British Gun Laws

The United Kingdom arguably has the toughest gun laws in the world. You could be forgiven for thinking that these tight gun controls have been introduced in the last quarter of a century, but you will find it has always been this way. Most gun enthusiasts in the UK look across the pond to our cousins in the USA with envy and a strong feeling of desire.

 

The UK’s lack of firearms was probably first made apparent during the Second World War.

 

“We shall fight them on the beaches, we shall fight them on the landing grounds, we shall fight them in the fields and the streets, we shall fight them in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

 

Unfortunately, we had nothing to fight them with. It was our American cousins we turned to in our hour of need. ‘The American Committee For Defence Of British Homes’ was established and asked for American citizens to gift pistols, rifles, revolvers and shotguns to the British home guard so that in the event of invasion we would have more than pitch forks to fight with.

All these weapons that were kindly donated by American Citizens were destroyed after the war as the UK government did not want them in the hand of UK citizens.

 

So, how difficult is it for UK citizens to own and shoot guns in modern Britain?

Air Weapons

In England & Wales, anyone over the age of 18 years can own an air weapon without a license. Recently, in Scotland they have introduced an Air Weapon license.

There are strict power limits for Air Weapons. Guns which exceed these limits are reclassified as firearms. So, the legal limit for an Air Pistol is 6 Ft.lb (8 Joules) and for Air Rifles the limit is 12 Ft.lb (16 Joules).

Shotguns (Section 2)

To legally own a shotgun in the UK you require a Shotgun Certificate. The maximum magazine capacity for a shotgun is 3. So, semi-automatic shotguns and pump action shotguns have to be restricted to 3 or they are re-classified as a firearms.

A shotgun certificate is valid for 5 years. You apply for this with your regional Police Force by filling in an application form which requires you to provide character witnesses and the name and address of your doctor and permission to access your medical records. The application fee is currently £80.

A Firearms Enforcement Officer will visit your house or the premises where the guns are going to be stored. You are required to keep all shotguns locked in gun safes. So, if your application is successful and you have a 3 gun cabinet, you will be allowed to own 3 shotguns. If you have a 20 gun cabinet, you will be allowed to own 20 shotguns. There is currently no regulations on where shotgun cartridges are stored.

In the UK, it is your God given right to own a shotgun. You are not required to be a member of a club or have permission to shoot on land in order to apply.

Firearms (Section 1)

This is where things get complicated!

What is a firearm? As well as rifles, a shotgun with a magazine capacity of more than 3 is classed as a firearm. Also, an Air Rifle which is more than 12Ft.lb (16 Joules) is classed as a firearm.

In the UK, in order to own a firearm you have to apply for a firearms certificate in the same way that you apply for a shotgun certificate. Again, the fee is £80 and the certificate has to be renewed every 5 years. You can save money by applying for your shotgun and firearm certificate at the same time as a joint application is £100.

Unlike shotguns, for every firearm that you own you need a legitimate reason for owning it. You will need to demonstrate that you are a member of a club and/or have permission to shoot on land.

Clubs will have a limit on the caliber of guns that you can shoot at their range. As a member of that club you would only be allowed to own guns within that caliber limit.

In the UK you can only shoot any gun on private property with the owners permission. The police will inspect land and decide what calibre guns can legally be shot there. If your application is based on permission to shoot on land, you will only be allowed to own firearms within that calibre limit.

If your circumstances change. If you lose permission to shoot on your land or leave the club that you’re a member of. Your reason for owning firearms disappears. You will be given a few months to find a new reason for owning your guns. For example, joining another club. After which time you will be required to surrender your firearms and firearms certificate if you do not. Like shotguns, firearms have to kept in a gun safe. Ammunition for firearms has to locked in a different safe from the firearm.

So…. What kind of guns can you own in the UK?

Despite what you may have heard, there are still a vast number of guns that you can legally own in the UK. Depending on mechanism there may be some restrictions. For example, the only semi-automatic guns you can own are .22LR. Which means AR-15 style semi-automatic rifles chambered in .22LR are all legal in the UK. Unlike certain states in the USA, there is no magazine restrictions on any of our guns. 100 round drum magazines are readily available.

In fact, the only firearms which are classed as Section 5 – Banned for everyday people are hand guns. Pistols and revolvers were banned since 1997 in a knee jerk reaction to the Dunblane School Massacre which happened in 1996. The actual wording of the law says any firearm which is less than 60cm in total length. Which is why in the UK there exists the Long Barreled Revolver / Pistol.

Not many manufacturers are producing these as they are solely for the UK market which is quite small. But thanks to Taurus who produce a Model 66 Long Barrel Revolver for the UK market. Chambered in .357 it’s probably the most fun you can have with arguably a pistol in the UK. German Sporting Guns also produce a number of semi-automatic .22LR Long Barreled Pistols including a 1911 and the new Firefly.

 

As I write this article, the government are trying to ban .50 Calibre rifles in the UK. I believe there are currently 2 shooting grounds in the entire country where these weapons can be fired, so not too many people are going to be upset by this. I believe they are looking at a ban on anything with a muzzle velocity over 10,000 ft.lb.

 

So, if your living in the USA. And are upset about your assault rifle being only semi-automatic, or you live in a state with a waiting period on all firearms. Spare a thought for gun lovers in the UK. You haven’t got it bad at all!