The UK and guns laws...lets clear a few things up.

All to often I hear many ATSers shout that we in the UK are disarmed and can not have guns well I will dispel those myths for you here.
We can own Rifles and shotguns but we have to have a licence to do so.


"
Permission to possess or to purchase or acquire a firearm will be granted to an individual who is
assessed by the licensing authority, the police, as not posing a threat to public safety and having
good reason to own the firearm. Organisations such as target shooting clubs, museums and
firearms dealers must also apply for licences if they wish to possess or use firearms"

The licence is is given by the police.

The police are the licensing authority for firearm and shotgun certificates as well as for firearms
dealers. The authority rests with local police forces rather than a central licensing authority
because of the local information that police will use to inform their judgement. Prohibited weapons
such as handguns are authorised by the Home Office on behalf of the Secretary of State.

The police will decide If you can have a firearms licence.

To decide whether a person is fit to own a firearm, the licensing authority will conduct a number
of checks which will usually include interviews, visits to the person’s property, criminal records
checks and references from friends. In addition, the applicant’s GP may be contacted.

The storage of the firearm.

The conditions of a firearm or shotgun certificate stipulate that guns must be stored securely so
as to prevent access by an unlicensed person. The manner in which they are stored depends on
the individual property and circumstances.

www.gov.uk...


So ATS can we please stop bleating that we can't have them?.
Sure you have to prove you need one either for use at a shooting club or use one at work and have to have a safe place for them so no person without a licence can get hold of it but I have a gunsmiths down my town.

www.aaronwheelergunsmith.co.uk...

Ooohhh got some .44 revolvers for sale ....yup sure looks like we can't get any type of gun eh?.
So please accept we are not disarmed If we choose to be we just do not have a gun culture.
We don't have any big wild animals roaming our country side so don't need them for that.
Unless you count drop badgers....
.
Cheers ATS as always .

a reply to: boymonkey74

How many firearms do you own?

How often do you go shooting?

Do you have the same ammo shortage problems that us Yanks do?

Do you hunt?

Foxes?

a reply to: butcherguy

I go clay pigeon shooting around once every couple of months...dab hand at it also but the price puts me off for something I don't do much.
I borrow a shotgun from a pal who has a few at his home and buy the shells from a man in a little ice cream van on site (yes a ice cream van lol).
Fox hunting have been made illegal a few years back.
A fella I know who we call John Bastard (every other word is bastard) hunts rabbits all the time and makes a pretty wage at it also he uses a .22 rifle on a couple of farmers land and brings em into the pub to sell.

I often go into my gunsmiths to buy camping stuff and have had many chats with the owner I have permission If zombies come to make a bee line for his shop and help fight the zombies....he has a great sense of humour and always answers any questions I have about the various guns he has in stock.

a reply to: butcherguy

Fox hunting is illigal in England, as in the OP you are allowed a firearms certificate if you meet certain criteria. I personally know the locations of at least 40 shotguns in a 10 mile radius.

originally posted by: nonspecific
a reply to: butcherguy

Fox hunting is illigal in England, as in the OP you are allowed a firearms certificate if you meet certain criteria. I personally know the locations of at least 40 shotguns in a 10 mile radius.

I actually read the OP.
How many guns do you own?
How many 7mm Magnum hunting rifles in that 10 mile radius?
Are there any AR or AK based rifles in that radius?
I am American and interested in learning.
Thank you in advance.

a reply to: butcherguy

We are allowed semi auto rifles.

www.aaronwheelergunsmith.co.uk...

I suggest going to the site I have given to see what is for sale.

But to ask how many of them are around is silly really because like I said we don't have the culture in owning them.
We don't need high caliber rifles because we don't have the beasties that need them.
This thread isn't about what we have.
Many just don't want nor need them.

It is impossible to say about illigal guns in the area.

Heres some offical but basic info on gun law in the UK

Link to Metropolitan police info

Detailed .gov pdf

I have presonally seen everything from revolvers to uzi's in the UK but your in more than deep trouble for even being caught in the vicinity of one.

a reply to: butcherguy

Sounds like your planning an ambush, If you know how many is in that area then you can prepare for attack. Just interested in your plan of attack.
Thanks in advance. a reply to: butcherguy

a reply to: butcherguy

Oh and ammo I don't know how much it is in the states but here is the link for ammo prices at my gunsmiths.

www.aaronwheelergunsmith.co.uk...

a reply to: boymonkey74

We don't need high caliber rifles because we don't have the beasties that need them. 

