chris955

Lets not forget that guns dont kill people, people kill people

nun

Unless the guns are antiques I think that it won't be possible to bring them with you to the UK.

Just as an aside while I would never own guns myself, and support strict limitations on their ownership by others, I would still never demonize gun owners. There are may things to admire in the gun ownership community in the US. I don't agree with the NRA's interpretation of the 2nd Amendment, but the tradition of responsible gun ownership in the US is a deep part of the culture and cannot easily be understood from a European perspective.

MikeUK

But the irresponsible length the NRA goes to allow free sale of guns, guns that travel the world is easily understood by any country that has gang issue that is intensified by illegal guns..
I believe the vast majority of illegal guns in Canada came from the US

chris955

Exactly, the rest of the world pays the price for Americas obsession with guns.

spouse of scouse

Nun, I agree with you about not demonizing gun owners. I'm sure the OP is a good person and responsible with his firearms, and I realize that 'the right to bear arms' is part of the US legal and cultural systems. I don't pretend to understand the pull, and I don't want to. But legislation moves with the times, and try as I might I simply can't see the relevance of this right to own firearms in today's world.

I do and can, however, demonize governments who kowtow to wealthy, influential lobby groups such as the NRA, and put politics ahead of lives. No 'right' written by legislators should take precedence over the right of an innocent child or adult to live.

holly_1948

As others have intimated, handguns are more or less impossible.

A shotgun licence is not all that hard to obtain, in a rural or semi-rural location provided the local police approve of your application. I am told that Isle of Wight is one of the more tolerant locations along with much of rural Scotland. You might want to choose where you are to live based on an informal chat with the local police because many local police forces will routinely refuse all applications without even reading them. Ask for an appointment to speak with their firearms safety officer or whomever.

If you have something like an old Enfield, of the kind that our male ancestors carried through France in both wars, or a Henry or Savage or similar you may have to think about living not too far from Bisley, because that is about the only place you would get to shoot it. Not sure about real British antiques such as a Henry-Martini used in the Zulu Wars.

How do I know this? Because friends who merely want to do reenactments and appear in films with totally dummy rifles have had to obtain shotgun licences just to transport rifles to the performance locations. (Yes I do realise that makes very little sense). Oh yes, just for interest , a smooth barrel antique cannon, such as might have been found at the Battle of Trafalgar counts as a shotgun in English law, and you need a shotgun licence to fire a salute - just one of those very obscure but interesting facts.

moi

Well said Chris955 - one of the Great things about Great Britain....I guess unless he moves to Nottingham - apparently gun city in the UK according my mother.

moi

With nieces and nephews going to a nearby elementary school very close to Newton CT....leave them in the US where they belong...

formula

Guns are liked by those men who have small problems below their belt.

roaringmouse

What about women who like guns?

windsong

Very well said - and I totally agree with you!!

SultanOfSwing

Actually, it's tissue damage and/or loss of blood that kills people.

As a person with liberal leanings I'm ashamed of the narrow mindedness of many of my fellow countrymen with regards to legal, responsible gun ownership. I'm pro choice, for example, so in my mind it would be hypocritical of me to press for legislation against law abiding gun owners while lambasting the far right for legislating against a woman's right to choose, wouldn't it?

I know that's not very 'right on' of me and shock horror, bordering on libertarian (look up the 3D political spectrum for clarification) but it's a way more productive argument than wringing hands about the actions of criminals and using those to encroach on the freedom of a law abiding individual.

The OP asked a simple question, he didn't need a heaping of good old woolly thinking guilt heaped on his head. Is he running around shooting children with his guns? Doubt it, he's probably a hunter or a target shooter. My dad and I are (were, in my case) target archers. I could easily kill someone with a bow, but I bet not one person here minds that I choose to shoot arrows at coloured sheets of paper stuck to big bales of hay.

FYI, I don't have a gun and probably won't unless my wife and I split up and I'm forced to find an apartment in the 'affordable' areas around here. I just thought this 'discussion' could do with a rational break from emotionally overcharged histrionics.

Nanny state-ism, no matter how honourable the intent, is never something to be proud of.

Sally Redux

I don't see your analogy with abortion rights at all.

SultanOfSwing

It's rather esoteric but it was the best thing I could come up with to explain my non-authoritarian stance from a left-of-centre viewpoint. Fatbrit was always way better than I was at explaining this one

Perhaps the archery analogy was better. I'm quite serious about that one, even a 60lb draw recurve bow can easily kill someone in the wrong hands.

Sally Redux

Well I'm very happy that gun ownership is restricted in the UK. There's always House of the Dead.