UK Handgun Ownership/Carry

[Blackstone]

I think the police in general just have the attitude of "the fewer guns, the better". Some forces are better than others but I'd doubt any of them would bat an eyelid of all guns were reclassified Section 5 overnight.

 

[olafhardtB]

I read a lot about wars. In stuff I read about WWI, WWII the aussies were rated as the best infantry. When I was in Vietnam they were rated as the best in a military publication I read,so I can't think of them as wimps. I think the aussies, canadians, brits and irish are capable of running their own countries.. I would like to point that there are a lot of Democrat and liberals that are gun owners and supporters of the second amendment. Let me caution you about believing what you hear and read about everything. THEY LIE---ALL OF THEM.

 

[lykoris]

Fascinating thread....I've always wondered about gun ownership overseas.

It is important to understand that the UK and mainland Europe in terms of firearms legislation are completely different worlds.

there was a thread on here for foreign gun owners and I am sure you would visually see the difference between what we can possess on mainland Europe vs the extremely restrictive laws for U.K. gun owners.

I will search for it and post it up


http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=396668&highlight=foreign+gun+owners

 

[hq]

That thread clearly needs more group photos of various M16:s and MG42:s, and I didn't come across a single picture of Thompson or Suomi SMG:s.

 

[razorback2003]

This is very interesting.

Is the handgun owned in Northern Island for protection? Such as is it easy to say buy a Glock 17 9mm to keep in your night stand?

 

[Blackstone]

No my handgun is for target shooting/IPSC only. The conditions on my certificate state that it may only be used on approved target shooting ranges. It has to be transported unloaded and in a case. In the house, it must be stored in a locked gun cabinet, so you would need the cabinet in your bedroom with the key handy if you wanted easy access to it at night

It is easier to get a personal protection weapon in Northern Ireland than in mainland Britain, but still very difficult for the average person. To be considered for a PPW, you must have had a specific threat made against you, ie. one of the paramilitary groups issues a death threat against your person. The exceptions are police (who can take their guns with them when off-duty) and prison officers (who by their very occupation are at extreme risk), and probably some other people who do jobs that the rest of us would rather not.

 

[razorback2003]

So I guess if you want to carry a gun in Northern Ireland you have to own a gun store or jewelry store, some type of business.

 

[Blackstone]

No that won't be enough. There are very few occupations that would be considered to put you in automatic danger. As I said before, prison officer or other security forces (and I'm not talking about security guards).

 

[Stand1 Scott]

but referred them to the club where they have target shotgun once a month.

Would that happen to be first Sunday of the month?

 

[Odd Job]

No, it is on a Saturday usually. First Sunday of the month is open day: no shotgun.

 

[Stand1 Scott]

Ah ok, thought we may have been fellow club members!

 

[Mk VII]

Is it possible for people such as judges, politicians, wealthy in the rest of the UK to own a handgun for protection and also carry it? Does this happen to some degree?

No, it is not. If the threat was that well-founded, you would get police bodyguards (e.g. Salman Rushdie). Enoch Powell had a guard at time. In later years it was taken away and he had just a panic button.