I know the law is the law etc…..but this seems a touch harsh.

A grandmother has been jailed for five years for possessing a "family heirloom" World War II pistol.

Gail Cochrane, 53, had kept the gun for 29 years following the death of her father, who had been in the Royal Navy.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/10335003.stm

If you can't do the time

A WW2 pistol is still a perfectly viable weapon. I know a bloke who's got loads of this gear, but it's all de-activated. Everyone knows that this kit needs to be deactivated. So why didn't she take it along to a gunsmith and get it done?

A lot more than is in that report is my guess. Gun under a mattress – thats not where you keep family heirlooms.

Does seem harsh, but why was it under her mattress and not displayed above the fireplace like most 'souvenir' firearms? She should have got caught in England where the 'mandatory' five year sentence can get reduced by 4/5ths…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8543537.stm

A lot more than is in that report is my guess. Gun under a mattress – thats not where you keep family heirlooms.

Indeed. Everyone knows the safest place for a gun is tucked in your waistband 8)

Gun under the mattress, a conviction for serious assault and a son who likes waving a knife around?

5 years = good result

Remember gun safety people
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmRN00KbCr8

Age of the weapon is irrelevant. The pistol that killed Rhys Jones was a rusty knackered thing, the fact is it was still able to fire a bullet & kill.

Cochrane told the High Court in Edinburgh that she had never contemplated she might be committing a crime by keeping the gun or that she might need to get a licence for the weapon.

Give me a break. She lived through the gun law changes after Hungerford and Dunblane and it never once occurred to her that the pistol that she kept under the bed might not be legal?

And so what if she's a grandmother?

TandemJeremy – Member
A lot more than is in that report is my guess

As ever, usual headline-seeking pish.

Not reported yet but look here in a few days:

http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/opinionsApp/supreme.asp

Should have been 10 years she clearly was hiding for someone (most [probably son) family heirloom my ar–.

in another report it said: "The judge added that others could have had access to the weapon, including John Cochrane, who has previous convictions for assault and possession of a knife."

Oops should have been a "+1" for TJ in my post above.

Extra! Extra! ZaNu Liebore fascist gun laws imprison sweet little old lady who only wanted to protect herself from refugee facebook hoodies intent on stealing her freshly-baked apple pies!

…and YOU'RE paying for it!

who keeps a gun under their mattress for legitimate reaons??
Does seem more to the case than meets the eye but it is beynd belief she did not realise it was wrong to keep the gun under your mattress…no one is that daft.

Lots of scumbags keep their guns away from their own homes – it's all about being caught in possesion you see. They pick them up before commiting any crimes then return them back to their "safe" hiding places. They usually use kids they know. This stupid woman was doing exactly the same thing and she knew it so glad she got what she deserved.

I wonder if she had a lawyer at her initial police interview? Because in Scotland, unlike in practically any other Western jurisdiction, the police are empowered to deny you a lawyer at the station. This issue has just been to the Supreme Court and they're almost certainly going to say that the Scottish policy breaches the Human Rights Act. So that makes this conviction likely to have been based on flawed evidence. Assuming she was denied a solicitor at the interview stage.

Well you know, if you get shot with a family heirloom and you die, your family don't mind as much.