As I said previously, I can't claim to speak for all licence holders. But it's an interesting comparison.

Consider what the purpose of vehicle registration is. Does vehicle registration stop vehicle theft? Or stop bad guys from driving around, even if they don't have a licence? Vehicle registration laws are doing really well against the dirt bike gangs at the moment aren't they?

So, as far as I can see, the main purposes of vehicle registration are taxation and monitoring. Taxation through the regular licensing fee, and monitoring through the registration number.

Ok, good. So the monitoring reduces vehicle crime right? Well, it gives the authorities a few things:

• A method to determine who a vehicle belongs to, so when they see it breaking the law, they can use that number to issue a fine to the owner (e.g. speed cameras, red-light cameras).
• Because registered ownership has to be transferred from one owner to the next, it reduces the market for stolen vehicles within the general public (i.e. people buying a second-hand vehicle that they didn't know was stolen).
• They can also theoretically use those numbers to track down the rightful owner of a stolen vehicle if it is recovered.

All good so far.

But, firearms are not vehicles. They are used in quite a different context, and I don't think the comparison holds up well.

• Firearms aren't typically used in a way that the firearm can be more easily identified than the user. The serial number on a rifle is usually about 2 - 3mm tall, stamped into the receiver. If you can read that, you can probably identify the person holding it by a more direct manner...
• The transfer of registered ownership would reduce the market for firearms being sold by licensed owners to unlicensed people. If that were a major problem, but I just don't believe that it is. It does nothing for the market for stolen firearms, because they were always being sold to criminals anyway, and laws only affect people who obey laws in the first place.
• The tracking down of the rightful owner of a stolen item would be great for that person. But considering the security requirements for the storage of firearms, I think most licensed owners are not that concerned about having their firearms stolen if they are stored legally.

So really, what we are left with is more process, more taxation to pay for a service we don't feel that we benefit from, and a register of information who's main purpose for existing appears to be enabling Police to audit licensed owners looking for reasons to punish us, or to ban and confiscate our sports equipment, some of which is highly treasured.

Imagine if vehicles weren't currently registered and the government passed a law to introduce vehicle registration. Imagine how the majority of drivers would feel about being made to pay for a system that offered them few benefits and many perceived downsides.

Now imagine that the excuse that was used to introduce that law was that someone had used a vehicle to cause a lot of harm, but that person had been given a licence without being properly qualified under the existing laws. And supporters of the change dismissed anyone who disagreed with them as a "car nut" and "American car culture".

If you magine how you, as a safe and legal driver would feel about that situation, you might feel a little empathy for the shooting sports community.