I am writing in response to your headline: "Gun-totin' kids with a licence" (The Argus, April 19).

I find the hypocrisy of Sussex Police absolutely staggering. On one hand in its concerted effort to rid society of guns and on the other its dishing out of gun licences to children after no more than a perfunctory interview.

It seems there is one law for people living in the countryside and one for those living outside rural communities.

All these country kids have to do is fill out a form and attend a short police interview. Presumably, they only have to tell the police that they are going to kill animals and not humans and away they go.

Never mind the accidental shooting of each other which can often happen in these unregulated environments.

Even the most reasonable seeming young person can lose their temper or get involved with the wrong people.

The possession of guns by young people leads to tragedy. I welcome the EU ban on anyone under 18 from owning a gun becoming law here in 2010.

  • David Hammond, North Court, Hassocks