Over here, some people have long range rifles for the sole purpose of shooting little 'beasties' (steel silhouettes)... target shooting.

originally posted by: Cloudbuster
Sounds like your planning an ambush, If you know how many is in that area then you can prepare for attack. Just interested in your plan of attack.
Thanks in advance. a reply to: butcherguy

No ambushes planned on my part.
I have accomplished some long range kills on big game animals though.

a reply to: butcherguy

I think the difference is cultural as the monkey says, because we have no beasties as such to shoot there is no need to practice shooting them.

You can join groups for target shooting and can own rifles for hunting if you take certain tests and can justify it, ie you are a gamekeeper who needs to cull deer or a landowner/farmer.

Handguns are illigal as we have no justifiable need for them. The only people I know who own hand guns and automatic weapons are hardcore criminals. I think the minimum sentance for possesion of an unlicenced firearm is 5 years in prison.

originally posted by: nonspecific
a reply to: butcherguy

Handguns are illigal as we have no justifiable need for them. The only people I know who own hand guns and automatic weapons are hardcore criminals. I think the minimum sentance for possesion of an unlicenced firearm is 5 years in prison.

Handguns are illegal ... unless you are christies London.




Al Capones pistol just sold for $109,080 @ christies London
Jun, 23 2011



[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/baf8e35d4fe9.jpg[/atsimg]

ACCOMPANIED BY A COPY OF AN AFFIDAVIT SWORN ON 25TH MARCH 1990 BY MADELEINE CAPONE MORICHETTI, WIDOW OF RALPH CAPONE, STATING THAT "RALPH CAPONE BECAME THE CUSTODIAN AND OWNER OF A CERTAIN COLT POLICE POSITIVE .38 SPECIAL REVOLVER, SERIAL NO. 384221, BEING NICKEL PLATES WITH A WOOD HANDLE, WHICH REVOLVER WAS ACQUIRED FROM AND WAS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BROTHER AL CAPONE".

But you are right, shotguns are the thing.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/88de9637059d.png[/atsimg]

One shotgun listed on the page is over £100,000


Mike Grouchy

a reply to: mikegrouchy

From the home office guidance on fir\arms.

"Section 7: Firearms of historic interest:
(1)
The authority of the Secretary of State or the Scottish Ministers (by virtue of provision
made under section 63 of the Scotland Act 1998) is not required by virtue of subsection (1)
(aba) of section 5 of the 1968 Act for a person to have in his possession, or to purchase or
acquire, or to sell or transfer, a firearm which-
(a)
was manufactured before 1 January 1919; and
(b)
is of a description specified under subsection (2) below,
if he is authorised by a firearm certificate to have a firearm in his possession, or to
purchase or acquire it, subject to a condition that he does so only for the purpose of its
being kept or exhibited as part of a collection.
(2)
The Secretary of State may by order made by Statutory Instrument specify a description of
firearm for the purposes of subsection (1) above if it appears to him that –
(a)
firearms of that description were manufactured before 1 January 1919 and;
(b)
ammunition for firearms of that type is not readily available.
(3)
The authority of the Secretary of State or the Scottish Ministers (by virtue of provision made
under section 63 of the Scotland Act 1998) is not required by virtue of subsection 1(aba)
of section 5 of the 1968 Act for a person to have in his possession, or to purchase or
acquire, or to sell or transfer, a firearm which:
(a)
is of particular rarity, aesthetic quality or technical interest; or
(b)
is of historical importance.
if he is authorised by a firearm certificate to have the firearm in his possession subject to
a condition requiring it to be kept and used only at a place designated for the purposes of
this subsection by the Secretary of State or the Scottish Ministers (by virtue of provision
made under section 63 of the Scotland Act 1998).
(4)
This section has effect without prejudice to section 58(2) of the 1968 Act (antique firearms).
9.5.
In broad terms, section 7 divides historic handguns, other than antiques and muzzle-
loaders, into two classes: those which may be kept at home without ammunition, and
those which may be kept and fired at a designated secure site.
9.6.
Set out below is an explanation of how the terms of section 7 might apply in practice:

a reply to: mikegrouchy

The 1997 law did not ban pistols as such and was drafted in terms of small firearms.[23]:3.2 British law defines a "pistol" as a firearm with a barrel shorter than 30 cm or a total length of less than 60 cm[25] (this definition encompasses revolvers, revolving pistols). Only muzzle-loading pistols—including muzzle-loading revolvers—are permitted; in practice all such firearms use black powder—a Class 1 explosive—as the propellant. Small quantities of muzzle-loading pistols and revolvers in various calibres, which comply with the regulations, are manufactured.[26] All other pistols are prohibited on the UK mainland, with some exceptions such as pistols used for the humane dispatch of injured animals (such as deer) and some historical firearms.


