So who has just lost his Void system?

Why would anyone advocate hiring out equipment whe  we are mostly locked down. Clearly not going to a house party is it. They deserve it as much as the organisers.

There are legitimate hires happening as James has demonstrated, if a reasonable reason was dreamt up and provided then why not?

A phone call to the police if you were suspicious that all might not be as presented.

I too doubt that was what happened though, rich kids who can throw away money and who think it's all made up because they don't know anyone who's died personally

Hypothetical case..... A man hires a Ferrari and then proceeds to go down the motorway at 150mph. Do we:-

a). Prosecute and punish the driver to the extent of the law.

b). Prosecute the driver, plus the hire company and crush the Ferrari.

c). Prosecute both the above, plus ban Ferraris as they are not suitable to be driven on UK roads.

That's why most armourers use either deactivated or blank firing only weapons and add the firing effects later. It's also why car hire companies are obliged to ensure the customer is licenced for the particular vehicle they hire and why they are required to make sure the appropriate insurance is in place. Once those conditions are met they are not liable if their customer mis-uses the vehicle in question.

Since there is no requirement for licencing of sound equipment they should not be held liable for mis-use. I expect under the current situation they would be advised to establish a reason for the hire, but beyond that I don't see any liability.

I would also add that I didn't comment one way or the other. I simply posed a quetion as to how far the state should impinge on individual freedom Do you want freedom "from" or freedom "to", because they are diametrically opposed.