United Kingdom in name ONLY?

[charlie350]

I have been reading about the gun laws in England and Scotland and Ireland . And from what i can gather Scotland and Ireland have already had all most all there gun rights stripped and Scotland is now having people hand in there airguns no matter what! and get nothing in return no matter the value of the gun? how many men and women are forced to give up guns that have been passed down though there family some for hundreds of years? I may be wrong about that part? is there a clause for gun over a certain age? Now i have gun that have been handed down from my great grandfather that will stay in my family for what i hope is many many years. for or some of them they are my only link with the 4 men that came before me and it will be 5 for my son and 6 for my grandson. i can not handing something like that over to be destroyed!!! Now i have only been a member of this forum for a short time. i have seen honor and compassion dwell here! why can you not start a club between englishmen and scotsmen where as the englishman and his sons and grandsons adopts a scotsmans gun and hold it for him and his sons and grandsons where they could come visit it and shoot it and hunt with it. on legal side of the island ? could not your BASC put together a program that has people coming closer together because of guns instead of driving them apart? would it not be better to read a positive story in paper or the web about guns then hiding from the anti gun group ? I would say more but i am sure i have already over stepped my bounds already. my apology then.

[JLB]

It's british democracy, you get to vote for which bleeding heart liberal dictator you prefer. This is why people of certain cultures are allowed to burn the union jack in trafalgar square without consequence, but want to shoot a family heirloom in your garden and you get to go to prison for 5 years. The current Scottish legislation is a ban no doubt, but because they are pitching licensing into the fray they say they don't have to offer compensation. You will probably find that most will just keep them anyway, bit like the Brocock TAC cartridge guns.

John

[Hurricane]

As you very well know, or should do, every state of the US has it's own firearms laws, so in that respect the United States is little different to the United Kingdom.
We don't have a 'gun culture' in the UK, and for whatever reasons this means we have a vastly lower murder by gun rate. We on this site may be happy owning firearms, but there is no general groundswell of support for this.

[lensman57]

As you very well know, or should do, every state of the US has it's own firearms laws, so in that respect the United States is little different to the United Kingdom.
We don't have a 'gun culture' in the UK, and for whatever reasons this means we have a vastly lower murder by gun rate. We on this site may be happy owning firearms, but there is no general groundswell of support for this.

The rights of ownership for citizens should not depend on genral consensus. It would help a great deal if the public opinion were on our side but it is not, however, it should not make a difference. What we should rely on is an unbiased government and authorities who should hold the rights of minoity groups like us up and not sell us down the river like the Scottish abomination of a government.
I believe that the Scottish gun owners should have put up a fight but they didn't but TBH, what percentage of us are willing to go the last yard if one day the authorities here decided to follow suit?

A.G

[rapidresponse1]

totaly agree with you mate

[Drew451]

I was down at a local range on Sunday. There was a local Scottish lady with her two Italian grandchildren and a mum and dad with their daughters, celebrating dads birthday. All shooting air rifles and enjoying it a lot. It was a good advertisement for the sport of airgun shooting.

I don't think the Scottish Government believes this kind of thing goes on.

[lensman57]

I was down at a local range on Sunday. There was a local Scottish lady with her two Italian grandchildren and a mum and dad with their daughters, celebrating dads birthday. All shooting air rifles and enjoying it a lot. It was a good advertisement for the sport of airgun shooting.

I don't think the Scottish Government believes this kind of thing goes on.

The problem is that the majority of the public hear the word gun and then immediately associate gun owners with those images of horrible people chasing each other in the US and blowing each others heads up. The attitude of some of the so called " wild life " presenters such as Chris Packham ( the hero of the Guardian toilet paper) or biased presenters such Feltz is not helping either. Every time there is a sort of a debate on the matter it goes to pots with ensuing emotional testimony of an observer or a so called representative of one of the wild life protection groups. Packham is already in trouble with the authorities in Malta for opening his gob and ranting about a Maltese shooting tradition.
Horrible gun crimes do go on here in the UK but 99% of it is by criminals who have possession of firearms and these people are not going to be detered by gun laws. A simple fact that our thick politicians seem unable to grasp.

