American Reacts to UK Gun Laws Explained

[@AndrewBroadhead-kb7oc]

I don't know anybody who owns a gun. I don't know anybody who would want to own a gun. In the US health care is a privilege and gun ownership is a right. In the UK the opposite is true.

[@jamesgornall5731]

In rural places a lot of people have shotguns, on many cases the same shotgun their Granddad would have used

[@ogribiker8535]

​@@ekl2947Also the amount and type of ammunition is very tightly regulated, unlike th US.

[@Mr-Mop]

Since they outlawed sawn off pump action shotguns..... Well its just taken the fun out of it....... I mean, could you imagine?...... The guy in the post office would just laugh at you...... 🙄

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

@@Mr-Mop It's the 'sawn off' part that's outlawed. For a pump action (with a magazine capacity higher than 2), you need a firearms license rather than a shotgun permit.

[@richardwani2803]

When I was a kid my next-door neighbour had 2 shot guns and 3 hunting rifles well he was a farmer or worked on a farm I grew up in a small village and there was 6 or 7 farm's and they all had guns one farmer I knew had a world war ll hand gun which could fire it wasn't a replica but then again this was pre Dunblane

[@alch3mi5t.]

in Scotland the right to bare arms means wearing a T-shirt in January. 😂

[@helenchelmicka]

😂😂

[@smit6680]

Brilliant!

[@thomaslewis7504]

Bears don't have arms.

[@cgillman2744]

Taps aff!

[@TheCardiffgirl]

😁😁😁

[@ChrisRedfield--]

Why do you need a gun? If the answer is for self-defense, your permit is instantly denied. In the UK.

[@Boredandscrolling]

This is true of GB but in NI you can put self defence as a reason on your license application.

[@ForestRacer1958]

This also true in Australia. Your are also not allowed to defend property with violence. You can only defend people and only with a similar level of violence as the perpetrator. Shooting someone how is going to hit you with their hands would usually result in a murder charge.

[@fontyyy]

Yeah, carrying any item for "self defense" here (UK) is illegal. "Sir, why are you carrying an axe?", "self defence" instantly arrested for possession of a dangerous weapon. "Sir, why are you carrying an axe?", "just of up to Lilly's Wood to chop up some fire wood", "carry on sir, have a nice day, but please, put the axe in a rucksack next time, people get jumpy when 300lb, 6' 5" tall men carry axes in public"

[@JimJammXVII]

Yes, you are correct. Ironically, criminals obtain them one way or another, in any case, which puts the law abiding-person at a disadvantage!

[@1911GreaterThanALL]

u.k. is nanny state.

[@keithparker5125]

What is NOT mentioned is the fact that once you have a firearms certificate, the police can visit your home at any time, unannounced, to carry out a check to ensure that you are conforming to the regulations regarding your certificate. Any breach can result in the loss of that right!

[@jamesgornall5731]

Indeed, even if it's out for cleaning the ammunition must be kept separate and any magazines empty. If they showed up, you're cleaning it and have a full magazine then you're in bother

[@charleshowie2074]

Completely reasonable. It is super invasive, sure, but you are being allowed to own a gun in the UK. Our gun laws are none the worse for such measures. 🫡 🇬🇧

[@torfinnsrnes6232]

same in norway I think. You have to keep the weapons in a certified locked gun cabinet. And the cabinet should be bolted to the construction in the house.

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

And that's OK to you guys? Having police check your homes, making you out to be a criminal. That's like 3 constitutional right violations here. Sorry but our government has limits for a reason. That sounds very 1940s Germany to me.

[@pathopewell1814]

My late father was a policeman. He regularly checked gun licences in our area. He himself in the army had carried a gun during WW2.

[@archieeast3021]

You cannot apply for a gun license in the UK with the idea of self defence. By saying that you are admitting that in a certain scenario you will point it at someone.

[@razor1uk610]

there is a specific and special clause within UK Firearms Law(s) for an *_In Special Consideration For Self Defence Needs_* ...a request at be considered by the Poliice as to if given enough reasons, evidence & meeting ostensibly all other requirements, if it is thence so decided that a serious potential threat to life & lives cannot be otherwise be stopped/hindered, then for individual specific cases could be granted acceptable - such for some political exilees, some security agents, royal or state appointed bodyguards etc...

[@tompiper9276]

That's about one person per million people. Quite niche! ​@@razor1uk610

[@tacfoley4443]

@@razor1uk610 However, over in Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, there are around 3500 handguns on issue to civilians - members of the judiciary/police force, politicians and others whose lives are deemed to be threatened by ongoing terrorist activity.

[@royalirish4208]

Yes you can, you are leaving out NI were we can own a gun for protection. I myself carried a pistol for many years for my own self defense all totally legal and above board, now I own a .357 magnum Ruger GP100 and Glock 17 for sporting use.

[@Rachel_M_]

@@royalirish4208 Gun control laws in Northern Ireland are less restrictive in some areas than gun laws in Great Britain due to the Good Friday Agreement, allowing Northern Ireland to govern itself and pass less restrictive laws. Gun laws in Northern Ireland are primarily affected by the Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004.

[@TheAngryMoth104]

"I need a gun" "Why?" "To defend myself!" "From who?" "People with guns"

[@joshuacollins385]

@@TheAngryMoth104 I personally know someone who woke up in the night because his security light was on, when he looked out of the window there were three men in balaclavas sneaking along the edge of his garden to his back door. His wife immediately called the police but they were told that the car would need to come from a neighbouring town so they were looking at a 20 minute wait. The three guys give up on picking the door and start trying to kick it down instead. My friend opens the window, shouts at them to leave and then fires a round of birdshot straight up. They leave instantly, and within 8 minutes multiple police cars including an armed response unit are outside his house pointing guns while shouting on megaphones. He could identify the three local men despite their balaclavas, but the police weren't interested. He spent the next year and the majority of his retirement fund fighting to stay out of prison. All of his guns were confiscated and he has a lifetime ban on ever getting another FAC. The irony is that women and the elderly are the groups that most benefit from access to firearms due to natural disparities of force. Even in the USA, you're more likely to be murdered with a knife than a rifle, or with a blunt object like a hammer than with a shotgun. People with guns generally aren't what you need to defend yourself from

[@God_user0]

This 👆

[@harrybarrett9653]

Lol

[@klausschwab9828]

To be fair, unless youve experienced violence yourself, you dont realise how terrifying it can be. It tends to be privileged people who have absolutely no experience with violence or crime that dont want people to have the right to defend themselves, because they dont think theyll ever need to defend themselves. Ask people in poorer neighbourhoods if they think they should have the right to protect themselves in their own home and majority will say yes.

[@harrybarrett9653]

Well, there is much less violent crime in the UK. And I don't know any demographics that want more guns here. I think people are pretty happy with the gun laws. Same with Australia. Quick edit. People are unhappy with the gun laws - they want them stricter it seems.

[@NK-bj8li]

One huge difference which is often glossed over: ‘Defence’ is NOT a valid reason to own a gun in the UK

[@NK-bj8li]

I didn’t know that but seems you are right and self-defence can be a valid reason in Northern Ireland. My comment should have stated Great Britain and not the UK.

[@JammyGuns]

@robertstallard7836 That's true but in reality rare. Most PPW's are only issued to ex PSNI, ex military etc. You can own normal length handguns in NI (gun ownership being quite high) but the vast majority are for target shooting purposes only.

[@davedavids57]

Self defence is a reason to have a hand gun in Britain. Section 5 of the 1968 firearms act allows the home office to directly issue licences. They won't give figures but it's believed that there are possibly up to 1,000 people in Britain with licences to carry concealed hand guns. Mainly politicians and ex police/military.

[@jazzylyn5857]

If you woke up at 3am with two geezers looking down at you, you might think otherwise.

[@alanraptor2569]

@@jazzylyn5857Which would lead to the very valid follow up question from the licensing officer, 'What is it you do that makes that a likely scenario?' as they roll their DENIED stamp in the red ink pad ready.

[@VWbosh]

I'm in the UK. I grew up with shotguns and often went grouse and rabbit hunting with my dad. My cousin still owns shotguns and continues to hunt for game. It is not the average but its certainly not unheard of for UK citizens to own guns. The difference is we are not gun zealots - we dont see gun ownership as part of our personality and identity. Guns are tools and like any dangerous tool, they need to be handled and managed as such. In the same way you need to pass a test and have a license to drive a car, a lorry or a forklift, we have similar rules around guns and other potentially dangerous tools.

[@jamesgornall5731]

Aye, plenty of people in the countryside own and use shotguns

[@asalvats]

Exacto,, en Europa la premisa no es la defensa personal, si no por deporte y caza.

[@bakersmileyface]

Exactly. The culture is just completely different. We have to lock our guns up and ammunition up separately in a location inaccessible to children, keep our keys in different locations. If we're transporting them, they stay in a bag at the boot of the car which we cannot leave unattended. We can only transport them if we have a purpose for doing so. In order to obtain a firearm in the first place we need a license which requires police to register it and see where it's going to be kept, the environment it's being kept in and ensure we're aware of how to be safe. We're taught in firearm safety. If we can't be safe with the dangerous weapons then we don't deserve to have them. But in the US most of the time (different rules for different states) you just need to not have a specific criminal background.

[@Robdc89]

But not for personal defense mostly for hunting or pest control, I used to be a pest control hunter, didn't have a shotgun I had an air rifle, no license needed.

[@jezlawrence720]

Yeah guns for self defence are just not a thing here, you'll not get a license on that basis. Sport, game or vermin control and historical interest is basically it. But if you are actively involved in those things and can comply with storage and transport regs you'll find it no problem getting such a license. But most folk aren't. So they don't have them. Just the crims, who mostly shoot each other, they don't shoot people in robberies (and those who do tend to get the polices full attention and don't last long). They wave them around but rarely use them cos most civilians aren't stupid enough to try to intervene. The most danger as a civilian would be stray bullets or mistaken identity, in certain very specific and rare specific gang hot spots. This also makes our police way less jumpy, in general. Heavy handed when they do deploy force? Absolutely. But quick to deploy it? Really not for the most part.

[@tautology_zero]

A lot of the reason for banning pistols was because of the Dunblane massacre, which was a school shooting in Scotland in the 1990s where 16 children and one teacher were killed and 15 other injured. After that the firearm restrictions were significantly tightened. The Hungerford massacre (17 deaths) the previous decade was also in the public consciousness, so there was no real opposition from the public.

