So why do you own a gun?

[Psychosplodge]

I've got an air rifle, though can't remember last time I fired it as its a pain in the arse digging a backboard out the garage to shoot at.
I've fired .22 rifle, MP5, SA80 (both the fully auto and cadet versions), and some sort of 9mm pistol and its quite fun, but I'm not sure I'd be bothered about owning one.
It would be nice if there was more opportunity to go somewhere and have a go at shooting in the UK, but I imagine it's be a stupid price.

[BeardMonk]

Iv had course to handle firearms both through work, cadets, as cadet instructor and through when visiting friends in Cananda and Poland.

Im not frightened of firearms. They are a tool which can be used for a range of uses. Some fun (target shooting, hunting), some useful (home defence, protection against wild animals), some ill. I'm more frightened of the types of PEOPLE that are allowed weapons. Especially in the US/Canada where there is the RIGHT to bare arms. But thier history and constitution is different to the UK.

[Denzark]

Actually I think Yorkie's initial post has a couple of factual errors.

Firstly, the UK Police can grant either a Shotgun Certificate (SGC) or a Firearms Certifcate (FAC). The SGC as he says, allows a maximum of 3-shot capability.

The FAC, dependant on what is requested, can cover short barrelled ie pistols, or long barrelled. Interestingly a .44 magnum pistol falls under the rifle certificate because of length of barrel. Rifle permits can be both in .22 or full bore, the requirements include having the local police firearms people inspect your house in person, to ensure your gun cabinet is to the required standards. To say only shotguns are lawful, is erroneous. My friend is looking at purchasing legally, a semi-auto .22 20 round capacity rifle that looks to all intents and purposes, like an M4. Actually this surprised me that such a thing could be done legally but there you go.

Secondly, I don't think it right at all to say the country as a whole dislikes guns. Actually whole swathes of the country are ambivalent to guns. Yes we find it unusual when we see them, especially on police, but in rural areas it is a very normal thing.

There are parts of the country that do actively dislike and despise guns for sure. I see it as a more urban-liberal socialist thing, who can't conceive that actually, a gun is a piece of sporting equipment or a tool. I have had an amusing ongoing argument with a friend's missus who won't let her kids have toy guns.

'No guns?'
'No, they're evil'.
'But guns aren't evil, people misusing them are evil'.
'No I won't have them in the house'.
'Hmm you let them hit each other with toy lightsabres - is getting a limb cleaved off and then instantly cauterised better than being shot then?'
'Well that's different'
'Oh yeah for sure. OK, so your youngest at the age of 7, you're letting him get into 40k?'
'Well its just toy soldiers'
'Do you know what his nurgle dameons represent?'
'No but its got to be better than guns'
'Right let me explain the Chaos Pantheon to you...'

[Mr Mystery]

Pretty much my understanding, though the laws just keep getting tighter.

If I'm right in thinking, after Dunblane handguns had to be kept at a licensed gun club, under lock and key.

I have Nerf guns, but that's it. Don't have anywhere to muck about with an air rifle, and no real desire.

UK gun crimes are odd though. Again, I might be wrong, but as far as I recall even threatening to shoot someone, even if you were butt nekkid at the time with nowhere to stash a firearm about your person - that's considered a gun crime. It makes our figures look somewhat misleading if you don't look into them properly.

Overall, I don't think we're a less violent society than any other. It's just without any dakka, physical violence is more stabbings, bottlings, glassings etc. Arguably less life threatening, but still horrifying all the same.

[Darren Richardson]

UK gun crimes are odd though. Again, I might be wrong, but as far as I recall even threatening to shoot someone, even if you were butt nekkid at the time with nowhere to stash a firearm about your person - that's considered a gun crime. It makes our figures look somewhat misleading if you don't look into them properly.

yeah I somewhat agree with this, our gun crimes statisics here in the UK do throw up some oddities, mostly though ANY crime involving a gun here tends to get mass coverage on the local news or at least in mass market papers, and often if shots have been fired, it makes national news very quickly, but by and large it's much smaller then we all think...

Overall, I don't think we're a less violent society than any other. It's just without any dakka, physical violence is more stabbings, bottlings, glassings etc. Arguably less life threatening, but still horrifying all the same.

