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Legalise Firearms in the UK

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Not that active though. Go 3-4 times within 6 months and you're sorted.

I think the point that he is trying to communicate is that it adds another barrier to getting a firearm. To obtain a Section 1 licence, you need to have a criminal background check and a valid 'defense' for owning the firearm. It adds effort and expense into obtaining the firearm.
Having said that, I think it just pushes criminals into other forms of weaponry, such as knives, which can be bought at your local Poundland.

Reply 41

alow

Original post by JoshBedford

He said that you have to be an active member and I responded to that.

I can guarantee that I know more about firearm licensing than 99% of the people here.

Reply 42

FreedomCostsTax

Original post by JoshBedford

In short, the right to defend yourself should constitute "good reason" to posses a firearm. Currently, you are only allowed to shoot clay pigeons with your buddies.

Reply 43

JoshBedford

Original post by alow

He said that you have to be an active member and I responded to that.

I can guarantee that I know more about firearm licensing than 99% of the people here.

No need to get shirty, I'm sure you know everything there is to know about firearm regs, but that doesn't mean you know about the effects firearms deregulation has on society and crime rates, nor can you can disregard someone else's opinion. You can disagree with it, no problem. But please don't act like the big man, throwing your weight around

Reply 44

alow

Original post by JoshBedford

Calm down a bit. I never said I disagree with anyone's opinion (nor did I even respond or reference anyone's opinion). All I did was pint out some inaccuracies that could mislead someone who has little experience with firearms.

Maybe you should read a bit more before you comment next time.

Reply 45

buchanan700

Original post by FreedomCostsTax

They are very easily obtained, absolutely anyone willing to pay could get one.

For God's sake. Just completely ignore the rest of what I said. I'm done. Go to the US and shoot anyone you want for all I care, just stay the hell away from me. There is no need to introduce a gun problem to this country that we don't have presently.

Reply 46

DarkWhite

Original post by FreedomCostsTax

I doubt it, they'd probably just tell you to use the ranges guns if you hardly ever go.

My police force granted my certificate application without me even being a member of a club. There's no requirement for you to be; you simply need to demonstrate a good reason for wanting to purchase firearms and ammunition, show that you have ways of storing them safely and securely, and be clear of major criminal convictions and relevant health problems. They're purposefully difficult to obtain because they only want people with a legitimate reason applying for them; but they're also not impossible providing this is met.

This discussion isn't even that relevant though, as the kind of weapons you can legally acquire under firearms/shotgun certificates are not the kind of weapons that people are rampaging schools and holding up banks with in the US. There are plenty of weapons in the UK which are prohibited; you can't just go out and buy a typical pistol or an automatic rifle for example.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 47

username129099

Just for the sake of it....

Theft, rapes and other violent crimes are rampant in the UK because nobody here can defend themselves from the thugs and gangs.

Measuring violent crime between the US and UK is pointless, the US defines it as a set list of 4 crimes, meaning you can commit the same crime on either side of the atlantic and one will be classified as violent and the other won't. For example the US only includes forcible rape as its violent crime, the UK includes all sexual assaults, the US only uses aggravated assault, the UK uses all assult. However of those you have quoted, robbery and burglary is 650/100k UK, the US has a larceny rate of over 1000/100k, before you account for other forms of theft under US law such as burglary. The US has a forcible rape rate of 27/100k the UK is also 27/100k.

Also 90% of gun crime in the US is caused by black gangs.

If you took those scum out of the equation, gun crime in the US would be at european levels (even when taking into account the very rare school shooting aberration).

Seeing as you are in the business of truth, you have any stats for that claim.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 48

FreedomCostsTax

Original post by buchanan700

Sorry, I was multi-tasking and couldn't be bothered to read everything you said. It's actually easier to get a gun illegally than it is legally as there are no formalities to comply with. Do you really think that if those maniacs were in the UK, that they wouldn't of done the same thing?

