BURY Gun Club could be forced to close following new legislation on gun laws.

The news comes after the Government announced a ban on all handguns over .22 calibre. Handguns of .22 calibre or less will have to be held in secure club armouries.

The Bury based club, at Peel Mills, Castlecroft, has between 120 and 150 members, who between them own about 675 firearms.

Club proprietor, Michael Darlington slammed the ban as "far too extreme".

Speaking after the announcement he said: "They may as well have banned all firearms."

He added that the only way the club would survive was if they turned into a rifle club.

Mr Darlington said: "If you ban handguns, excluding the police and army, then the only people who will have them will be the criminals.

"And if someone wanted to get hold of a gun to kill someone, the new laws will not make a scrap of difference.

"Even a .22 calibre gun can kill a person with a single shot."

He said that it was unlikely that any members of the gun club would own a .22 handgun, which can cost up to £2,000.

The new legislation comes into effect after Christmas, and law breakers will face stiff penalties of up to ten years in prison.

Bury Gun Club is one of 2,118 registered gun clubs in Britain.

There are 57,000 licensed gun owners in the country, although the number of illegally owned handguns is estimated at one million.

Retrieving the the 160,000 legally held weapons will cost the Government £24 million in compensation. These weapons will be de-activated, melted down or sold aboard.

The new proposals won't effect the ownership of shotguns.

Exemptions to the rule could include vets, who used high calibre guns for the humane destruction of large animals and horses on racecourses.

A recent pole carried out by Labour Party workers showed that 971 people out of 975 in Bury and Ramsbottom were in favour of the ban, with only four people voting against.

Bury Labour candidate Mr David Chaytor said: "This is not just an emotional reaction to the appalling events of Dunblane, it reflects a deep-seated concern about the rising tide of violent crime.

"Most people see the handgun ban is one means of preventing Britain from going down the path of the US in its gun culture."

Mr Darlington added: "We realise that this is vote catcher by the Government, but do the electorate know how many people will be out of work following this ban.

"I am devastated by the measures, but if the law says to get rid of our guns then that is what we must do. We hope that adequate compensation will be paid.

"The shooting fraternity have suffered in the past and it appears that all shooters are to be persecuted for what two people, out of the whole population, did in Hungerford and Dunblane."

Around 30 firearms are stored at the club, ranging from 9mm semi-automatic pistols to 44 magnum revolvers.

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