[@ahtalmachanation3831]

We call those massacres, Americans call it a weekly occurrence

[@badger_shorts7708]

@@ahtalmachanation3831and yet they do nothing about it. They care more about their precious 2nd amendment more then the lives and safety of their children. Utter morons if you ask me

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

​@@badger_shorts7708Less than 3000 kids die due to guns. In a population of 335,000,000 and over 500,000,000 guns. Statically a zero

[@debesys6306]

there have been 0 school shootings in the uk ever since, to be clear

[@jaz7907]

Yes I was hoping this would be mentioned in the video as think it would be very thought provoking for an American to hear about why our laws changed

[@joshjohnson858]

The fact that as a Brit, seeing that 50-60 gun homicides a year and thinking crikey that’s a lot

[@TimRsn]

There were 4, 2022-23. I think farmers committing suicide accounts for a high proportion of deaths.

[@Frakka475]

Yeah I think last year, there were 2 or three gun related deaths and there were only two discharges of Police firearms by Police recorded throughout the year.

[@grimmar80]

To match USA rates (considering population scale) UK would have to have 9700+ annually... That is telling.

[@GG-hi5if]

But knives innit b’ol o wa’ah

[@toxiczombiewolf5692]

​@GG-hi5if most knife crime is committed with kitchen knives so all these band knives and they buy it from the shops easy.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

I am an old lady of almost 80. Up until about seven years ago I had a combined shotgun and firearms licence. I have land to keep my horses and poultry on, and needed to be able to control vermin. It was no problem to get my licence as I had a good reason for it, was 'of good character' and my gp had no concerns about my mental health. I bought an approved gun cabinet and had it installed in a suitable place by a recommended installer, then contacted the police who came to inspect my set-up. All was well and I was issued with my licence then bought the shotgun I'd decided on. A few months later, the FO came to do a spot check but I had a friend visiting with their teenage grandchildren. At the front door I told him this, so he made a comment thanking me loudly for a (non-existent) witness statement about a car accident and said goodbye. He came by again a couple of weeks later. I gave up shooting gradually, starting about ten years ago, as my eyesight began to deteriorate. Now a pleasant young man shoots vermin on my land about once or twice a week. I gave him written and signed permission to do so, which he had to show to the police in order to be issued with his licence.

[@jizzmonkey9679]

They don't do combined section 1 and section 2 certificates , coterminous is what you are referring to.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

@@jizzmonkey9679 Thanks for that, I couldn't remember the term - I stopped shooting seven or eight years ago, about the same time as I handed in my driving licence. It is indisputable that eyesight deteriorates and reaction times slow as one ages, and I felt that was the only responsible thing to do as there is, as yet, no known way to avoid old age and what comes with it.

[@jizzmonkey9679]

@@Sine-gl9ly a 12 bore tends to kick a bit more with age as well.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

@@jizzmonkey9679 That's also very true; unfortunately they all do!

[@Chris-dz3rs]

Very reasonable response to simply getting older .Avoid potential accidents/tragedy by simply realizing its not safe anymore . And the same thing with giving up driving . Cheers to you young lady !!!

[@davidsweeney7837]

Also, I don’t need a gun for self defence, because no one has a gun to shoot me…

[@Writeous0ne]

What if someone broke in your house with weapons, are you going to fight them all off Superman?

[@aquadeer2749]

⁠@@Writeous0netoo bad isn’t it but those chances are greatly reduced with guns being banned. Now all we have to do is tackle knife crime.

[@Writeous0ne]

@@aquadeer2749 how does guns being banned reduce burglaries, assaults, home invasions etc? Any number of criminals with some kind of weapon is going to be able to overpower one man. Of course i'm playing devils advocate but the idea that "there's no guns here therefore there's no crime" is wrong. People will commit crimes if they have intention to commit crimes, they don't base their intentions on what's legal and what's not - they're criminals. Your point about knives is exactly my point. People can't get guns easily, sure, but that doesn't stop them doing other things. Criminals minds don't work around what's convenient. A criminal doesn't think "i'm going to rob someone... oh no, i don't have a gun so i can't :(..."

[@nathanblackburn1193]

@@Writeous0ne Well without easy access to guns the next best option is a knife which is less effective than a gun and thus criminals are less inclined to get into a fight, burglaries are often done without the homeowner knowing, assaults require more advantageous situations as, while difficult, you can more easily fend off a knife than a gun so a criminal needs to be certain they'll be able to succeed

[@gerardflynn7382]

​@@Writeous0neHouses in the UK are concrete not wood. Good luck trying to get in.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Even in those countries with the most permissive gun regulations, the US is the ONLY one where self-defence is accepted as a valid reason for ownership among the general population. Countries, especially western-style democracies, accept that public safety is a rôle the police force fulfills.

[@Seticzech]

We have self defense as valid reason for owning a gun. Of course we have to fulfill some necessary requirements, we can't buy guns just like that. Hello from Czechia.

[@torfinnsrnes6232]

@@Seticzech who are we?

[@Seticzech]

@@torfinnsrnes6232 Did you read the last sentence? Citizens of Czech republic.

[@KaiHenningsen]

@@Seticzech I believe there are similar rules for Germany, that is, you can get one if you are competent and can point to a reason you need one for self-defense - just saying "I need one for self-defense" doesn't cut it (not least because there might be better ways to deal with the problem).

[@Joshua-fi4ji]

​@@SeticzechFor now anyway. That mass shooting the other day may lead to changes, but I'm honestly not familiar with the state of Czech politics.

[@michaelfoster5577]

To quote Oscar Wilde - the right to bear arms is only marginally less stupid than the right to arm bears!

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

Wilde was also a socialists and has probably never seen a bear, or a mountain lion, coyote, wolf, etc etc.

[@michaelfoster5577]

@@RickZackExploreOffroad I would be very interested to see any evidence that Wilde was a “socialists” (sic). He was an “aestheticist”. In any case, over a third of the British electorate vote for the Labour party, which openly admits to being socialist. Many Americans I have met accused me of being a communist because I argued in favour of the National Health Service of the UK. I am a retired officer of Her late Majesty’s Armed Forces Reserves. I have fired many weapons and instructed in their safe use over many years service (a total of 48 years). Not once have I felt the need to own a firearm of any kind. The comments about Wilde never having seen bears are irrelevant and specious and have nothing to do with the genuine points being dealt with in this thread.

[@mmckenzie8085]

Lol what 😂​@@RickZackExploreOffroad

[@alanbeaumont4848]

@@RickZackExploreOffroad He wasn't a socialist.

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

@@alanbeaumont4848 AAMOF he was, although of the anarcho-syndicalist tendency. He even wrote a treatise entitled ''The Soul of Man Under Socialism''.

[@cristop5]

Gun homicides per year per 100,000 people USA: 4.46 Gun homicides per year per 100,000 people UK: 0.02

[@regiondeltas]

The really fun stat is that on top of that, the USA still manages to have more knife crime too!

[@Nvggs]

Ah yes, 223 times higher, how comforting and 'safe'

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

First of all "gun homicide" is a idiotic metric. Why not "knife homicide"? Or better yet just "homicide"? The UK is one of the most violent, if not the most violent nation in western Europe. The rate in England and Wales for contact crimes is far higher than in the US. A contact crime is one in which the victim has direct contact with the criminal. Crimes such as rape, assault, muggings, strong arm robberies and home invasions. There is zero correlation between increased per capita gun ownership rates and increased rates of violent crime. If there was than the US and Canada would have the highest murder rates in the Americas instead of the two lowest. In the US the counties with the highest ownership rates tend to also have the lowest crime rates.

[@cristop5]

@@RickZackExploreOffroad Why are the gun homicide rates so much higher in the US than the UK?

[@debesys6306]

​@@RickZackExploreOffroadknife crime is higher in the usa lmao

[@holdtightadele8017]

No, healthcare is a right. Owning a gun should be a privilege. Like in any other rational society.

[@BaconInfinity_Gaming]

Well healthcare comes first before owning a firearm to kill someone mate.....

[@burkey1878]

@@BaconInfinity_Gamingthat’s what she’s saying

[@generalesdeath5836]

You can’t tell me “no” precisely because I have a gun. Process that carefully. We can teach the lesson of 1776 again if necessary.

[@DS9TREK]

In a free society owning anything you like should be a right.

[@DS9TREK]

​@@BaconInfinity_Gamingwho says you can only own a firearm to kill people?

[@danshaku]

For me, if I need to own a gun to feel safe in society, Id like to move away from that place. That kind of mentality sounds very dystopian for me.

[@Nvggs]

The USA most definitely IS a dystopian nightmare.

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

To me what sounds dystopian is living in a society where the government has a total monopoly of power. There is a reason why the citizenry is first disarmed before demicide occurs.

[@JackRyan-j5j]

@@RickZackExploreOffroad What sounds dystopian to me is knowing that if I had kids in the US, they could get shot to bits at school or by their mates who find a gun and decide to mess about with it? Idk man, seems kinda fucked up?

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

@@JackRyan-j5j Unless you are a gangbanger, drug dealer, or hang out in the ghetto the odds of getting shot in the US is nil.

[@Frostfern94]

@@RickZackExploreOffroadYou act as if we wouldn’t do something about it? We don’t need those guns. We aren’t cowards. Look at France for instance.

[@christopherflux6254]

The last school shooting in the UK was in 1996 in Scotland. It was so long ago that British tennis player Andy Murray was a student there at the time. Thankfully he was in a different room, so wasn’t hurt.

[@gxro6883]

His personality might suggest some residue trauma

[@jonathannash8471]

@@gxro6883 He's actually said that he's intentionally boring to reduce the attention the media gives him and it works.

[@ScottishVagabond]

Yeah, I think anyone who was a kid in Scotland at the time was really freaked out by it. My friend's sister was in the next class over and still has nightmares from time to time.

[@DannyIO]

and then never again

[@GabrielSykes]

The UK has a school shooting and that's enough for the government to decide the already tight gun control laws weren't tight enough, and to make it extremely difficult to obtain a gun. The US has several school shootings each year and they're still all "muh second amendment".

[@MawganRogerson]

The difference in gun culture is really quite remarkable. I’m from a fairly rural area (Cornwall), and I’ve only ever seen a gun once or twice in my life (excluding museums or other historical experiences), both owned by farmers who live nearby to me. Other than that I don’t know anyone who owns a gun, anyone who wants to, or anyone who has to. It’s so curious how different the UK experience is to Americans

[@richardgale1287]

That said, in the Cornish village I grew up in, the police were called when two men had a cutlass fight. And that was the 1990s.

