A new initiative launched on Wednesday will allow police officers in the United Kingdom to enter and search the homes of legal gun owners at the behest of certain organization calls, according to Breitbart.
Campaigned for by the Association of Chief Police Officers' (ACPO), the body that represents senior police officers in the United Kingdom, the policy is seen as a pressure tactic to target ordinary British citizens and discourage gun ownership, according to the Countryside Alliance, an organization dedicating to promoting defending "the rural way of life," according to its official website.
The latest move by ACPO, effectively a trade union, is also being considered a "power grab" since the organization's policies regularly demand executive powers with little accountability to the public. Tighter gun control, for example, was campaigned for by members of ACPO in the past despite the UK's ruling that British police are supposed to stay politically neutral.
This time, the CA has reached out to members of Parliament and alerted them to the issue.
"Legitimate gun owners are always ready to support sensible, evidence based proposals to improve firearm licensing and security. For instance we fully support unannounced checks on license holders based on specific intelligence on risk," the Countryside Alliance stated on its campaign site.
"This campaign, however, is exactly the sort of knee-jerk reaction to an unrelated problem the Government had promised to avoid. It is unjustified and ill-judged, and it will serve only to waste police resources and alienate a large and law abiding section of the community."
Meanwhile, Chief Constable Andy Marsh told ShootingUK, "The public and especially the shooting community can greatly assist the police in gathering intelligence and protecting our communities by being vigilant around firearms licensing.
"The shooting community is close, and will recognize sudden behavioral changes in fellow shooters that could cause concerns. However, they may not feel like they can act and the Crimestoppers hotline empowers people to voice concerns anonymously."
"If you are concerned that guns are being kept insecurely or notice signs that shooters may be vulnerable to criminal or terrorist groups or have shown sympathy towards extremist acts, please report it," he added.
Earlier this year, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Peter Fahy publicly rebuked UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage for suggesting that hand gun regulations were too tough, according to Breitbart.
"We should all be grateful that we have got such tight gun control in this country - when you look at the States, it's awful over there," Fahy said.
