Mark-of-Scotland
Marksman
Hello everyone and welcome to my first thread.
Personally i want to try and enable new firearms rules and regulations in the UK regarding the sale, ownership and legal use of a variety of Firearms in the UK.
As the law currently stands here Firearms are not actually legally banned but they are regulated out of the possession and use of about 99% of the population which results in a De Facto ban.
A brief summary of UK firearm regulations is this:
Handguns:
Handguns are generally permitted only for a small number of people in official positions. I am unsure about the legality of mentioning which people these are so i will not elaborate on this matter.
Handguns for the general public are only permitted for those who have passed strict criteria, have obtained a license which is almost impossible to obtain due to the complexity and narrow field (in metaphorical terms of width it's not so much a field as it is a tightrope) of lawful requirement and must be registered, kept in a locked container in ONE location only (you cannot move handguns from range to range if you wish to switch ranges you must leave your guns behind) which is a firing range used for police training. It cannot under any circumstances be kept in your home or other private property.
Rifles and Shotguns:
Shotguns and Rifles are permitted for pest control only and can only be used as such by licensed and qualified individuals who have obtained shooting rights on private property (after obtaining a firearm shooting rights are the hardest thing o get and the easiest thing to lose)
Shotguns must have a barrel length of over 24 inches and be incapable of holding 3 rounds or more.
Rifles must be bolt action or if semi-automatic is legally permitted be unable to hold more than 3 rounds (one in the chamber two in the Magazine).
Even with these restrictions the most commonly permitted ammunition is .22 rimfire.
Air Rifles:
As of august 2012 it is illegal to purchase or make a gift of an air rifle if or to a person under 18, not a full member (full membership in most clubs often requires a year or more of frequent attendance and participation in club activities as the guest of a current full member) of an established and reputable air rifle club.
Ammunition:
Shotgun ammunition is ironically not restricted very much. Basically no Exotic ammo. There is no limit on the amount you can own and you don't actually have to have a valid shotgun license to purchase it.
All other ammunition.
Possession of ammunition is forbidden without proper licence and often carries a higher punishment than illegal possession of a firearm (using the logic that the ammunition is meant for killing but the firearm itself might be owned because it looks pretty or something i assume. It makes no sense at all). The type, brand and calibre of the ammunition must be declared and there is severe limitations on the number of individual rounds an individual is allowed to own in all locations, I.E. Let us say the limit is 100 rounds of .22 rimfire. This means that an individual may only have 100 rounds either in his home or divided among properties where he is legally allowed to shoot. He cannot have 100 rounds in each location.
License:
Granting of a license is subject to strict rules including but not limited to Personal background checks
Medical reports stating you have no history or possible propensity towards mental health issues no matter what the issues may be.
Medical reports stating you are in a reasonable state of health. (terminally ill or otherwise unhealthy people are refused)
Criminal background check to look for ANY criminal offense even as minor as a speeding ticket. This check is required to search juvenile records as well.
The location where you live (if you live in a poor or "bad" neighborhood then no gun for you)
Medical Reports regarding the physical and mental state of health of friends, family (up to three generations back) and co-workers of the applicant.
All of these details are available by written request to people in the UK wishing to study or otherwise use the data regarding firearms in the UK. they are NOT published online.
Aside from that an applicants political status is also taken into consideration. People with no political history are OK but those involved in political parties or who are political activists have a tougher time. In general if you support any of the three main parties you have nothing to worry about because they are all pretty much the same. If your party or political ideology is in any way against current government policy you will most likely be banned from owning for life and have your application rejected and yes these political checks also extend to friends, relatives and co-workers.
I myself am banned for life from owning a firearms license as are my family members (who are not known opponents of my former party) for my previous membership of a Legally registered British Political Party. My family are all either anti-gun or have no interest in guns at all anyway.
This summary is a mixture of both legal requirements and De Facto accepted practice.
I apologize for the sheer wall of text.
Now after reading that what would you say would be the best or most practical way to rectify the situation and what new rules do you think should be implemented.
Remember I'm trying to scrap current rules and regulations and replace with a new and more logical set so it would help to think of it as being a clean slate with which to start with.