[@suzettewilliams1758]

​@richardgale1287 A Cutless, actually fits history, A cutless is still the term they use in Jamaica for the blade that cuts sugarcane. Plus Cornwell has long connections in Jamaica, Cornwall is the name of one of three county's in Jamaica. Also think of that novel, The Jamaica Inn, its also set in Cornwall. So a fight with a cutless seems unsurprising.

[@richardgale1287]

@@suzettewilliams1758 Nice observations. Thanks.

[@jacquieclapperton9758]

​@@suzettewilliams1758Cutlasses are still used in the Royal Navy - but only for ceremonial purposes.

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

It's just the opposite here in the US. I've only met a few people in my area that didn't own a firearm. I myself own about two dozen. Here they are considered basically a tool. Really no different then a hammer, saw or screwdriver.

[@MrGBH]

Best summed up by Rowan Atkinson's character in The Thin Blue Line "In order to allow someone to own a gun, I must first ask questions as to whether they are a suitable person to own one. One of those questions must be "Does this person wish to own a gun?". If the answer is "Yes" then they are clearly not a suitable person to own a gun."

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

😂 Most illogical thinking ever. Glad a made up character doesn't make laws.

[@northfield3654]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 Its a joke about those with power, if someone wants to run a country then that are clearly not suitable to run a country.

[@nolajoy7759]

It's illogical to think that is illogical. Maybe you just don't follow the reasoning. ​@@S1D3W1ND3R015

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 Irony and logic not your strong point?

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

@@northfield3654 If someone wants to own a constitutional right lawfully, they are able to period. Why are you so fearful of lawful people owning guns for defense or recreation? The people you are worried about already can't own guns and do not give a rats behind about your silly little laws.

[@Pandemia616]

The biggest difference between our gun laws: The UK had 1 school shooting and never forgot it. America had one school shooting and went, we can beat those numbers 💀

[@GlennCaldwell]

US school Shootings: 2022: There were 46 school shootings, the highest number since Columbine 2024: As of December 16, there were 83 school shootings in the United States 1997-2022: There were 1,453 school shootings, with the most recent five years seeing a higher number than the previous 20 The numbers speak for themselves, and I'm sure there's a lot of Americans who would say that that's just the price of freedom 😂

[@GlennCaldwell]

As for where I Am (Japan) In 2023, seven people were killed by gunshots in Japan: Number of incidents: Nine incidents involving the discharge of firearms were reported in 2023. Related to crime groups: Three of the victims were part of an organized crime group. Japan's gun death rate is among the lowest in the world, with strict gun ownership laws and regulations: Gun deaths per capita Japan's gun death rate is 0.03 per 100,000 people, which is lower than the UK and Germany, and much lower than the US. Gun ownership In 2017, there were 377,000 civilian firearms in Japan, which is 0.3 per 100 people. Gun control Japan has strict laws about gun ownership, including: Exhaustive police background checks A ban on civilian ownership of handguns Strict limits on the number of gun shops that can open Other factors that contribute to Japan's low gun violence rate include: Citizens and police rarely carry or use weapons. Off-duty police are not allowed to carry firearms. Most encounters with suspects involve a combination of martial arts or striking weapons

[@jessbellis9510]

Having a gun for "self defence" never made sense to me as an Aussie. It's a long-range _offensive_ weapon, and therefore not something to _defend_ yourself with. It's a deadly weapon that you can easily kill someone with - how is a deadly weapon necessary for DEFENCE? What are the cops even for in the US?

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

Cops even outside the US are an afterthought bud. 90% of the time they arrive after the mess is already done bro. 😂 They have zero legal obligation to protect you. Atleast here in the US.

[@turquoisebubbles2042]

Exactly, it doesn’t make sense as a self defence …. It’s a weapon and I guess in the USA it’s who can kill first wins , so strange.

[@joshuarowley2084]

@@turquoisebubbles2042it’s called a ccw where you can carry a small weapon on your body for close range in counters. It has saved tens of if not hundreds of lives

[@bigmacntings7451]

it's a force multiplier....ie granny is getting accosted and mugged by a couple of steroid filled thugs...she's got no chance. granny has a means to drop them before they get close= safety.

[@tate451heretic]

@@bigmacntings7451a force multiplier which doesn’t care who’s force it’s multiplying. This isn’t getting accosted by The Ham burglar mate. Mugging is about surprise shock and awe. Not approaching slowly and handing a note which says ‘I will be mugging you in the next minute if you please”. It’s not defence it’s hoped resolution through escalation. IF you carry an offensive weapon. It is ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. Before you use it. Or it is used on you.

[@Walesbornandbred]

You can own a gun in the UK but they're not handed out like sweets, you should respect how dangerous a gun is. The only thing more dangerous is a gun in the hands of a stupid person.

[@polygonalmasonary]

2:00 British people are unsure of our gun laws because we have absolutely NO interest in owning guns. We have better things to spend our money on, like helping those less fortunate than ourselves. Another alien concept to Americans 🙄🙄🙄🙏🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇬🇧

[@JinComer]

TEA

[@lord0shadow54]

I wouldn't mention tea around Americans, they may dress up like Natives and dump it in the harbour again xD

[@donaldduck7924]

As a Brit, most people spend their money on alcohol no lie

[@Beanz-on-Toast]

Not necessarily a true statement cuz we are a bunch of c*nts but I will say my American friend visited me and the concept of a volunteer run charity shop made his brain explode.

[@ThePippin89]

Speak for yourself? Britain has a very big firearms community. I, shoot with 3 different clubs and have 11 guns. Just because you don't have any interest in them, doesn't mean the entire country doesn't...

[@stephenogier7499]

I have never quite understood why Americans seem to love their guns more than their children. Just because your constitution says you can own a gun, why would that take priority over the trauma your kids go to every time they get on a school bus?

[@paulharrison8152]

Because criminals, who are armed, don’t care about peoples children.

[@DavesFootballChannel]

it's because the politicians do the will of the lobbyists and not the people!

[@StormhavenGaming]

@@DavesFootballChannel Welcome to the world. I assume that you're new here?

[@DavesFootballChannel]

@@StormhavenGaming no but thanx anyway!

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

We own our guns to protect our children. There is a reason that most so called "mass shootings" (statistically rare events) happen in gun free zones.

[@sampeeps3371]

My secret pleasure is getting into debates about guns with americans on gun nut channels. They get so triggered when you present them with facts and logic. All they can parrot back is propaganda, brainwashing, and flat out lies.

[@BSA-AirRifle-Plinking]

Haha, too right 👍🇬🇧

[@sampeeps3371]

@@BSA-AirRifle-Plinking I've subbed to your channel. Your air rifles are cool!

[@BSA-AirRifle-Plinking]

@@sampeeps3371 Thanks, that means a lot 👍

[@Rachel_M_]

Me too 😁 have you ever pointed out our children have a much higher school survival rate? They don't like that at all 😂

[@Rachel_M_]

​@@BSA-AirRifle-Plinking fancy seeing you here, been subbed for a few months. I have a nice little hatsan break barrel, willow stock, for plinking and ratting. Not the most expensive, but good enough for my purposes

[@johnrichards2640]

You’re talking about buying something that could kill with a press of a trigger, of course it should be very difficult.

[@thebighon6854]

No weapons of any kind are permitted for 'self-defence' in the UK. Whilst you are allowed to defend yourself and if you happen to have a object on you, such as an umbrella, and you use it to defend yourself that is fine, but if you have a specific item to defend yourself it becomes an offensive weapon and therefore illegal. Pepper sprays are also not permitted.

[@Rachel_M_]

That's why I carry a frozen double decker around with me (joke)

[@tomchitling]

Surprising how many small shop keepers play baseball, and keep the ball just in case.

[@samstevens7888]

@@Rachel_M_ as a older female that lives alone. I keep a rather large metal torch at my front door. Of course it isn't for self defence, it's so I can see if the many lights in my communal hallway lights go out lol

[@Rachel_M_]

@@samstevens7888 😂 is it one of those big ones that take big D type batteries? I know the type, They're fantastic for lighting up darkened hallways 😉

[@se4307]

My granny taught me to always carry nail scissors in my bag. A handy non weapon that anyone might carry. A door key to the eye will also do it.

[@Helen-l3i]

As a Canadian I read the comment stating "in the US health care is a privilege and gun ownership is a right", I agree with this. It is very sad to hear news from America on mass civilian shootings and how disagreements are settled by bringing out a gun , such as the 14 year old boy who shot his sister and then fatally shot his older brother.....it is very very sad!

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

Health care is a private system because government run health care is historically a bad idea. UK recently pulled the plug of a child despite the parents wanting to get a treatment that had a decent chance of saving the baby. Yet the UK government took the parents to court and pulled the plug anyway.

[@marcleblanc6293]

That sir is not the fault of the gun....that is a failure of society to teach young people, who at 14 should not have access to a firearm unless under supervision and training by a adult, to use a firearm properly. Here in Canada we have a extensive training program, a licencing system that registers LEGAL gun owners and we are daily run through a system every day to ensure we have not done anything wrong. All this and we still have mass shootings, the latest in 2020 inmPictou Nova Scotia where a man called Worth an shot, killed and burned to death 21 people using ilegally obtained firearms, dressed as a RCMP officer and driving around in a doctored up cruiser. All the laws passed since the 70s did nothing to prevent any of this. Governments response was Bill C-21 further restricting la abiding citizens who commit less than 0.1% of crimes, it illustrates how out of touch governments are. Instead of addressing the real issues both social and economic of why people commit crimes with firearms they take away the rights of law abiding citizens........it is fundamentally wrong.

[@lucyhardy-styles-shield2728]

Add in the 6 year old who shot his teacher when the school was WARNED REPEATEDLY he would do something like that and didn't step in

[@AngelCakes1997]

@@marcleblanc6293putting the potential instantaneous destruction into anyone’s hand, at any age, is a poor decision. Having no guns means no shootings, certainly no easy ones. Pretty sure the entirety of Europe has fewer shootings than any one American state every year, but I could be wrong.

