Gun control - one view of the issue

[snakey1]

There's some truth in the above, but according to the home office the ban was not to reduce gun crime (I wrote to them and that was the reply I recieved). We can have hand guns in the UK, we are just very, very limited - long barrelled pistols, black powder or historic. I have the former long barrelled free pistol locked safely away in my gun cabinet.

 

Also there is no UK Olympic team, there is a GBR squad. Certain members of that squad now legally have .22 cartridge pistols and can train with them in the UK (they are on section 5 tickets). There are I think 2 home office approved ranges in England and I think the first training session with them took place earlier this year, training 25M (sport) pistol and rapid fire.

 

Rob.

So what was the ban about if it wasn't to reduce crime ? (I believe that was the reason regularly published by the media at the time).The truth is probably closer to the fact that it was an election year and it would win the votes of the mindless masses who believe everything they read in the Sun etc, and that it gave the govenment even more restrictive control over the UKs population.

As for the ownership of handguns in the UK I believe you can still own a normal handgun over the water in NI even though this is classified as being part of the UK (It was the only place I know of in the UK where you used to be able to legitimately use self defence as the justification for the ownership of a handgun, i'm not sure whether this still stands though). I'm curious Rob what length of barrel does there need to be on a handgun before it goes from class 5 back to class 1 ? (just looked it up barrel length is 30 cm and/or overall length of 60cm, anything less is Class 5 according to the application form, not really a handgun anymore IMO).

So the GBR olympic squad have to hold their weapons on a section 5 ticket (something that is normally reserved for firearms manufacturers and dealers as also classified as section 5 weapons are fully automatic weapons i.e the M249 SAW and the L7A2 GPMG, short barreled shotguns, missile launchers, morters and flamethrowers and which you have to apply to the Secretary of State for permission to obtain) and there is only 2 appoved ranges in England, I take it they have only recently been allowed to do this as I seem to remember them not being able to hold their weapons and practice in the UK and lobbying the Govenment about it, it wouldn't have happened around the same time we were granted the Olympics by any chance would it? What a ridiculous state of affairs.

Edited February 5, 2010 by snakey1

[RobStubbs]

The ban was almost certainly political nonsense and vote winning by appeasment. It certainly was never going to be about reducing crime - although that was obviously cited by the politicians.

 

The section 5 guns were allowed in towards the end of last year, although the principle of it was agreed probably almost 2 years ago now (but well after the olympics were granted - don't forget, we're only talking about 1 small sport).

 

I can't answer the rest now, I need my liquid lunch

 

<edit> Take a look at my avatar - that's the pistol I'm talking about - so what would you call it ?

 

Handguns are allowed in the channel islands, IOM, Northern and to some extent the republic of Ireland.

 

Rob.

Edited February 5, 2010 by RobStubbs

[snakey1]

Sorry your right Rob and heres another handgun that has a barrel length specifically to fit under the UKs 12/24 section 1 firearm rule

In case your interested its an Uberti American Buntline with an 18" barrel