Yeah, here in the UK we have a more pronunced need for a more personal one (or ten) to one up close need for violance, rather then the less personal shoot them type of crime, I imagine this is more from the fact we had soooo many docks years ago, where such violance was more likely to happen due to smugeling and such.

Me personally, I don't want to own a gun, nor do I need one, I understand Farmers and isolated manors needing them, and if properly regulated, then by all means let them have them, but nowhere in a city unless you are in law enforcement or security services (such as army etc) would you need a gun, nor should you have one.

But that is of course, MHO.

[Morgrim]

I don't own a gun. I live in an Australian city and thus have no need for one. I have handled them before though since my family comes from farming areas. Most farms have at least one rifle for pest control: foxes, rabbits, cats and ringneck parrots mostly. (Although you have to be an incredibly good shot to hit the parrots, for many shooting at them is for deterrence it seems.) Some farms might have a shotgun for mice plagues (and to increase the chances of hitting the parrots). Handguns are seen as useless; if the animal is fast enough to make a rifle impractical, it's too big for a handgun to be effective.

While I can use a gun to make noise to scare off parrots as effectively as anyone else, even if I was living on a farm I wouldn't be holding a gun licence. Mostly because extensive testing as shown that I am a terrible, terrible shot. So I get the job of launching the clay pigeons/operating the spotlight when foxing/being the retriever because the sheep dogs don't understand 'fetch'.

[swoods]

I fired an air rifle once. I couldn't hit the side of a barn door! Guns frighten me (I'm petrified of loud, sharp noises-yeah I'm a wuss!). It's a shame as I'd love to have a go at hunting for rabbit, deer, boar, but I'm just not cut out for it.

[40kGamer]

Simple for me, I grew up with guns. I had learned to shoot rifles and shotguns by the age of 10... also compound bows, crossbows and a variety of other exotic weapons. And even though I haven't fired a gun in a couple decades I can not even imagine living without them.

[Deadlift]

Anyone remember the "Black Widow" catapult with the steel ball bearings. I got given one when I was a kid and promptly destroyed our patio windows. Loads of fun and quite lethal.

[silashand]

Zombie Apocalypse...

Seriously though I own them because they are fun to shoot. I used to hunt when I was growing up, but as I get older I can't be bothered to haul an 800lb elk out of the woods or sit in a freezing duck blind at Zero Dark Thirty anymore. I'd rather just hunt at the grocery store . However, I still enjoy the guns themselves which is mainly why I still have them. I do believe it is a person's right to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones when needed and guns are useful in that regard. I would rather have one and not need it than need one and not have it.

As for crime stats, I read a recent article that noted approximately 30% of home invasions in the US happen when the owners are at home. In the UK it is over 50%. I don't know the reason, but I suspect that the potential for a dangerous encounter with an armed defender is probably part of it. But then that hasn't been studied very well so who knows. I prefer to believe that interpretation because it makes sense to me. I know if I catch someone invading my home the odds are good they will leave with a few additional holes they didn't arrive with. I know some people think nothing is worth killing others over, but I don't believe that. I worked my life for what I have and to have someone come in and just take it is like taking a part of my life away. Sure the possessions can maybe be replaced, but the feeling of being violated is indescribable. My ex came home a few years ago to find an intruder had just left out her bedroom window, all while her 10 and 12 year old sons had been in the house by themselves. To say that frightened her and myself is an understatement.

I suppose you could also list all the typical "protection from tyranny" arguments, but I am not certain that will ever happen so who knows. As I said for me I just like them. Treated with proper respect they are no more dangerous than any other tool IMO. My brother has been a master carpenter for 20+ years and has done far more damage to himself with a nailgun than with a firearm .

Anyway, JMO...

Oh, I'm also a WWII/Cold War history buff so I like collecting weapons from that era. So far I have all the Mosin-Nagant variants, an Arisaka Type 99, and a few others. Still trying to find a good Arisaka Type 2 Paratrooper Rifle, but they are way expensive and I have yet to have the money when one has come up that I like. Ah well, same as everything else I guess