CHILDREN as young as 10 have been issued with shotgun licences by Dorset Police.

More than 100 licences for guns have been issued to young people under 18 in the last two years.

These include shotgun licences to a 10-year-old, an 11-year-old, two 12-year-olds and six 13-year-olds.

Licences for rifles have been issued to two 15-year-olds, two 16-year-olds and ten 17-year-olds.

In total over the last three years 89 licences for shotguns and 14 firearm licences for rifles have been issued to people under the voting age.

The Daily Echo obtained these figures under the Freedom of Information Act but the police refused to say where in the county the licences were issued.

There is no minimum age to obtain a shotgun licence but police have to check the youngster is not a danger to the public safety or the peace and that they have a good reason for possessing a weapon. According to the police website, use for sport or pest control can constitute a good reason.

Shooting is growing in popularity for young people according to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Senior firearms officer for the association Mike Everleigh said he served as a policeman for 32 years, some of that time as an armed officer. He thinks allowing children to use legal weapons is a good thing.

He said: "Children are initially attracted to shooting because of what they see in films but they very quickly see that shooting is nothing like that.

"Children learn the responsibility that comes with the power of a gun. They also learn techniques to calm down because it is impossible to shoot well if you are excited or angry."

Graham Brown, owner of the Purbeck Shooting School, which teaches clay target shooting, agreed.

He said: "We teach children as young as seven and often the children who are properly taught are safer with the guns than some of the adults."

Shooting is taught at schools in the area. At Sherborne School boys do clay pigeon shooting and the school also has a shooting range.