Criteria to own was to make a firearms application and to pass the checks (criminal convictions, medical conditions or any previous treatment for depression or mental illness). You had to provide a referee willing to attest your good character, provide access to your GP's records for the police, demonstrate that you had a valid reason for wanting one and attend an interview. The firearms had to be stored in a secure firearms chest that had to, in turn, be permanently anchored to a structural brick wall. Certificates were reviewed periodically (5 years, I think). I believe these processes are still use to this day for firearms certificates - the main difference is that you can no longer get a certificate for handgun ownership being the main difference. I always used firearms purely for target shooting, however I understand that it was (and still is) legal to use shotguns and rifles for hunting on private land (with the landowner's consent). If I recall correctly, handguns have never been allowed for hunting (although I may be wrong there).
So the same as the current firearms licence for a rifle? As I understand it the shotgun one is much less stringent?
From personal experience i can tell you the shotgun licence is very stringent. It requires the same checks ect as a section 1 licence, the only major difference is that you do not have to show the land you wish to shoot on, and you do occasionally get random home checks from FAC officers ect if they feel something isnt right. To own a firearms/shotgun license you have to be more than an upstanding citizen, even a caution from the plod could result in losing your certificate.
Personally i feel that the current gun laws in the uk are juat about spot on, the checks are detailed, the FAC unit are on their toes, we don't have many major shootings ect, juat because one nutter every few years flips isnt a good reason to ban completely, as i've said before, 1000 people a MONTH are subject to knife crime in london alone. The answer isnt to ban knives....
So you aren't allowed to go in a shop and buy a knife? Jesus you really are on the naughty list! :roflmao:
Think.... its 5 years for carrying a knife now. Im not allowed near public toilets if thats the naughty list you mean. ;-D Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
And ironically people get less than that for stabbing people....my point is knives are banned, and yet we still have thousands of stabbings, scum will always find a way sadly. Getting banned from public toilets is next on my list! :angel:
Having stringent checks on people, checking their past, medical, psycological and criminal history, doesnt actually directly affect me, as i'm not doing the legwork. Just because its simple to get a certificate (IF you've not got a dodgy past or something doesnt add up about why you want one.) Doesn't mean their checks aren't stringent.
As luck would have it my mate called round to see the baby. So I asked him. A criminal record check, and a medical history check, a visit to check your storage and have a quick chat and thats it. His exact words were "so long as you dont have a criminal record or mental health issues its very easy and straightforward". Hes a jp so pretty clued up on licencing.
I'll make sure to hide the bodies when i get a visit for the section 1 certificate. On a completely different subject, have a look at the deals on wickes decking! Some cracking offers on right now!
As I said much earlier in the debate, im neither for or against. If they did change their mind I would argue there isnt much point having an apparent two tier application. Id make It a very difficult process to get any licence, but id consider defence of your home and family as valid a reason as making holes in paper targets.
The thought of general public having any type of firearm scares the life out of me. I don't see how if most people had them it would lower gun crime. The reality is, if the average Joe was in a situation where he had to use a weapon he would break like a kitkat. He would be over come immediately with fear and adrenaline, make bad decisions and be more likely to cause more harm then good. It takes years and thousands of pounds to make a human competent with weapons in very stressful circumstances. Even with years of training, I know from experience that bad decisions are still made. So what hope does 'Joe' have with his 9mm and his bullshit 1 day mickey mouse firearms course under his belt? The other point, is the way some people talk about gun's. They describe them like their women, how they would like to polish them and sit back and take in the beautiful mechanical parts. It's weird, the weapon's that I was trained on where awesome sitting behind a 0.5 smacking targets 2km away is a very impressive sight, but at no point did I want to get my cock out shooting my load on it and start polishing it till I can see my face. Maybe I have missed something, but their the type of people that if they had a gun they would at some point be in A&E with there nob stuck in the barrel. For 70 million people on a small island gun crime is low in this country I'm sure there are many ways to make it lower but I'm just as sure that giving people side arms won't.
It's a good job no-one wants people to be able to carrying sidearms around then....:whistle: it's the fact that in 1997 pistols were made illegal to own for sporting purporses, didn't affect crims, just genuine sportsmen. Personally i never enjoyed firing a pistol. And i dont rightly see why anyone on civvy street would need one, but each to their own eh.
I don't know about that! It's a bit like a rally driver saying the average driver shouldn't have an imprezza or a Skooby. Some people have to learn about weapons because that's their job. And some people do it for a hobby. Both can be good or bad. Likewise some people throw their random weapon in an armoury and some take them home and polish them. I used to do ok at Police pistol and actually helped train some foreign security guys here in the UK. I'm pretty sure I didn't spend millions of pounds on my training But I take your point. I know a few people who would scare me if I knew they had a weapon
Oh right yes because no-one on here refers to their motorbike in the feminine or lovingly polishes, cleans and maintains it and pines after that perfect moment when all parts are pristine and working in harmony, on a smooth, long sweeping bend on a sunny afternoon. No. Not at all.... alm: A love of the overall effect of the well-engineered mechanical symphony of components has always been a typically male condition. The fact that some people apply it to a firearm where others experience it in the context of a motorbike makes it no less "normal". However if you're judging firearms enthusiasts by your own standards as a motorbike enthusiast then please remind me never to stand or ride behind you when you open the throttle - I'd hate to get a face full of your congealed baby gravy as it gets blown out of your exhaust...
