Plymouth Shooting

There are two elements that this tragic episode has stressed;
The first element is related to England, Wales, Scotland firearms licence procedure. There is a myth that in England firearms control is one of the strongest in Europe; I am not convinced:

1. Anyone aged 14 and above can obtain a firearm certificate. In other EU countries for instance Italy you need to be 18 years old to apply;
2. In England, to grant the firearms certificate, the police will check if the person requires the firearm on “ a regular, legitimate basis for work, sport or leisure.” When the person is given the certificate, the GP would know and it is up to the GP to act if he/she thinks there are problems. I think instead the certificate should be given only if a person has undergone a visit and tests by a third party clinician which proves absence of specific neurological alterations, absence of mental and personality disorders and addiction to drugs or abuse of alcoholic substances as occur in other countries. This visit should also be done at the time of renewal of the certificate.
3. Individuals are not required to reveal their mental health state during the period they hold the certificate, GPs have a duty to “disclose information where they believe the patient may present a risk of death or serious harm to themselves or others”. The law places an excessive liability and discretion on GPs….

The second element is linked to the INCEL subculture. I have written already a post on this subculture and their link to the Far-Right ; I am not surprised about this tragic episode.
Incel (involuntary celibacy.”) “subculture” has silently grown in the past years ; many of their online discussions have moved underground on encrypted apps or closed forums in Internet. Incel ideology is based on negative human emotions namely frustration of being lonely , hate and misogynism and in some cases promotion of violence and sadly homicides. It is another big challenge for the UK security agencies due also to the difficulty of being traced online. It is also very difficult once their forums are monitored to differentiate who just speak and who will carry out violence.

Because of this milieu , Incel groups are also the focus of “SOME” (ONA types) far-right groups to radicalise members.