Reply 49

buchanan700

Original post by FreedomCostsTax

There are maniacs in the UK! They just don't have the ease of access to a gun that the maniacs in the US do. Do you really think aren't mentally ill people in the UK that would shoot up somewhere if they could?! Of course there are! It's just maniacs in other countries can just head on down to a gun show/ steal a gun from their mothers and go ahead and do it, whereas here they have to jump through all sorts of hoops before they can carry anything out, and before they actually gather up the resources they are likely to run out of steam/ get caught.

The fact they you can't be bothered to read the most important part of what I said really illustrates where this is going where this is going so I can't be bothered to debate this anymore.

Like I said, move to America and you can have all the guns you want. Just keep them out of my country.

Reply 50

FreedomCostsTax

Original post by buchanan700

You can buy a gun just as easily as you can buy Class A drugs here. There is absolutely nothing stopping anyone from committing a school shooting here if they wanted to.

Reply 51

saberahmed786

Oh god no...can you imagine how bad gang violence could become? Weapons won't only be available on the black market but readily available...accidental killings would become a recurrent theme in the news. Hellhole, no-go areas would become even more dangerous (in and around London/Birmingham and every other major city with high crime rate areas).

Reply 52

Captain Haddock

Original post by FreedomCostsTax

They are very easily obtained, absolutely anyone willing to pay could get one.

They're really not.

Reply 53

OMG TOOTHBRUSH

Original post by Captain Haddock

They're really not.

OP strikes me as a wanna-be badass type guy, with his V for Vendetta anonymous mask as his profile picture, and his talk about how easy guns are to obtain (including him saying "no comment" to someone asking him if he could get a gun earlier in the thread). He also doesn't appear willing to change his mind about anything he's said no matter what anyone says to him. He'll probably grow out of this mindset.

On topic: no, guns shouldn't be legalised. Introducing more efficient killing machines to this country would likely just result in more innocent people being killed by armed criminals.

Reply 54

FreedomCostsTax

Original post by OMG TOOTHBRUSH

I'm from a place in London where gun crime is no stranger. Just google "Tottenham or Wood Green shooting" and see the long list of results for yourself, and that's just whats been reported. I have close friends that have both been shot and have been imprisoned for firearms offences. I can tell you that you can buy a gun just easily as you can buy cocaine.

Reply 55

DarthVador

Original post by Theflyingbarney

Wow. I was all prepared to have a sensible, reasoned argument, but I can't really compete with idiocy and racism. Have a nice day

Funny how you moronic lefties think that facts are racist.

Look up the FBI statistics, blacks and latinos commit the majority of crime and murder in the US. How can you call actual statistics like that 'racist'?

Reply 56

james2012uk

Original post by FreedomCostsTax

In my opinion, there is no real reason why we shouldn't be able to own a firearm, for self defense.

Statistics show that in the UK: A rape is reported every 6 minutes, every 30 minutes someone is robbed at knifepoint, a house is broken into every two minutes and on average two women a week are murdered as a result of domestic violence.

People should be able to fully defend themselves and their families.

What are your thoughts?

In principle the legalisation of firearms is completely reasonable for the UK. I completely agree that a ban on firearms only bans law abiding citizens from having access for self defense and does not stop criminals.

However, if firearms are legalised in the UK it would of course raise crime levels. There is no question about that. My main concern would be the status of the government and the attitude into how we are governed. It is very rare to see a Police Officer with a firearm on his/her side and the very nature of out Police is by consent; not force. This was confirmed with the nature in which Police handled the 2011 August Riots.

In theory I agree with the introduction of firearms within the UK. However, I would not like to see them on the streets.

Reply 57

thoyub

I'm sorry but that's a terrible idea. I know many people who appear to be mentally stable and competent but would shoot everyone in sight if even slightly provoked. I also know many criminals who would jump at the chance to own a gun and shoot someone over a drug deal gone wrong. Or even any random person. There have been many stabbings where I live (sometimes fatal) and we just do not need guns being thrown into the mix and creating a potentially very dangerous situation. I know guns will be harder to obtain and all that but it's a risk we simply cannot take.