[@marcleblanc6293]

@@AngelCakes1997 angel your delusional if you think removing all guns will prevent anyone being killed. They are removing guns from law abiding citizens, not the criminals, not the police and not the military. Guns will always be available to criminals, bombs can easily be made from readily available materials, veichles can be used as weapons to mow down the innocent. If someone is intention harming others banning guns from law abiding citizens will not stop them. Liberal policies do not work, it has been proven over and over again with the worst being Wortman in Nova Scotia who killed 21 people some with ilegallymobtained firearms and others he burned to death in their home.....so explain how Liberal gun policies stopped him? 2 of his guns were obtained illegally from the state's the other from the RCMP officer he killed. How did any of the Liberal gun policies stop him from obtaining a RCMP uniform and a RCMP cruiser? Your blind and sorry to say dumb if you think taking away guns from law abiding citizens will solve any of the problems with the criminal use of firearms. But go ahead and believe the Liberal lies.....lies like assault style firearm, there is no such thing it is a made up term, ar-15s used to commit crimes...there has never been an instance of a ar-15 ever being used to commit a crime in Canada. Long guns like the ones Trudeau is banning are not used by criminals, by far their preferred choice of firearm is a handgun and while sure Bill c-21 is supposedly banning them they are only banned for law abiding registered citizens , criminals will still have them and still use them.

[@GaryP336]

4:18 so what your saying is : your rules on this matter are out of date and appropriate for the time they were written but woefully innapropriate for modern life? Yes....that's correct that's what everyone has been trying to tell you....

[@gibblefoon399]

Almost like he agrees with you in this video...

[@GaryP336]

@gibblefoon399 unfortunately you have to spell it out loudly and slowly over most yanks "mah ahmehment!!"

[@muzz4610]

@@GaryP336well he’s not most yanks, he was super understanding and seemed to agree way more with the UK laws than the US. i’m also english for the record, and i understand the frustration because it seems so obvious to us, but i think you’re out of pocket for this considering what he actually said in this video

[@GaryP336]

@muzz4610 ahh my bad. I didn't mean this guy. He seems pretty reasonable. Just a commentary to the general unending barrage of bs the country as a rule of thumb spouts

[@CinematicEnlisted]

The key difference is, most people don't want or feel the need to own a gun

[@NorrisJones-w2q]

You stupid if you don’t

[@mikewilson8513]

You correct. We dont have a gun culture here.

[@Kyrelel]

Contrary to popular (US) belief ... the right to own a gun is not a symbol of freedom, the real freedom is living in a country where you never think about needing one. In the US, your constitution means that "the government" need to look at reasons why you should NOT have a gun. In the UK, YOU have to convince "the government" that you need one, and you can forget about getting anything "military" that has not been deactivated. Also, contrary to US belief ... most European countries and other "1st world" countries actually enjoy _more_ freedom than US citizens. Spoiler: If everyone, including yourself, keeps telling you that you are free ... that is usually a good sign that you're not.

[@ScottiStudios]

2:50 6.5 per 100 in the UK is still surprising to me. Never thought it would be so high. (I'm from the UK). Never seen a gun in my life.

[@Wurmze]

I remember being 4 ish and being so excited to refill my dads air pistol with pellets, lived in the average UK housing estate. He got me an air rifle when I was about 13 ish (got bored with it quickly because it only shot one pellet at a time and I wasn’t strong enough to crack it with it being brand new, compared to the one I used at the shooting range on holiday, and waiting for him to do it each time got dull)

[@Wurmze]

Admittedly I don’t think air guns count as proper guns

[@7rob27]

I’m perfectly fine with owning a gun is a right in the United States. As long as the Atlantic Ocean is between this second amendment enthusiasts and my family and myself.

[@generalesdeath5836]

America is very different from the UK. There are many people who live in places where the police are hours away. The ability to look out for yourself is important. In the UK you might be able to police your whole country, but Texas alone is bigger than 3 times your entire landmass. And Alaska is bigger than Texas.

[@generalesdeath5836]

Addendum: “2nd amendment enthusiasts” who have concealed carry permits in the USA are 7 times LESS likely to commit violent crime than the average American citizen who has no carry permit.

[@7rob27]

@@generalesdeath5836 The UK?

[@generalesdeath5836]

@@7rob27 this video was about the UK. I gather you’re from elsewhere.

[@chelliebellie4443]

💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@billybudd5854]

That owning a gun is considered a right in America goes a long way to explaining why the country is in such a mess.

[@Trebor74]

I would prefer the explanation that Europe exported all its weirdos, religious zealots etc and they've inbred for the past 250 years.

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

😂 20th century alone validated the 2nd amendment. Governments are responsible for over 100,000,000 peoples deaths in the last 100 years alone promising safety and security in place of individual freedoms. Keep in mind we were founded by random citizens coming together with their own Arms fighting the most powerful empire in the world at the time.

[@fallenhero4550]

Well the fantatics that obsess over the 2nd Amendment believe that they and their little Beretta or AR-15 are going to stop the US military from taking away their rights.

[@paulmilner8452]

they still think its the wild west

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

@paulmilner8452 Wild west had less gun crime unironically. Yet no virtually no laws. Unless you were of color. Yet you guys never want to talk about gun laws being historically racist.

[@rockfituk753]

I'm from Plymouth which is one of the only places to see a mass shooting when a local man decided to kill 5 inncoent people in cluding a 3 year old girl and wounding 2 others before turning the gun on himself. He previosuly had his gun removed but managed to get it back (the people responsible for that must be haunted every day by their actions and have faced disiplinary measures). For weeks after every time there was a loud bang locals were visibly panicked - it's incredible how something like that affects a community mentally. I can't imagine living in a country where shootings are commonplace. It's terrifying. I'd would never want to own a gun or be around anyone who does. When the right to bare arms was written you all had muskets which took 5 minutes to load... that should be the only gun you're allowed to own. not semi automatic weapons given out like candy without background checks.

[@jemsjemski533]

I’m in the UK, don’t know anyone that owns a gun, held a gun, do not know anyone who has fired a gun… I also don’t know anyone learning to use a gun. Have no idea where a gun range would possibly be! I’ve only ever seen armed police in London at major situations and post terror attacks… mostly our police don’t carry guns because we don’t have a huge gun culture in the UK… the knife crime is down to small amounts of communities. We have documentaries about one punch being a killer 😮

[@alexrowson-brown6568]

Allow me to introduce myself, I have experience shooting both rifles and shotguns in the UK, been to multiple ranges It’s not very advertised but I did shoot a lot as a kid as part of cadets even getting marksmanship awards

[@engineeredlifeform]

I live in the UK. I'm an NSRA qualified Air Rifle Instructor. I own six air air rifles. I know several people that own shotguns. I have shot various types of shotgun, .22 rimfire rifles, .22 rimfire pistol, .38 Special Revolver, and 9mm pistol. I live a few miles from a shooting club licensed for .22 rimfire, and am a member of an Air Rifle Shooting club. You might know someone like me, but we just don't shout about it, or even talk about it unless the subject comes up, which it rarely does.

[@Rooster---ooo]

I got into shooting air rifles a few years before locldown as there was a range on the farm my wife worked at. When I picked up my first rifle from a gun shop in Newport (South Wales) I was suprised to see how many semi-automatic 5.56mm NATO calibre military style rifles were on sale. They even had a huge 50 cal (half inch) Barrett sniper rifle, which can fire bullets that will penetrate steel plate. Not sure who's buying those. During lockdown I treated myseelf to a top of the line pre-charged pnumatic air rifle, which is just under the threshold of being considered a firearm. The guy selling it lived on a farm in Gloucestershire & was an ex army armourer. He had a safe with a dozen or so full power rifles of all sorts. I suspect the majority of the 6.5/100 gun owners in the UK are in these rural areas. Most of us live in cities & just don't mix in those social circles.

[@skydamage8679]

@@engineeredlifeformI live in Texas I shot 12g ak74 mp5 22lr, 30-30 lever action, mini gun, 9mm rifle and gun, .308 revolver and 22 magnum actually I shoot almost every weekend I own my private gun range in my Texas range but when in the city I’m in the range

[@Kewickviper]

This is pretty common in the UK and I was exactly the same until I took up shooting as a hobby. Now I'm the only person my friends know outside of the military that shoots firearms lol!

[@molybdomancer195]

At my work we keep being spammed by a US gun shop offering to sell us ammo. As none of us have gun licences, I keep wanting to reply to them to point out they are trying to get us to break U.K. law. I suspect they have never thought of it.

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

Probably a bot. That said I get a lot of spam concerning ammo sales. Since I buy ammunition in bulk, usually 1,000 rounds at a time, I don't mind it. I'm always looking for a good deal.

[@oliverlee4033]

One of the interesting things about criminal gun use in the U.K. is that most criminals will 'lease' a gun temporarily from a dealer with the intention of never firing it. If you fire it, it's yours and you owe someone a more money now. It gets to the stage that it's easier just to not bother.

[@daverawlinson1594]

Also with the police unarmed, and the public unarmed - and an instant MINIMUM 5 years in the clink if you are caught with a gun - there's literally no point in criminals carrying them. By design.

[@31Blaize]

My dad owned a shotgun for decades. To this day I still have no idea where he stored it or the ammo even though he no longer has it. That toddlers in the US accidentally shoot their parents every so often is unfathomable to me, as is the idea that you can freely own and carry in public a weapon that you do not need to prove any competence of use...

[@jamesgornall5731]

It is usually toddlers in houses where owning an illegal firearm is somewhere around halfway down in terms of what all illegal activity is going on in there. Would be nice to see statistics broken down in this manner

[@AveCaesar2025]

@@jamesgornall5731 Not judging from news reports from the US on the subject. Often seems to be an irresponsible parent who keeps it in the bedside table drawer with bullets in for good measure.

[@AveCaesar2025]

Dad had a 22 rifle (originally UK - used for shooting rabbits and pigeons during the war - before moving to NZ) and the ammo was in the dressing table drawer, the rifle was up in the loft = wrapped to keep it clean and protected) but I've no idea where the bolt was kept. I do remember dad searching a couple of times because he forgot where he had hidden it (he had his own ''shooting range'' out on some land he owned in the country and would go shooting once a year or so). This was in the days before gun safes were required. My neighbour had one as well, the rifle was in the garage but I've no idea where the ammo or bolt were but they were definitely kept well apart and hidden. It was just common sense (and quite possibly a legal requirement though I don't know, I do know they had a fight every time they gun licences were renewed but dad often also did vermin shooting with someone from work and I suspect that swung the need for a licence. The rats on the tips were too big for an air rifle.

