London:A 10-year-old in Britain cannot legally buy cigarettes or alcohol but it now turns out that a child has been issued a licence for a shotgun, the most used crime weapon in the country.
In Bedfordshire County, the police issued 49 shotgun and other firearms licences to under-18s, including a child aged 10, in the last one-year.
Anti-arms campaigners are up in arms demanding an immediate change in the law.
The police released the figures following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
It was also revealed that the number of shotguns owned in the county has gone up thrice from 353 to 1,095 in one year while licences for other firearms rose from 342 to 590.
Under current laws, children are allowed to apply for gun licences in the same way as adults.
Lucy Cope, founder of Mothers Against Guns, called for the child's licence to be revoked.
She told Daily Mail: "There is no way a 10-year-old should have a shotgun - it is horrendous. Police should hang their heads in shame. I'd like to speak to that child's mother and father and the police officers who thought it was a good idea. What were they thinking?"
But the National Rifle Association thinks differently, saying there is no issue if children are supervised properly.
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