Personally i want to try and enable new firearms rules and regulations in the UK regarding the sale, ownership and legal use of a variety of Firearms in the UK.
As the law currently stands here Firearms are not actually legally banned but they are regulated out of the possession and use of about 99% of the population which results in a De Facto ban.
A brief summary of UK firearm regulations is this:
Handguns:
Handguns are generally permitted only for a small number of people in official positions. I am unsure about the legality of mentioning which people these are so i will not elaborate on this matter.
Handguns for the general public are only permitted for those who have passed strict criteria, have obtained a license which is almost impossible to obtain due to the complexity and narrow field (in metaphorical terms of width it's not so much a field as it is a tightrope) of lawful requirement and must be registered, kept in a locked container in ONE location only (you cannot move handguns from range to range if you wish to switch ranges you must leave your guns behind) which is a firing range used for police training. It cannot under any circumstances be kept in your home or other private property.
Rifles and Shotguns:
Shotguns and Rifles are permitted for pest control only and can only be used as such by licensed and qualified individuals who have obtained shooting rights on private property (after obtaining a firearm shooting rights are the hardest thing o get and the easiest thing to lose)
Shotguns must have a barrel length of over 24 inches and be incapable of holding 3 rounds or more.
Rifles must be bolt action or if semi-automatic is legally permitted be unable to hold more than 3 rounds (one in the chamber two in the Magazine).
Even with these restrictions the most commonly permitted ammunition is .22 rimfire.
Air Rifles:
As of august 2012 it is illegal to purchase or make a gift of an air rifle if or to a person under 18, not a full member (full membership in most clubs often requires a year or more of frequent attendance and participation in club activities as the guest of a current full member) of an established and reputable air rifle club.
Ammunition:
Shotgun ammunition is ironically not restricted very much. Basically no Exotic ammo. There is no limit on the amount you can own and you don't actually have to have a valid shotgun license to purchase it.
All other ammunition.
Possession of ammunition is forbidden without proper licence and often carries a higher punishment than illegal possession of a firearm (using the logic that the ammunition is meant for killing but the firearm itself might be owned because it looks pretty or something i assume. It makes no sense at all). The type, brand and calibre of the ammunition must be declared and there is severe limitations on the number of individual rounds an individual is allowed to own in all locations, I.E. Let us say the limit is 100 rounds of .22 rimfire. This means that an individual may only have 100 rounds either in his home or divided among properties where he is legally allowed to shoot. He cannot have 100 rounds in each location.
License:
Granting of a license is subject to strict rules including but not limited to Personal background checks
Medical reports stating you have no history or possible propensity towards mental health issues no matter what the issues may be.
Medical reports stating you are in a reasonable state of health. (terminally ill or otherwise unhealthy people are refused)
Criminal background check to look for ANY criminal offense even as minor as a speeding ticket. This check is required to search juvenile records as well.
The location where you live (if you live in a poor or "bad" neighborhood then no gun for you)
Medical Reports regarding the physical and mental state of health of friends, family (up to three generations back) and co-workers of the applicant.
All of these details are available by written request to people in the UK wishing to study or otherwise use the data regarding firearms in the UK. they are NOT published online.
Aside from that an applicants political status is also taken into consideration. People with no political history are OK but those involved in political parties or who are political activists have a tougher time. In general if you support any of the three main parties you have nothing to worry about because they are all pretty much the same. If your party or political ideology is in any way against current government policy you will most likely be banned from owning for life and have your application rejected and yes these political checks also extend to friends, relatives and co-workers.
I myself am banned for life from owning a firearms license as are my family members (who are not known opponents of my former party) for my previous membership of a Legally registered British Political Party. My family are all either anti-gun or have no interest in guns at all anyway.
This summary is a mixture of both legal requirements and De Facto accepted practice.
I apologize for the sheer wall of text.
Now after reading that what would you say would be the best or most practical way to rectify the situation and what new rules do you think should be implemented.
Remember I'm trying to scrap current rules and regulations and replace with a new and more logical set so it would help to think of it as being a clean slate with which to start with.