A.G

[Barryg]

I was down at a local range on Sunday. There was a local Scottish lady with her two Italian grandchildren and a mum and dad with their daughters, celebrating dads birthday. All shooting air rifles and enjoying it a lot. It was a good advertisement for the sport of airgun shooting.

I don't think the Scottish Government believes this kind of thing goes on.

This is the side of airguns that the public don't hear much about, old women and children enjoying shooting in a way that does not offend 99% of the public, this way the public will want the airgun sport/hobby not somehow be forced into tolerating it.

Airguns can really offer something in the way of fun and enjoyment that is not controversial and can be beneficial to the able and the disabled,if airgunning is going to have a future we need the public on our side

[bighit]

The rights of ownership for citizens should not depend on genral consensus. It would help a great deal if the public opinion were on our side but it is not, however, it should not make a difference. What we should rely on is an unbiased government and authorities who should hold the rights of minoity groups like us up and not sell us down the river like the Scottish abomination of a government.
I believe that the Scottish gun owners should have put up a fight but they didn't but TBH, what percentage of us are willing to go the last yard if one day the authorities here decided to follow suit?

A.G

How many English shoot airguns? Do you honestly think ALL English shooters would do more than the Scots did?

The Scottish government wanted this scheme to exist no matter what the public said. The current Scottish government could not give a hoot what the public say. What makes you think the English government thinks more of the public?

Look at all attacks on shooters.

Brococks
Handguns
Semi auto centreline

They did not want them no matter what the shooting public said.

[gordon]

My thoughts on this are that the government do not want the public to own/use firearms at all, so make life gradually more difficult in owning/using them , then bring in licensing ?, ramp it up over a period of time, until people think that's it Iv'e had enough !
May be a simplistic view, but that's what appears to me to be happening.

[bighit]

My thoughts on this are that the government do not want the public to own/use firearms at all, so make life gradually more difficult in owning/using them , then bring in licensing ?, ramp it up over a period of time, until people think that's it Iv'e had enough !
May be a simplistic view, but that's what appears to me to be happening.

Exactly what some are saying in Scotland. Can't be bothered applying for a license or don't think they will get one for one reason or another so they are handing them in to police or selling up.

[gordon]

Exactly what some are saying in Scotland. Can't be bothered applying for a license or don't think they will get one for one reason or another so they are handing them in to police or selling up.

And the government turn round and say , but we haven't banned them but it's banishment by the backdoor

[Drew451]

For most folk, shooting is a normal pastime, even to the young newcomers I mentioned above. It is something they were enjoying as a family. There was competitiveness creeping in and "mum wasn't allowed to come back as she was too good". The dad had dug out his 40 year old Webley Hawk from the attic and was considering if he was going to go for a licence or not. Judging by the response of the family, I think he will.

Hopefully, scenarios like this are being played out all over the country and Scotland will not become an airgun desert.

[bighit]

I think the biggest problem is lack of clubs for most shooters. My friend was thinking of getting back into shooting. I had him and his two boys on my permission last week. His two sons loved shooting my hw99s. They want to shoot it more. Only problem is I live 150 miles from them.

He looked into a club and the club never replied. Yes I guess the club maybe busy and I told him to try again.

I have not looked into clubs as I have land to shoot on. I have heard snippets saying the rules for airgun clubs might not accommodate all clubs.

[charlie350]

i find it strange that the Scots of all people after fighting for thousands of years for there freedom would give it up so quickly and easy! it seems they have forgotten there forefathers and everything they stood and fought for. and the roman Empire stopped on there border for a reason!!! Also i want to ask why every shooter and hunter in the UK is not a member of your BASC ? there is 144.500 members now? why would you all not urge you wifes and sons and daughters bothers an sisters mom and dads to join with you??? if every body who shoots just managed to get 3 other people to join the number would triple over night to close to 600.000. and for the guy who saw the family shooting at his club why not take a few pics with your phone and share them on facebook or other places and let the public see that many good people enjoy are sport. let the see the good side more than the bad?