No Second Amendment in the UK

[devon deer]

I thought you might be interested in what I am currently in the middle of at the moment, renewing my gun licences through my local police force, they last 5 years.

Lets start with the easy one, the Shotgun application, I can have as many shotguns as I like, as long as they can't take any more than 3 cartridges, any more than that then you need the more difficult to obtain Firearms Certificate, I still need a 'good reason' to have one, be that clay pigeon or bird shooting.
Ammo, you can have as much as you like.
I need a 'referee', someone that has known me for more than 2 years who can vouch that in their opinion they know of no reason why I shouldn't be granted one.

Now the Firearms certificate, for any rifle, shotgun capable of holding more than 3 cartridges, or a pistol which can only hold 2 rounds.
For each calibre you have to state what they will be used for, hunting or target shooting, hunting you have to state what species per calibre, and also the associated sound moderator (suppressor) you rarely get issued 2 of the same calibre.
If its a new application you are strictly limited to an area of land that the police have cleared for use of that calibre, that is called a 'closed' certificate, they also impose a 'mentoring' condition, whereby you can only use the firearm in the presence of an 'experienced' user, that can be removed if the 'mentor' states you are safe etc.
The 'closed' condition can stay in place for 5 years which means every time you get granted permission to hunt on a new piece of land the police have to inspect it before you can hunt it, that often means the landowner has second thoughts, worrying an inexperienced hunter will be on his land.
Ammo, you are limited, I ask for 1000 rounds .22 and 750 of .243

The doctors certificate, you state you have no medical condition that could prevent you from having a gun, i.e depression
They can then contact your doctor and some county police forces charge you anything they want, maybe another $100 on top of the $100 you are already paying
Any conviction, that can even be a speeding fine you might not get granted permission, in fact they could confiscate all your guns if that has only just come to their attention!

Security, always locked away in gun cabinet whilst not in use, more than 6 guns you have to fit an alarm.

I'm sure I have missed off a few things but that's the gist of it.

Fingers crossed it all goes through without a hitch.

Cheers

Richard

 

[Dave N]

While things aren't great here, I sure am glad I'm not over THERE! No offense!

 

[Deleted member 28227]

That's pretty rough... though I'm probably going to have to sit out hunting the east coast gun seasons because of Mass gun laws so I don't know if I would put US laws on a pedestal.

 

[406LIFE]

Thanks for perspective clarification. So much to jump through. I imagine our "average" hunter who shoots one box of ammo a year would quickly fall off.

 

[noharleyyet]

That's pretty rough... though I'm probably going to have to sit out hunting the east coast this season because of Mass gun laws so I don't know if I would put US laws on a pedestal.

May be prophetic...

 

[VikingsGuy]

Just some "common sense" restrictions . . . .

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Just some "common sense" restrictions . . . .

"By delaying immediate access to firearms, waiting periods create an important “cooling off” period that can help prevent impulsive acts of gun violence."

From the amount of H-talking and e-scounting I've been doing I think the deer should still be nervous.

But yeah... almost 90 days in and I still haven't got a confirmation my application has been accepted, let alone had an interview, been finger printed, had a background check, etc etc etc.

 

[brymoore]

Fun. I’ll stop complaining about FFL transfers.

 

[nrpate05]

But yeah... almost 90 days in and I still haven't got a confirmation my application has been accepted, let alone had an interview, been finger printed, had a background check, etc etc etc.

Yikes, for long guns??

 

[Kiwi]

Sounds very painful!

We also have a licence renewal process but not as strict as yours! But it might be in a few years. We can still have as many guns and ammo as we want and don’t need landowner input as we have a lot of public land to hunt.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

Yikes, for long guns??

Yep... honestly just a muzzy and a 12 gauge.

 

[rwc101]

Yep... honestly just a muzzy and a 12 gauge.

Time for an apartment in NH.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

@devon deer seems like if you weren’t born into it is almost impossible for someone in the UK to start hunting? Fair assessment?

 

[Sawtooth]

Best of luck in getting all your permits in order and approved. Do you still own the Blazer in 30-06 or are you doing all your red deer hunting with the .243? To bad you can't just take one of the local police force out for a roe buck hunt. They would quickly see that your intent, purpose, and emphasis on safe gun handling are all above board.

 

[Aussie_hunter_JD]

And people say we have it bad!

In Australia it varies slightly state to state but in Vic to get a firearms license you need a genuine reason. That could be as a primary producer (farmer), gun club membership or hunting license for example. I have always just got a written letter from my father that I hunt on his farm in renewals which are 5 year intervals. You then need to sit a one off safety test. After that the average person will get a Category A and B firearm license. With that you can buy single shot, bolt, pump or lever centrefire, muzzleloader, shotgun and rimfire guns (shotgun lever can have no more than 5 rounds - don't ask!). There's no limit to number of guns or ammunition for the most part. I think Black powder is limited to 5kg (~11lb) and you can't own armour piercing rounds. Guns must be stored in a locked gun cabinet when not in use and the ammo must be locked in a separate unit. I just use a safe with an ammo and rifle compartment.

When it comes to handguns, you need to be a member of a club and go to 13 shoots a year, there are further storage requirements on top of A and B licences. You will also need to be finger printed.

