good!” on this one.
“Banned from owning firearms…”
And so…he took a air rifle and shot street signs.
I’m glad they got his butt off the streets.
The “members of the public that were left scared” should be easy victims to find and rob when he gets out. Given his past history I wonder if he’s making a list?
I would not take this report seriously. The Sheffield Star has a terrible reputation for poor journalism.
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