[@jamesgornall5731]

@@AveCaesar2025 ah, good old days, need separate rifle and ammunition safes

[@TheLettybird]

The first I knew about my dad’s guns was when my mum surrendered them to the police after he died. That’s when I discovered we had a secure gun cabinet under the stairs!

[@TrudyBusterKittyMadness]

You should watch a video on the Dunblane school massacre to help explain why our gun laws are this way. Tennis player Andy Murray was at the school when it happened. He rarely talks about it but he is understandably upset.

[@BordersJambo]

Dunblane is the reason why the UK has such strict gun laws. In the US, Dunblane is a regular Tuesday.

[@tableface77]

Yes! And a reasonably well known Scottish person also posted this few years ago in response to a U.S. incident at the time kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5akhJuJfNhsgKM

[@matthewbradbury5907]

He wasn’t at the school on that day. He was off sick.

[@craigdobson9068]

It started with Huntington, then Dunblane and the Derrick Bird shooting spree in my town in 2010.

[@mrb.5610]

@@craigdobson9068 Hungerford but close enough.

[@mulaloratshidaho4073]

Im a 32 years old guy based in South Africa, i have not handled a real gun in my life.

[@alancook]

"I want a gun for 'self-protection'." This would make you ineligible for consideration because it is an admission that, under certain circumstances, you would be prepared to point it at another person.

[@jamesgornall5731]

Absolutely correct, if you mention this to the police then you'll be quietly refused permission for owning anything other than maybe a car. Even if you owned an air rifle they'd raise an eyebrow, after that.

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

So in other words your government are afraid of the wrong people. Why are you so afraid of lawful people using the most effective tool to protect themselves

[@richardphillips8260]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 No, They see somebody who is willing to kill, for almost any reason, as a danger to the general public.

[@alancook]

How's that working out for you?@@S1D3W1ND3R015

[@jessbellis9510]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 Dude that's literally what the police are meant to be for.

[@martinsear5470]

So how's that right to bear arms going? 630 mass shootings in the USA this year, in the UK we have had 8 since 2020. Have to say making it a privilege seems to be working over here.

[@andrewbragg504]

If only the kids at columbine n sandy hook had a way to defend themselves... Oh wait a minute they did but the right to bare arms was useless

[@jamesgornall5731]

We've had 8? I'm surprised there have been so many. We're they all to do with gangs? All in London?

[@jacklurcher5813]

@@jamesgornall5731 He's correct, 8 since 2020. 6 of those had no fatalities (but multiple people injured), one had 1 fatality and 4 injured (Liverpool). The worst was Plymouth, 6 dead (including the gunman) and 2 injured. They probably wouldn't make the local news in the USA.

[@jamesgornall5731]

@@jacklurcher5813 it's pretty good going really

[@joshuarowley2084]

@@andrewbragg504because they are fucking children smh

[@kerrymason609]

The law was passed in 1986 due to the murder of 16 children in Dunblaine . It was the parents of the children that campained for 2 years by petitioning amongst other things. They changed history and saved many MANY lives .

[@johnmccaughey2722]

1996

[@lornaclayton2697]

What I do not understand is why children in US also have guns. I remember seeing a photograph of a politician with his wife and children standing in front of their Christmas tree and every single child was holding a large gun and so were their parents. I think that is obscene.

[@yvetteadshead4212]

Me too, I saw the same picture, on a Christmas card for crying out loud .

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

Propaganda. You cannot legally own or buy a rifle or shotgun till 18. Then 21 for handguns. The pictures you see are adult supervision training or safety. There is absolutely nothing wrong with teaching your kids proper gun safety and practice while supervising them.

[@lornaclayton2697]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 Well I don’t know anyone who owns a gun, and I hope I never do. As for sending out Christmas cards with that photograph on the front, I think it’s appalling. The Christmas message is about peace on Earth and good will to all men.

[@joelfett4739]

Maybe if you were born and raised here you would understand when you put around 320 million people all from wildly different backgrounds and cultures into a single country, things can tend to escalate rapidly. I would love to explain to you why it is completely appropriate to own a gun in the US, but that would take a while.

[@kennyalbert3692]

I was given my first gun at 5 years old and taught gun safety and responsibility from the get go .

[@coffeecolic5799]

I have never once in my 52 years of life ever felt the need for a gun in Britain, I don't hunt for my food. I go to the shops. And I certainly don't want to hurt anybody and I have never felt threatened enough to warrant owning a gun. I've seen videos of Americans who seem to be obsessed with guns. I can only think it's some kind of a power trip. Maybe they need a gun to make themselves feel strong? Or maybe they're just so paranoid that they feel they need a gun.

[@StormhavenGaming]

There aren't many legitimate reasons for gun ownership in the UK. Pest control in rural areas and target shooting are the main ones. In fairness to our American friends, the violent crime statistics suggest that it isn't just paranoia!

[@engineeredlifeform]

And you have completely the wrong mindset to own a gun. In the UK, as detailed in the video, owning a gun is only for hunting or recreational purposes, NEVER self defense.

[@coffeecolic5799]

@@engineeredlifeformHow many school shootings have there being in America??? How many people die or are wounded from gunshot wounds in America 🤔.... I don't think I need to say anything else

[@engineeredlifeform]

@@coffeecolic5799 You shouldn't have said anything. The video is about gun ownership in the UK. The person that started this thread, is in the UK. I am in the UK. We aren't talking about US gun ownership, approving of it, promoting it or anything like that. I myself am quite critical of it, so take your rant elsewhere.

[@coffeecolic5799]

lol I did start it! I'm replying to you @@engineeredlifeform kzbin.infogaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f602.pngkzbin.infogaming/emoji/7ff574f2/emoji_u1f602.png

[@shuktuki1960]

all the really heavy restrictions happened after this. The Dunblane massacre took place at Dunblane Primary School in Dunblane, near Stirling, Scotland, on 13 March 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 pupils and one teacher and injured 15 others before killing himself. It remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history. Following the killings, public debate centred on gun control laws, including public petitions for a ban on private ownership of handguns and an official inquiry, which produced the 1996 Cullen Report. The incident led to a public campaign, known as the Snowdrop Petition, which helped bring about legislation, specifically two new Firearms Acts, which prohibited the private ownership of most handguns in Great Britain.The UK Government instituted a buyback programme which provided compensation to licensed owners,. as a country there was an outrage at the deaths of children in a school shooting, hence the stricter rules and there have been no school shootings since.

[@daveterry4326]

Long time watcher, first time commenter. As a follow up to this video, look up the dumblaine school shooting (tennis players Andy Murray, and his brother were at the school at that time) this one incident brought out an entire ban on side arms in the UK. There was a short amnesty for people to hand in guns, then it became illegal for anyone in the UK to hold or own a side arm

[@vivianmchenry8352]

Dumblaine? I think you mean DUNBLANE 🤦‍♀

[@adriangoodrich4306]

UK Population is over 67 million, NOT the 56 million quoted. The video creator seems to be making the all-too-common mistake of confusing England (56 million) and the UK.

[@DavesFootballChannel]

is that really the most important aspect of the video for you?

[@adriangoodrich4306]

@@DavesFootballChannelGrow up. Is deriding my (correct) observation really so important to you? Or relevant to anything? I have made three further posts on this thread, so I think the answer is quite clear, sunshine.

[@DavesFootballChannel]

@@adriangoodrich4306 awww! does baby want a hug lol!

[@elemar5]

It's an error, how many other errors might there be in the video?@@DavesFootballChannel

[@adriangoodrich4306]

@@DavesFootballChannel Maybe you do? You seem quite the sort. ps. Derision is the last refuge of those who have made total pillocks of themselves. As you have.

[@simonhulmesh]

In that video the Union Flag is upside down!

[@JohnBeck-pb9xl]

As a UK gun owner i have a small collection of classic shotguns. They're not impossible to get but the system does make it difficult to get them. It's also VERY easy to loose your licence and have your guns seized. For instance in the states from what I understand you can literally make your own improvised firearm for personal use. Here that'll land you a 10 stretch.

[@paulmayle4374]

Long may it continue, we in the UK can't understand why gun ownership is so important to Americans, so many mass shootings, no one bats an eylid ............ senseless 🤨

[@gabbymcclymont3563]

America hates children and shopping its why they are happy to keep letting kids being killed, i dont realy like kids but im not wanting a gun.

[@apollohateshisdayjob9606]

So, gangs exist and criminals don't obey laws. Most mass shootings in the US are gang violence, we aren't an island like GB or Japan, and we clearly have next to no border security on the border with a country mostly run by cartels.. Murders happen in less than a minute, and police are several minutes to an hour away. Why are you so puzzled by Americans care about the right and ability to defend ourselves??

[@qzxerty]

A friend of mine who is into sport shooting (olympics) does have a few firearms for the purpose locked away in a purpose built gun cabinet in the UK. He gets a visit from the local police every six months to confirm he still needs them , uses them and keeps them stored according to regulations

[@JohnResalb]

But it's not a right in nearly every country on earth. The general consensus is that guns are only in mass circulation in the event of civil war, in any country (the UK is no specific exception to this).

[@jamesgornall5731]

Canada, Switzerland places like that many people own guns, in Switzerland it was law that people had to have one when they left the army after national service

[@SuperSuper-cj5sy]

Switzerland 🇨🇭 is well worth exploring their gun use/ regulation. 😊. Actually, guns are readily available in most first world countries. Canada, France, Spain, Portugal, etc., however are vetted and checked. Having said that, where I am, western Europe, armed intruder safety drills in kindergarten and schools is not normal. Mass shootings at colleges or other places, is also viewed as not normal.

[@bigmacntings7451]

or an invasion.........but if you don't have a sufficiently well trained civilian population to repel the invasion quickly, then what is the point? Civil war in that respect is actually worse, because you're dealing with an internal enemy that will be actively sabotaging your means of defence.

[@jaspermooren5883]

​@bigmacntings7451 you're also actively sabotaging the offensive side though in the case of a civil war. In fact, because the existing military is practically always on the side of the status quo, and obviously does have access to firearms, restricting firearms makes civil wars all but impossible. I think that is the real reason behind the second amendment, it's a check and balance upon the government by actually having a civilian force that can overthrow the government if they start having autocratic tendencies. Nowadays though, the second amendment is severely broken, because A: there are no well organized militias to speak of in the US, particularly not ones that are even remotely close to the power and effectiveness of the US military, and B, there's absolutely no reason to assume that these militias would be anti-authoritarian anymore. If anything, things like January 6th show that would be militias are more likely to put autocrats in power than remove them these days.

