by Molina » Fri Aug 12, 2005 7:39 pm
From the UK:
Technically guns aren't illegal in the UK, only handguns, therefore carrying guns would be a bit tricky smuggling a rifle or shotgun in your pants. However it is legal, once possessing a firearms certificate to own a godawful muzzle loading pistol which are surely the lowest form of gun possible.
In the UK handguns were banned after a psycho went and shot up a Scottish primary school (4-11year olds) in 1996. I first started target shooting at 15 and have carried on since, though was too young to own someting sweet like a Para Ordnance 16.45 or a Sig, though was able to get some use of some nice handguns before the ban. Since then I've owned a few rifles, semi and full autos not allowed, so I've got a Marlin .357 lever action and a Tikka .243.
I don't begrudge the loss of handguns, I think that people from other countries watching the US can see that such a massive amount of guns in one country can get out of hand, the argument that only the illegal gun owners are the problem doesn't really hold when so many high school shootings occur and the ease with which legal guns can pass onto the black market, if only from the amount of guns kept in bedroom dressers.
Obviously being a gun owner I'm not slagging off all gun owners in one go, just that generally, the more guns in one country, the more violence there will be. As much as I have enjoyed handguns in the past, do more guns in the world mean it is automatically safer and better?
And, on another issue, regarding the Beretta 92F as your armies sidearm, hellfire, having shot a new one and a former army issue, it's a good job you have such bombing capability and the M16 as the Beretta is useless accuracy-wise!
Molina