Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-11-28-Speech-3-210"
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"en.20071128.21.3-210"2
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"Mr President, I am speaking as a concerned MEP, and not as committee chairwoman. I believe that, with this new law on weapons, we can demonstrate to our citizens that Europe can act to tackle the problem of illegal guns. We have tough laws in Britain, but without this EU law guns will continue to find their way onto the streets of cities like Manchester and Liverpool.
Colleagues, this is a 9 mm Smith & Wesson copy – a convertible weapon designed to fire blanks or CS gas pellets – which, when converted, fires live ammunition. Do not panic – it is not loaded, it is convertible, not converted. A gun like this tragically killed a 12-year-old Manchester girl, Kamilah Peniston. Mothers Against Violence, mothers who have lost children to gun crime, ask me where these guns are coming from and what we are doing here to stop the illegal smuggling of these deadly weapons.
Greater Manchester Police tell me that 46% of all guns seized last year were converted weapons. Converted weapons are now a cheap, popular choice for criminals, and they are a growing problem in Europe – not just in the UK.
Therefore, I thank Commissioner Verheugen, Ms Kallenbach our rapporteur, Mr Alvaro and 25 of the Member States for supporting my amendments to crack down and tighten controls on these convertible weapons. Putting them under the same control system as real hand guns will make it much more difficult for criminal gangs to get their hands on them, and it will cut the smuggling of these weapons, which are banned in Britain.
The Association of Chief Police Officers in the UK fully supports this law and its requirements for convertible and deactivated weapons, for marking, for traceability and for controls on weapons’ sales by distance communication, including the internet.
Following the recent tragic shooting in Finland and the attempted shooting at a school in Germany, it is clear that we need stricter EU-wide standards of gun control. This is Europe being pragmatic and taking practical action to protect our citizens.
The tragic and senseless gun deaths of young people in my region – 15-year-old Jessie James, 11-year-old Rhys Jones and 12-year-old Kamilah Peniston – are a deeply sensitive issue. Their lives were taken from them. We, here in Europe, owe it to them and their families to ensure that we take these guns off the streets."@en1
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