[@DWillis7]

As a UK gun owner, the process is quite easy. If everything checks out, you'll be granted a certificate allowing you to use and own firearms up to the caliber supported by the club you're a member of. You can also apply for variations, so if you have a farmer friend who wishes to allow you to shoot on their land, the police will visit the land and asses what calibers are safe to shoot. Once they have a signed letter from the land owner, they can grant the variation and you can now own the calibers permitted for use on that land. Variations cost about £20, so it's not too bad. We also don't need to send forms off to be given approval for suppressors. We just list them on our licence and we're good to go. All of mine have them because nobody wants to have to wear hearing protection. Pre-covid, the club I was a member of allowed up to .50 bmg. Covid put them out of business though. So now I shoot on a farmer friends land and shoot .223 mainly out of a Weatherby Vanguard Series 2 which has a sub-MOA guarantee. Beautiful rifle. We have quite a few rifles from the likes of Savage Arms too which are brilliant rifles. Just wish my safe was big enough to hold more rifles 😂

[@thatonebritishidiot3037]

if only Americans could get this through their apparently thicker than average skulls

[@thomasstyan2066]

Sounds like the system is working well for you and also the rest of us. You can benefit from owning guns, yet I feel in absolutely no danger from some criminal getting hold of your guns. A few criminals in the UK do get hold of guns of course. From what I've read, they are not easy to obtain. And most criminals don't want them. Being caught with an illegal firearm is a serious offence, often involving a more serious punishment than the criminal would have got otherwise. Because gun crime is rare, when it is discovered, a lot of police resource is used to catch those responsible.

[@1Thunderfire]

Why do you want a gun in the first place though?

[@zang12x]

I still find it funny in the US that u can’t drink till 21 but a lethal weapon is fine at 18 I find that very funny

[@jessquinn6106]

Owning a gun is not a right. It's a responsibility.

[@Tylerd838]

it’s a right in the us

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

@@Tylerd838 It's also a duty.

[@HaurakiVet]

It's interesting that the right to gun ownership is written into the constitution (if only as an amendment) and slavery (in prison) is specifically allowed.

[@2727rogers]

That amendment was more to allow states to have their own militias than to have everyone armed. For some reason it was interrupted the other way.

[@Trebor74]

Except,unless you are a convicted felon,in which case you have the right to own a firearm removed. The fear of Britain removing colonists weapons was one of the given reasons for the revolution, they tended to shoot people and start wars,then complain when taxes needed to be raised to pay for the war. It's the reason gun ownership was written into the constitution. In effect what it means is that Americans are constantly on the verge of revolution,both with their government and each other.

[@mnomadvfx]

@@2727rogers "For some reason it was interrupted the other way" The reason is 1 miilion percent clear when you realise the firearms industry makes a lot of money on it and uses a significant portion of it to protect their interests in Washington DC. Without those profit margins the industry flounders and the support for the amendments interpretation dies a horrible death. What needs to happen is someone doing to the firearms industry what was done to the British slave trade. Make a law that does not directly affect it, but makes it either so utterly unprofitable, or impactical that the industry can no longer support their lobbying efforts.

[@2727rogers]

@@mnomadvfx hat would be a great idea but thanks to Citizen United that would be hard to to. Remember in the USA corporations are citizens as well. What a stupid decision that was for sure.

[@Tylerd838]

prison is not slavery

[@andrewmcewan8081]

the problem at the moment in the states is gun ownership and firearms laws have become massivly politicised,until that changes nothing else about them will.

[@DHW3008]

Owning a gun for self defence isn't necessary over here as chances are the person attacking you doesn't have one either.

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

A knife within 21 feet is also a certain death fate, especially if you are not trained. Thus is why a gun you legally own and carry for defense is a more effective tool.

[@DHW3008]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 you're more likely to die from a bullet that a knife. Also, you can run from somebody with a knife. Try outrunning a bullet. True freedom is not needing a gun.

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 ''He has a knife, I must have a gun''? Burglar ''He has a gun, I'd better have one n shoot first''. It's insane to think that way.

[@bigdognuniff]

​@@S1D3W1ND3R015you can't just walk around with a knife either. If you're stopped and searched by the police or found with a knife longer than 3 inches and you don't have a suitable reason it will be ceased. Like you need to have a job that requires a knife, be a Sikh carrying a kirpan ect

[@Ady-rt1yu]

Actually owning a gun is very easy in the UK if you have a legitimate reason (Self defence is not a legitimate reason). I owned a gun from 16 till about 19 (I had to surrender the firearm when I went to university due to letting my club membership expire). No one stormed my front door, I was sent a letter and given time to resolve to issue (I decided to sell the firearm back to a local store).

[@georgebarnes8163]

You can own a gun for self defence in the UK

[@georgebarnes8163]

certainly can, PPW licences are issued by the Home secretary, look it up under section 5@@Deano-Dron81

[@MEXlC075]

@@Deano-Dron81 You can in Northern Ireland, for obvious reasons. Northern Ireland is part of the UK so he is technically right. You can't in Great Britain.

[@Deano-Dron81]

@@MEXlC075 👍

[@fast920]

@@Deano-Dron81 So you were wrong.

[@Sundaydish1]

"Hello gun shop owner I would like to buy an AR-15, an M-16, an Uzi 9mm, a Desert Eagle and 2 Glocks..... For self defense" Lol!

[@levay8224]

Yeah, no one says that

[@Sundaydish1]

@@levay8224 What do they say? "It's for hunting rabbits"

[@fast920]

Most places in the US don't allow the selling of Uzis lol.

[@Sundaydish1]

@fast920 Most? Thats like saying serial killers usually only kill a few people. So thats ok then is it? I count 16 states that do sell Uzis. Americans pretend all these weapons are for self defence. We all know its for stroking the ego.

[@rikaardyyz3039]

I won't bang on about my opinion MUCH, But USA has more gun deaths in ONE day than we have in a year. Kinda obvious that more guns means more deaths. During the ten years on the Vietnam war ,more died from guns back home within America then died in the ten year war. We used to have guns, people had assault rifles but after two mass shooting they first took away AKs and the like then after Dublane that banned hand guns. And now it's all kool. Some criminals are armed but the sentence for having a gun is years. And now with knives any fixed blade or over three inches can get u 3 years in jail. But as this video says you have small calibre target shooters and shot gun owners. But incredibly hard to get a licence. More chance living in the sticks on a farm. BTW our cops are actually often armed or there's rapid ARV response in every town. More since the war on terror. BUT in my opinion the USA due to 2nd amendment won't ever change. But you do need to do something with 20,000 deaths a year and trigger happy cops. I've been to the USA but didn't fire guns but actually did in Canada and military service. But that's part of life and unless it's a war you book them out have range time and book them back with check after check. When I look at USA shootings and idiots saying arm teachers I just think madness. Then the guy in Vegas who went back and forth over days bringing bag's of guns. You could start with a law of no guns in public building like hotels. Just a thought. I'm happy here in the UK knowing that in the rare chance a cop stops me that I don't have to ask permission to breath 🤔 or worry that if I move for my glove box I might get shot. Daniel Shaver got wasted for trying to pull his jeans up 😮🤔✌️

[@courgette3401]

It’s really only farmers and sportsmen that own guns. Self defence is never a reason to own a gun. You would be arrested if you shot an intruder.

[@cthulwho8197]

And farmer's mums. 😄

[@douglaspollock643]

I’m really surprised that there are as many as 6.5 guns per 100 people. I guess if you went into 100 homes at random you wouldn’t find a single firearm

[@atlasschmatlas6426]

It's probably to do with the fact that the very few gun owners we have own multiple guns

[@thenerdytiger9306]

I don't see how a murder weapon is connected to self-defense. I took self-defense classes and not once were we ever taught to actually take a life.

[@bernadettelanders7306]

Aussie here, our gun laws are similar to the UK, thank goodness. I’m a grandmother and have never seen a real gun in my life.

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

If you've seen a police officer, you have. Weird how your country still needs guns for police. I thought there was no threat?

[@bernadettelanders7306]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 I’ve seen a very few police officers, honestly, always had a friendly chat and sometimes a joke and a smile with them. I’ve seen their holsters, but have never seen a real gun outside of a holster in my life.

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

Obviously you have never hunted or needed to protect yourself, your loved ones, or your property from predators. Either the two or four legged variety.

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

@bernadettelanders7306 So, your comment is still wrong. You need to edit it then

[@bernadettelanders7306]

@@RickZackExploreOffroad Exactly. I or any of my family have ever hunted animals. I’ve never had a burglar. Honestly growing up our back door was never locked, why I don’t know, never thought about it growing up and we were never burgled. Lucky, probably. But can’t think of other neighbours being burgled. I know guns exist people with a license and pretty sure some people have them with no license. There’s crime here of course in Australia. I didn’t live a sheltered life. I went to high school via bus and train. As a teenager when I got my license I went out to the pub, friends, movies in the city. I had my bag ripped out of my hand once walking by a teenager on bike, A lady driving by saw I was distressed asked why, and drove and got my bag back. I’ve been on holidays local and interstate. Guess I’m lucky, I don’t know, I’ve never seen any real violence personally in my life.

[@marisaJ1]

Bulletproof vests are also illegal, along with tazers, pepper sprays, knives etc. As a probation officer I've worked with people who've been in possession of these items. I was in court with a guy who got a prison sentence for possessing a Bulletproof vest and bullets. I had an old guy (70s) who threatened a guy with an illegally owned gun because his antique shop had been burgled twice. He was walking in the park and pulled the gun out on some poor unsuspecting individual. We don't need more weapons.

[@ratowey]

You cannot own a gun for self defence in the UK. You would go to jail for murder or attempted murder if you used it on someone.

[@iapetusmccool]

Not if you were actually defending yourself against a reasonable threat to your life.

[@stephengoldie8337]

@@iapetusmccool Define "reasonable threat"

[@thundersos8087]

​​@@iapetusmccooli don't think it's reasonable threat, it's reasonable force with your response to the threat. Reasonable force would rarely include use of a gun I think - I'm sure that would be over the top. I guess it could do but can't think of a case where it's happened.

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

So if you defended yourself from a violent attackers you get charged. I'm so glad I live where a man can defend himself, which self-preservation is a natural right and law.

