Gun laws and hunting in the The UK

[El Kabong]

I watched Shaun of the Dead a half dozen times. I know they have at least one rifle.

The bit of decoration at The Winchester?

Handguns and fully automatic rifles are completely prohibited, as are semi automatic weapons over .22 (there are exceptions, such as slaughterhouses, items of historical interests, elite sports teams and animal culling)

Interesting. In the US you must have a license for a handgun (well to legally own one you do). To own a fully automatic rifle there's a lot of hoops one has to jump through in order to get that privilege and it requires random audits from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms....class 3 licenses are difficult to obtain in the best cases and impossible to obtain in the worst cases. It depends greatly on where you live and who is in charge of your area and how comfortable they are with handing out such licenses.


Judging from that you guys ALMOST could have AR-15s, almost....they are just a smidge above .22


I'm not certain if knife crime would increase in the US if guns were banned, I do know gun crime would spike dramatically as a full on gun ban wouldn't be accepted by the populace especially members of that populace who are armed.


It is crazy the knife laws in the UK, there's not an adult male that I know in the United States who doesn't carry a knife at all times. But then again none of those folks that I'm talking about are in gangs.

[walrus]

Thanks x let me ask this if I may. When handguns became illegal in 97, including starter pistols under blar I hear, what happened to the legal owners? I did read the government bought back 162,000 guns and anyone in possession of a pistol is subject to 5 years in prison did some of the previous legal own. Did some decide to keep them or did the government seek them out? I just ask this out of curiosity not critique. You may do as you wish but was the populace in favor of this or were they protesting? I just wonder how it was handled when someone held something legally and it turned illegal.

[X]

I'm not completely sure what happened to all the guns in 1997, but there have been numerous 'amnesties' when people can hand in illegal weapons with no questions asked. I don't know if the police bought them? They then had a huge clampdown on guns, and put lots of people in jail for a long time.

Quite a few people, mainly gun clubs and enthusiasts, were unhappy and tried to get some exemptions etc (which they succeeded in)

There were not big mass protests, and most of the population was in favour because they were genuinely appalled at what happened at Dunblane School and were determined nothing like that should happen again in Britain.

I quite like guns, and I have fired many different ones for many years ..... but when I'm in the pub with my wife and things get a bit drunkenly heated I'm normally glad that the mouthy little shit starting all the trouble probably doesn't have a hidden handgun on him.

Im talking about the UK here ... I have NOTHING to say about US gun laws

[walrus]

I'm not completely sure what happened to all the guns in 1997, but there have been numerous 'amnesties' when people can hand in illegal weapons with no questions asked. I don't know if the police bought them? They then had a huge clampdown on guns, and put lots of people in jail for a long time.

Quite a few people, mainly gun clubs and enthusiasts, were unhappy and tried to get some exemptions etc (which they succeeded in)

There were not big mass protests, and most of the population was in favour because they were genuinely appalled at what happened at Dunblane School and were determined nothing like that should happen again in Britain.

I quite like guns, and I have fired many different ones for many years ..... but when I'm in the pub with my wife and things get a bit drunkenly heated I'm normally glad that the mouthy little shit starting all the trouble probably doesn't have a hidden handgun on him.

Im talking about the UK here ... I have NOTHING to say about US gun laws

No I’m not even thinking US gun laws as I pose these questions I just want to know how it went down. I have no idea how many brits had guns in 96 and how it was handled gathering them in 97. I did look into it a little and see they had government buybacks which the US does, no questions asked at times to get guns off the streets. It’s more interesting hearing it from one of you then reading up on it.

[greynotsoold]

Is there good hunting in the UK? What variety of game?

[Master]

Is there good hunting in the UK? What variety of game?

No hunting it is all banned

[Beanz]

Is there good hunting in the UK? What variety of game?

A lot of birds, pheasants, Grouse, Ducks and then Deer, and Rabbits etc. Just across the water in France they still have wild boar which they hunt a lot but in the UK they are only starting to be re-established so while you can hunt them with the land owners permission, it's still not common.

[walrus]

Anyone ever eaten grouse? I don’t care for venison, rabbits are cute, ducks I eat but only at restaurants. I am no longer a hunter, I’m not against those who hunt and harvest I just don’t do it. I am curious about grouse as I guy I know ate one in an extreme survival challenge.

[X]

It is crazy the knife laws in the UK, there's not an adult male that I know in the United States who doesn't carry a knife at all times. But then again none of those folks that I'm talking about are in gangs.

You can buy any knife you like here, but there are some restrictions on what you can have in your pocket in public places.

You can also carry a knife in the UK in public. I think it needs to have a blade 3 inches or less, and to be of a folding type. I.e. No switchblades etc.

You have to be over 18 to buy a knife, but nobody pays that much attention as I bought a nice lock knife for my 10 year old nephew at a country fair last week. He chose it, handed it over to the guy, I bought it and he then put it in his pocket. I suspect people just use a bit of common sense about this.

I think the idea is that people can carry a knife that is a tool, so whittling/fishing/farming/fruit peeling/general handiness is ok - but not a knife that might be primarily a weapon, or that can be quickly deployed in a fit of temper.

I do think it's a bit too much interference, but it's the gang members weapon of choice at the moment and they are trying to defuse that arms race (with arguable success to be honest)