I just learnt this also .

Since we're clearing up misconceptions and getting all ignorance denialy, I'll chip in a bit about the U.S.

I seems sometimes people in other countries are of the belief that we over here are all running rampant through the streets shootin' our guns in the air while chanting 'merica! 'Merica!

Such is really not the case. A person who is uninterested in guns in general could likely go their entire life here and never even so much as see one other than on the hip of a cop. Or of course movies and TV. Of course you would see them where they are sold, but that is regulated pretty well.

The vast majority of our gun owners keep them secure and out of sight. The ones that don't usually fall into the criminal category.

Yes there are shootings. But I think that is more of a symptom of a sickness that is breaking down society in general rather than a result of simply having guns available. Certainly not in the scope of this thread to delve into.

Guns here in the US are not nearly as pervasive into the daily lives of our citizenry as you are lead to believe.

a reply to: caterpillage

Many on ATS have learnt this from good members in the USA including myself.
I understand your need for guns and know 99.9999% of owners are responsible with their guns.
Cheers for you input.
Learning and respecting each others cultures is a great thing to do.

a reply to: nonspecific

Yup over here on this side of the pond we have a lot more large game to deal with.

I remember talking with people up in AK, everyone carries around there. But they deal with what I like to call "oh sh!t game". But I remember talking with a buddy that was down in my area visiting family and resupplying / filling order request for other people up there, and my sister in-law asked why he carried a gun over using the new at that time bear spray. His reply "dead bears run slower then pissed off bears".

a reply to: boymonkey74

Yes, let's clear some things up indeed.

First of all, if you cannot give a reason other than home defence, when applying for a license to own a firearm, then you will not get permission unless there is a specific threat to you or your family. Living in a bad neighbourhood therefore and wanting to protect yourself against home invaders will not cut it, despite the fact that as uses of firearms go, that is perhaps the only legitimately necessary one.

People in the country use firearms to rid themselves of pest and verminous critters, and this is considered a legitimate reason by police forces in many cases. Also, because of the solitude out in the sticks they recognise that metropolitan police forces will find it difficult to respond to a dangerous situation reported at such a location, before the damage has already been done, and so they are more likely to grant a license to those who live out in the sticks, for the applicants protection, and that is the only exception to the general rule I alluded to in the first paragraph of this post.

Furthermore, an excuse that will NEVER cut it here, for wanting to own a firearm of any kind, is "because I have a right to do so".

To be honest, I utterly fail to agree that the law on ARMS of all kinds, not just guns, is written in such a way as to provide individuals with access to the rights they have according to the traditions and the legislation from which issued the foundations of not just the United States, but the United Kingdom also. In fact, it was the letter of law in THIS country which was the inspiration for the American 2nd amendment in the first place! How sorrowful then, that I may not carry a sword about my business as a Briton, that any impediment can be placed between a person of good standing, and owning and keeping arms for ANY reason, that we are at all beholden to a police force in order to acquire any element of our rights in this country.

One could argue that if it is necessary to ASK for a thing, then that thing cannot be considered a right. If one can be denied a thing, then it cannot be called a right. As things stand, we in this country should either have an actual right, free of nonsense, to bear arms, or we should ask our representatives in parliament to be honest about how they feel about an armed populace, and vote to take our rights away in the letter of the law, as they have been in spirit.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: boymonkey74
People in the country use firearms to rid themselves of pest and verminous critters, and this is considered a legitimate reason by police forces in many cases. Also, because of the solitude out in the sticks they recognise that metropolitan police forces will find it difficult to respond to a dangerous situation reported at such a location, before the damage has already been done, and so they are more likely to grant a license to those who live out in the sticks, for the applicants protection, and that is the only exception to the general rule I alluded to in the first paragraph of this post.

Having grown up remote Lincolnshire I can definatley agree to this both for vermin control, hunting on on rare occasions protection.

I grew up around 4 miles from a secure mental institution and on occasion inmates would escape.

On one such occasion the local policeman came round to advise us to stay indoors until further notice and asked my dad if he had any shotguns in the house. My dad replied no he did not to which the local bobby suggested that if after he left my dad remembered that he did in fact have any shotguns in the house then he should load them and be prepeared to use them as the escapee was a multiple mass murderer and an issue of missing firearms licences could be sorted out later.

Sufice to say my dad loaded both guns pretty quickly and we were stuck indoors for a day or so until the guy was caught.

This was back in the early eighties when such things where not as serious as they are now and he handed them in in an amnesty some years later.