[@StormhavenGaming]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 No. If you use excessive force to defend yourself you get charged. Since it is incredibly unlikely that your attackers will have guns, it is incredibly unlikely that using a gun against them could be considered a reasonable response. There is this new thing that you might want to check out. It's called nuance.

[@gmdhargreaves]

I wouldn’t bet against there being more gun deaths not reported per year in USA is more than the entire amount of gun deaths ever recorded in the UK

[@jamesgornall5731]

Yes it would be, but other countries with much less restrictive gun laws have similar homicide rates as we

[@charlesunderwood6334]

The rate of gun deaths (per million) in the US caused by the police is greater than the total caused by anyone in the UK

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

Well 1. Our gun deaths are going down. Despite record sales. 2. Most of our gun deaths are suicides. 3. Most of our actual gun homicides or violent deaths are gang related inner city crime. Since we have over 33,000 recognized gangs and over 1,000,000 members. While UK has like 5. And like 3000 or 4000 members.

[@northfield3654]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 There are more school shootings than days of the year in the US and why exactly do you think that the US has more of a gang problem, perhaps its the easy access to firearms and high poverty/low education levels, the USA is a First World/Third World country and has been for some time.

[@charlesunderwood6334]

@@S1D3W1ND3R015 Whilst deaths by violence in the US remain between 5 and 30 times that of other developed countries all of which also have gangs and other social problems, your arguments that guns reduce violence are demonstrably false. Once the rate in the US falls appreciably below other countries, than maybe you would be in a position to comment.

[@dm121984]

0:33 ish; actually, that is a debatable 'right' in the constitution. Most researchers argue the right to bear arms was supposed to allow the individual states to operate militias/national guard units. However, the NRA became an insane 'guns at any cost organisation in the 50s and have made it defacto law that gun ownership is a fundamental right in America. Not the freedom from poverty or racism, or the freedom to do with your body as you wish, but the gun rights make gun manufacturers rich so that right is highly protected.

[@sallyannwheeler6327]

When I was going to visit New York, I told my eldest sister I would have to get a gun for protection. She was horrified and said,Ohh! Sal,do be careful. 🤣🤣On a more serious note,I have never known or met anyone here with a gun,apart from exceptions like local Welsh farmers,to protect their livestock from such as foxes. Even then,they never discuss or display them. I can only imagine knowing that anywhere you go over there has a strong potential for being in the wrong place at the wrong time is scary ,to put it mildly.I do fully understand why homeowners need guns as protection from intruders though.. One of the most disturbing things I have seen on footage,is the way the police don’t stop when taking down a suspect,but just keep shooting until they are dead. Now that is terrifying.Where do you draw the line?! Thank god to live over here

[@grash4435]

It is amazing in USA is ,, right to own the gun...but is privilege to have medical care...,, well done America you have to have everything upside down....

[@MikeDbop]

It gets even more complicated in the UK as other items are classed as firearms that actually are not firearms. Eg. Pepper spray (cs spray, bear spray). Tasers and stun devices, propelled projectiles (air powered, gas powered, spring guns, high powered lasers, blow pipes) extending battons, spring batons, starting pistols, blank firing guns, airsoft, paintball guns, SF ball barring guns, acid or corrosives in a spray or dispenser form, butterfly knives, flick knives, locking blades, blades over 2.5 inch. and of course replica guns. ALL ARE CLASSED AS FIREARMS IN THE UK.

[@hannahjames3576]

Please take a look at a video about the dunblane massacre, I was 6 at the time and still remember how devastating it was. This is the reason our gun laws are as they are. I dread to think how many of these massacres would have happened in the uk had we not taken the steps we did, when we did.

[@mastokbreedtbg1398]

I was Actively scrolling his msgs hoping I'd see this and not be the one to bring it up.

[@paulharrison8152]

You know massacres can happen even when you don’t have guns. For example, the stabbings in the school in Ireland.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

Well, it;s not *the* reason. Restrictions on long guns came in after Hungerford.

[@hannahjames3576]

Appreciate your point, but in the US there have been 559 mass shootings in 2023. No other country is even close, even when considering other weapons. Gun culture is the problem. My simplistic overview of the underlying issue in the uk is more around social and community services diminishing over the last 13 years of Tory government.

[@iapetusmccool]

​@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15tit was both. Hungerford led to the ban on semiautomatics. Dunblane led to the ban on handguns.

[@timphillips9954]

What kind of messed up country do you need a gun for self protection?

[@Playingwith3D]

It is a Symbiotic relationship between media and the gun manufacturers in the US. The media sells fear porn harder than just about any other country in the world, that causes fear, fear causes people to go out and buy guns. More guns means more people get shot. The media conflates the issue for clickbait money, people get scared and buy more guns. That's my assessment from watching it as a neighbor for about 40 years now.

[@nolajoy7759]

​@NorsemanPatriot then you need to work on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of your police force.

[@timphillips9954]

@NorsemanPatriot I have lived in Wales for many years, beeen lucky enough to have travelled world wide and have lived in South East Asia for ten years. I can honestly say the only time I ever felt unsafe was during my time in New York. It felt like living in a third world developimg nation.

[@MarkLikesCoffee860]

The kind of country where there are 153 school shootings per year. The kind of country where people carry a gun to do grocery shopping.

[@ulsterinfidel9897]

My country Northern Ireland, UK😂 Aye we can own guns for personal protection and even conceal carry hanguns thanks to terrorism we have better gun laws than the rest of the UK pity we can't own semi autos over .22lr and have a 1000 round restriction per calibre other wise I will get me a nice SLR

[@robertbailey5719]

The population of the UK is around 68 million, not 56 million.

[@mattm8870]

Sounds like they using the figures for England and Wales.

[@angharaddenby3389]

The point IS that when the Constitution was written, the most powerful gun you could get was a musket. Muzzle-loading, black-powder using and THREE shots per minute. Who the hell NEEDS a gun that can fire 100 rounds a minute anyway? The problem is that you Americans have become so beholden to them and enthralled by them that, despite more mass shootings per year than there are DAYS, you just can't seem to do without them (NOTE: YES you CAN). And do NOT give me that crap of "Well, if someone had a gun they could have taken the shooter out!" - if NOBODY had guns then those who were killed with them would still be alive. I wonder whether your opinion would change at all if one of YOUR children was killed with a gun. Having a gun does NOT give you freedom. True freedom is being able to walk down ANY street at ANY time and NOT need them. And never forget that although it is written down, Laws CAN be changed or repealed. It has happened at least 3 times before.

[@joshuarowley2084]

The constitution was written so that a tyrannical government couldn’t take control and counldnt take your guns

[@joshuarowley2084]

@@angharaddenby3389 read the 2008 gun case . The Supreme Court seems to disagree with you on that one

[@fast920]

True freedom is being able to own a gun, not being restricted by an oppressive government.

[@TheSilentScreamX]

Given the choice between owning a gun or sending my son to school with no fear of him getting shot, I know which I'm choosing. It's baffling to me that Americans pick the first option. They literally love guns more than their kids.

[@Mrhullsie2]

In the UK it is pretty much illegal to carry anything in public with the idea it is for self defense. Carrying a firearm for the purpose of self defense could lead to 10 years in prison.

[@bordersw1239]

My American cousin got a pink AR15 for her birthday, another year she got a handgun she could conceal down her boot. Can’t imagine living my life so constantly in fear!

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

I can't imagine living in a society where not only the people are frightened of a tool but their own government is frightened of the prople owning that tool. Sad really.

[@bordersw1239]

@@RickZackExploreOffroad . An AR15 is crap for hunting and crap for self defence. It’s also not going to stop a bunch of fighter jets or Abrams tanks if you’re worried about your government.

[@susanmullen5105]

​@@RickZackExploreOffroadWhy would we have to own one??? What on earth would I do with a gun? Shoot seagulls? 🤔

[@RickZackExploreOffroad]

@@susanmullen5105 Then don't own one if you feel you have no need or desire to own one. Pretty simple really. Of course as the old saying goes "it's better have one and not need it then to need one and not have it". Since I prefer organic free ranging protein, a firearm is pretty handy. I also live in a area where people are not at the top of the food chain. They come in very handy if one is facing a mountain lion, brown bear, wolves or coyotes. I also spend a lot of time in wilderness areas, for up to 2 weeks at a time, and a firearm is a basic survival tool. No less valuable then a first aid kit.or an emergency shelter. Then of course not all predators walk on four legs. At least in the real world. More then half of the two dozen or so firearms I own I have because of their historical value, uniqueness, or sentimental value. For example I don't "need" a 1841 .50 Cal Hawkins Buffalo Gun or a 1866 Winchester "Yellow Boy". But I like them.. My great granddad's 1878 12 Ga shotgun has no practical purpose. Firearms are just tools, nothing more. Like all tools some are some are better suited for specific tasks.

[@VoidDragon82]

I went to visit cousins in the states a few years back. One of them, proudly, showed me his collection of substitute penises (guns) and started talking about them as if they had feelings. I just walked out the room. The moron had 6 handguns, 3 AR15’s and I have know idea how many bullets. Apparently it’s for “self-protection”; the guy is a physiotherapist… what enemies does he think he has??

[@skatepark02]

As a Uk resident I have only ever met 3 people with a gun licence in my entire life. And I have fired live Ammunition only a handful of times. Though as a kid growing up in the countryside, I did have air rifles.

[@daveborder7751]

Surprising it is as many as 6.5 guns per 100 people. Thinking again most of that must be multiple ownership. I am 47 & have only seen one gun in my life-an old WW2 Bren Rifle when helping to clear out an elderly family friends house in the late 1980's. Don't think I have ever met anybody who actually owns a gun or goes target shooting.

[@stuartbeck8111]

1 person multiple guns, my brother in law has 6 different shotguns and 4 different kind of rifles, which he has to constantly use to a certain amount in order to keep the licence for each as if they're not being used them he does not need them, as far as it was explained to me by him

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

There's 120 guns per 100 people. We have over 400,000,000 guns and 335,000,000 people. Yet our gun homicides this year are 18,000 (mostly gang related) and it's trending downward despite record sales. Guns used for bad purposes vs the guns in circulation is a percent of a percent of a percent. Like 0.0020% of our guns are used to kill.

[@elemar5]

Bren rifle? Bren rifle was introduced in 2006. I think you mean a Bren LMG.(light machine gun)

[@daveborder7751]

@@elemar5 Most likely-I know it was used in WW2. My knowledge of guns is pretty much zero. Just remember it looked like a rifle to me when I was 11/12 years old.

