Letter: Excuses for selling arms

Excuses for selling arms

From Mr John Stubbs

Sir: If you tried to sell a gun or a bomb or a landmine to a killer on the streets of Britain, you would be imprisoned. "If I didn't sell it, someone else would," or "Got to make a living, guv" - neither defence would get you very far in court. We are a civilised society, after all. If a foreigner tried it, we would know immediately that he was from a society less civilised than ours.

From the evidence of Alan Clark and his colleagues, I fortunately have been helped to understand that because we are a civilised society we only sell arms to killers in other countries far away, of whom we know little, and whose society is not as civilised as ours in Britain.

Yours faithfully,

John Stubbs

London, NW1