Semi auto shotguns generally only go to farmers or people that need them for work (i.e. pest controllers).

AR's and other semi auto rifles for all intents and purposes can't be owned by the average Joe. Pest controllers can but as far as I'm aware that's about it.

Guns are a privilege not a right here, so if you were to go to jail for beating your wife or robbery for instance you would lose it for a period. Deer poachers occasionally lose it too but it's rare.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Security, always locked away in gun cabinet whilst not in use, more than 6 guns you have to fit an alarm.

honestly, I like this requirement, I think it could do a lot for our high suicide rate among youths. Not in love with the alarm part, but that's mainly cause I think they're a waste of money in general.

Obviously, we have much easier go with firearms in the US, but I also think we could learn from other countries as well.

There I said, let the onslaught begin haha!

 

[VikingsGuy]

honestly, I like this requirement, I think it could do a lot for our high suicide rate among youths. Not in love with the alarm part, but that's mainly cause I think they're a waste of money in general.

Obviously, we have much easier go with firearms in the US, but I also think we could learn from other countries as well.

There I said, let the onslaught begin haha!

Locked firearms (or carried on your person) with minors in the house should be a law everywhere. The alarm thing, as you note, is a worthless money waster.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

honestly, I like this requirement, I think it could do a lot for our high suicide rate among youths. Not in love with the alarm part, but that's mainly cause I think they're a waste of money in general.

Obviously, we have much easier go with firearms in the US, but I also think we could learn from other countries as well.

There I said, let the onslaught begin haha!

I personally can't stand laws that aren't enforced.

I don't honestly know why we have a 21 drinking age. Underage drinking is widely and wildly accepted. I'd venture 95% of American's who are going to drink have had a drink before age 21.

How are you going to enforce this? What's the mechanism? When you buy your first gun, do you have to buy a safe? What if you inherent one? What if you buy from a private party? Do police get to enter your house to check? How do we know you own a gun, and are storing it correctly? Gun registry?

Gun licenses like Mass? For the record Mass does have this law and they enforce it by requiring licenses for guns. The licenses are issued by the town you live in not the state. You local police chief gets to say whether you can own a gun or not. If you just don't like you they can choose not to approve your license, if this happens you have to file suit within 90 days. You move to a different town, you have to reapply. All serial numbers of firearms are recorded by the state. Shells and powder must be stored in a locked container as well... oh and forget reloading like brockel or honestly any of us do, because you are limited to 16lbs of smokeless powder, 2 lbs of black powder, and 10,000 rounds of ammo. Want more whelp have to get another license. Licenses last 5 years, $100 a pop each time. Also just for good measure the state has a list of the approved guns you can buy, this isn't a AR or high capacity mag thing, the state requires that all gun manufacturer submit guns for "safety" testing (they drop it a bunch), if a manufacturer doesn't submit there gun to the state and pay for it to be tested (like 50k they can't sell in the state, no Kimber 911s for Massholes. https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2019/03/28/Approved Firearms Roster 03-2019_0.pdf

So yeah....

That said, requiring manufacturers to include a trigger lock when they sell a gun... knock yourself out.

 

[Dave N]

That said, don't live in Mass!

 

[VikingsGuy]

I personally can't stand laws that aren't enforced.

I don't honestly know why we have a 21 drinking age. Underage drinking is widely and wildly accepted. I'd venture 95% of American's who are going to drink have had a drink before age 21.

How are you going to enforce this? What's the mechanism? When you buy your first gun, do you have to buy a safe? What if you inherent one? What if you buy from a private party? Do police get to enter your house to check? How do we know you own a gun, and are storing it correctly? Gun registry?

Gun licenses like Mass? For the record Mass does have this law and they enforce it by requiring licenses for guns. The licenses are issued by the town you live in not the state. You local police chief gets to say whether you can own a gun or not. If you just don't like you they can choose not to approve your license, if this happens you have to file suit within 90 days. You move to a different town, you have to reapply. All serial numbers of firearms are recorded by the state. Shells and powder must be stored in a locked container as well... oh and forget reloading like brockel or honestly any of us do, because you are limited to 16lbs of smokeless powder, 2 lbs of black powder, and 10,000 rounds of ammo. Want more whelp have to get another license. Licenses last 5 years, $100 a pop each time. Also just for good measure the state has a list of the approved guns you can buy, this isn't a AR or high capacity mag thing, the state requires that all gun manufacturer submit guns for "safety" testing (they drop it a bunch), if a manufacturer doesn't submit there gun to the state and pay for it to be tested (like 50k they can't sell in the state, no Kimber 911s for Massholes. https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2019/03/28/Approved Firearms Roster 03-2019_0.pdf

So yeah....

That said, requiring manufacturers to include a trigger lock when they sell a gun... knock yourself out.

Most laws are partially enforced - how often are people at 0.081 alcohol content pulled over. How many home improvement projects go with permitting and inspection? How many trailers are over weight? Etc etc etc. Literally thousands of laws are in the books and only enforced when for some other reason there is a problem. I don’t like it either, but not really a useful argument in 2020 America.

And I agree to worthless 50 cent locks are pointless. But a proper safe in a home with minors is still a good policy in my opinion. That and universal background checks are about the only two gun control laws I support.

You should have moved to Rochester