[@AcanthaDante]

​@@S1D3W1ND3R0156.5 to every hundred if the UK statistic...

[@Boogledigs]

😅Our gun ownership has always been restricted to some extent but in 1996 a gunman walked tnto a Primary School (7 to 11 years) and shot and killed one teacher and 16 children, before shooting himself. I believe that Andy Murray, the tennis player , was a pupil at the school but not involved with the shooting. After this massacre, our gun laws were toughened up a lot.

[@paulmilner8452]

5 to 11

[@AcanthaDante]

​@@paulmilner8452They have a nursery, so it's more like 3 to 11

[@EvilDMMk3]

10:06 oh yes, you need a firearm to protect yourself and all these other people who have firearms.

[@JohnResalb]

The reply about Switzerland - I'm aware of that situation (I have friends there and I have seen their firearm). It was designed as national defence, not civil defence against one another. World wide, firearms are essentially the necessity of a country's army. You can shoot from a distance without the target seeing you. That makes a firearm an OFFensive weapon, not a DEFensive weapon. And it's for that reason that access to firearms is tightly controlled, it's not because anyone wants to suppress your rights of self protection. There are lots of alternative ways of protecting yourself.

[@StormhavenGaming]

It is my understanding that they are also issued a limited amount of ammunition and have to account for every shot, although that may be out of date by now.

[@davedavids57]

@@StormhavenGaming Switzerland doesn't have ammo restrictions. Some US journalists got confused because you can't take government ammo home. But of course you can just go to a gun shop or mail order as much non government ammo as you want.

[@davedavids57]

Many many guns in Switzerland aren't even registered (most pre WW2 swiss rifles for instance) let alone heavily restricted. I lived in Switzerland, why do people (especially US journalists) make up laws. You can literally just look them up. People seem to totally forget in Switzerland if you are a man who is a Swiss citizen you have to go in the army and they give you a rifle. But the 70% of the population who aren't men or Swiss citizens can still buy guns and ammo. More types of guns than you can in the States. With just a simple police background check paper (they don't have a database like the states).

[@fast920]

Not very many *effective* ways of protecting yourself. You use a car to drive to work but you could cycle, take public transportation, or walk. Cars kill so many people yet we still use them for effectiveness.

[@JohnResalb]

@fast920 any country including the US, could successfully allow its citizens to have a gun for protection, if protective laws are properly enforced - background checks, one gun per registered person, sensible age requirements, etc.etc etc. But while there is a "gun hobby", the justification of so-called "for protection" goes out the window.

[@adriangoodrich4306]

One of the owners of a business I worked for lived on and owned a farm out in the moors. He kept a shotgun, for dealing with rabbits and vermin. He used to ask me to sign his License renewal applications as a referee - as I was a qualified professional allegedly of good character and standing, or whatever. I saw from the forms that the renewal process (let alone the initial granting) was far from straightforward, with plenty of conditions!

[@martingrummett9165]

Having looked though the comments, I am finding it rather sad that there are very few (if any at all) comments from the USA, which is the audience that would most benefit from such content.

[@zebj16]

Great video, loved the reaction - perhaps look at the Dunblane tragedy to understand why they changed the law here.

[@DoctorWossname]

One key point to understand: in the UK even if you are allowed to own a gun it is still ILLEGAL to carry it in public or to keep it for home defence. It must be locked away separate from its ammo. If you were to shoot someone pleading self defence would get you absolutely nowhere.

[@davedavids57]

No you can have a gun for self defence - you have to apply directly to the Home office - the licence is issue under section 5 of the 1968 firearms act. It's believed up to 1,000 people in England carry a concealed hand gun. Mainly politicians, ex police/military. There is even a form on the Home Office website. Although I suspect you may need good reason!!

[@dgoodwin1122]

As a UK resident I tend to just argue that id prefer to be 10-15ft away from someone with a melee weapon who intends to use it than being 10-15ft away from someone with a gun 🤷‍♂

[@carolineskipper6976]

A point that was glossed over in this video was that in Great Britain 'self defence' is NOT considered a legitimate reason to own a firearm, which is one of the reasons a lot of US citizens cite as to why they need a weapon. People often say that we may not have a gun problem, but we have a knife problem. This is true- but the US has considerably more knife crimes per head of population than the UK, in addition to their gun crime statistics!

[@nolajoy7759]

No mass knifings though.

[@jerry2357]

⁠​⁠@@nolajoy7759 You must be too young to remember nursery teacher Lisa Potts who defended the children she was looking after from a viscous and indiscriminate machete attack in Wolverhampton in 1996. She has a page on Wikipedia, if you want to know more.

[@carolineskipper6976]

@@jerry2357 No I am not too young, and do remember that tragedy and her bravery well. As someone who worked with young children this felt very close to home. Of course I wasn't suggesting that we don't have a knife problem, just stating the fact that the US has worse statistics than us on this as well as fun crime.

[@fast920]

@@nolajoy7759 Hi, friendly reminder about the southport stabbings

[@StephenSilverbeard]

The two elements he missed out in the video is a license is required to buy ammunition and the license will specify the number, types and calibre of guns that can be owned. There is also a requirement to store ammunition in a separated locked container and it is an offence to have a loaded gun outside a designated firing area, e.g. a gun club, this restriction includes your own home.

[@kbg6070]

As a UK GP I can say I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with a gun permit whose GP hasn’t been asked to complete paperwork by the police before it was issued. A code to say that an application has been made is added to their medical record. We also get a letter from the police if a license is granted and it is coded on their medical record. If something changes and the GP believes that a person reasonably poses a risk to themselves or others we have to ask the patient to give up their licence, and if they refuse then we are expected to inform the police firearms licensing department urgently. This is one of the few times that we are allowed (and required) to break confidentiality. The system also flags up to the clinician that the patient has applied for or holds a firearms certificate if we add a relevant code to the record.

[@lorrainejohnstone]

I remember back in 1993 was on my way to new york for short break. Arrived at Heathrow Airport saw for first time police with semi automatic guns. Scared the life out of me. At the age of 36 had never seen a gun before in real life. Presumably in USA this is an everyday sight. Mind boggles 😢

[@goldencherry9033]

I had the same experience in Manchester in the week after the bombing. So scary. Had never seen anything like that outside of films!

[@31Blaize]

I remember the first time I went to America and whilst having a coffee saw a police officer come in and casually dump his gun on the table. Gave away that I was a tourist right there and then because my eyes must've been as big as saucers 🤣

[@stephenlee5929]

I remember in the late 1960's arriving at Munich Airport, seeing police wandering around the departure lounge with semi automatic riffles slung at their side. As we were going to our bus, we looked up and there appeared to be gun impalements on the roof

[@S1D3W1ND3R015]

Proves you live in a UK bubble. Like 90% of the world's police force carry guns for regular duty. I think only 19 countries out of 195 do not carry for their regular police force.

[@elemar5]

Guns stabbed on the roof? @@stephenlee5929

[@robertadavies4236]

I'm in the UK. My husband and I were target pistol shooters until they were banned (we were also active in the protests against banning them), so I know a little about the topic. To obtain our licences, as well as going through the personal vetting process described here, we also had to prove membership of a recognised pistol club. The club we belonged to owned both an indoor and an outdoor range, where we went to shoot. "Personal protection" is absolutely NOT considered a good reason for owning a gun, and if you mention this phrase, you will instantly be considered unfit to hold a firearms licence. It suggests that you may have some kind of fantasies about shooting people. A gun owner must store all firearms and ammunition in a secure, fireproof locked cabinet which is out of sight. We had to buy a very heavy metal gun safe which was bolted to the wall of the house in an obscure corner of the top floor, with a main section for the pistols and a separately locked compartment for ammo, and this setup was inspected by firearms officers as part of approving the licence. (No pistols there now, obviously, but at least it's still a useful document safe.) Guns are allowed out of the safe only while being used or maintained. While being transported anywhere they must be in secure, inconspicuous cases. Showing a firearm to any unlicensed person, or even showing them where they're stored, is grounds for immediate loss of your licence. Once while I was away at a job training course and my husband was out shopping, the house was burgled. Of course he phoned the police, and when he said "we're target shooters and there are guns in the house", they were round in no time flat! By the time they arrived, he had checked the gun safe, and the burglars hadn't penetrated that far into the house. When the police came, he said he'd checked and the guns were OK. They still wanted to see them. "Are you firearms officers? Do you have a firearms licence?" Neither of them did. "Then I'm not even allowed to tell you where the safe is." They were very disappointed.

[@TheGiff7]

NI is the only part of the U.K. where you can hold a handgun for self defence. You do need to have evidence that you are at risk which the PSNI can verify or they will possibly contact you that you are under threat and offer you the opportunity to have a firearm.

[@taffman1]

@@TheGiff7 Not quite, a very very few people in the mainland hold a PPW license, Personal Protection License, an old friend of mine had one, due to their former job in the military.

[@iceetmarne3571]

Getting a gun for peace of mind, is most likely to protect against those who have guns in the first place. It explains a lot about American culture in that way.

[@iceetmarne3571]

Who will lay down those guns first? The people who actually need them probably.

[@inq101]

I was a reference for a friends application last year. Had a 5 minute chat with an officer. Was very friendly and easy. He got turned down because the gun safe he got was too small for the gun he wanted. Once that was fixed the licence went through no problem.

[@mortdewerewolfe691]

I've wondered if that's why Americans are so scared of licencing. They're not meant to view their police as friendly, approachable or co-operative.

[@fast920]

@@mortdewerewolfe691 Do you really think the UK public see the police as friendly, approachable, or co-operative in general?

[@itsmikedev]

@fast920 Yes... i do. Social media loves to show videos of one officer doing something wrong, making it out like all of our police are like that. I've never encountered an unfriendly, unapproachable or un-co-operative officer in my life. If you approach them with the presumption and attitude that they're not, then obviously their guard is up and they'll act that way...

[@princesspeach729]

We had shotguns growing up, my parents both used to clay pigeon shoot. The rules and regulation are incredibly strict. The police would come round yearly to make sure they were locked away in a secure locker and you also have to keep ammunition in a separate area just in case someone does manage to break into the locker. Even in a secure and sporting setting I've seen accidents happen. The fact that anyone can get a gun in the US makes me feel physically sick.