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fnb, that should read "gun owner's life".

Mike, i lived in CA on my own nickel in '83 and '84 and it stuck me that, not just in gun ownership, but in every aspect of life there that was the case. no matter what i wanted to do there were 10,000 people between me and it and at the end of the line was someone from the government standing there demanding money for the privelege of doing it.

the same syndrome exists everywhere of course but not to the same extent in other places i've lived......yet. i have a feeling we'll get there in a few short years now tho.

roger

There are differences between all EU countries on gun ownership, game laws and shooting.
In some EU countries (e.g. Germany) there is an exam based on safety skills, quarry identification, etc., before a license is granted. Neither the UK nor Ireland has that requirement. I do not know of any requirement to “store” guns in a police station.
In the UK some laws are slightly more relaxed than in Ireland, others are tighter. As a result of some conflict taking place in the northern part of this island, in the Ireland of the early 1970’s all rifle calibres above .22 and all handguns were required to be surrendered/placed in police storage. That situation has now changed here and a revision in various laws in 2006 allowed ownership of side arms and larger bore rifles.
In both UK & Ireland it is easier to obtain a shotgun licence than one for a rifle, and generally it is easier to get a rifle license then one for a sidearm. Much of the implementation of the license process is down to the local senior cop, so it varies from district to district. In Ireland a gun safe is mandatory for obtaining a sidearm license.
In Ireland, all guns must be licensed, no exceptions (i.e. even a wall-hanger must be licensed.) In the UK, antiques (pre 1898?) are exempt. In Ireland if a wall-hanger is deactivated it becomes exempt.
In the UK, reloading is quite common. In Ireland, re-loading is not illegal but it must be done under license, which is difficult to obtain (through cop ignorance primarily) and it is almost impossible to obtain the powder/primers. I never have seen reloading equipment on sale here.
In Ireland a license for a shotgun is about USD30 each year, with an additional USD5 for each subsequent shotgun. Once you belong to a gun club, have no criminal record and do not have mental health issues, it is easy to obtain one. If you do not belong to a gun club but have land (as an owner, or over which you have a right to shoot) that will meet license requirements.
The license also specifies whether or not you can shoot game.
In Ireland a license for a rifle is harder to obtain, the larger the calibre the harder it becomes. Membership of a gun/target club is very helpful. There is a need to show why, say a .308 or a .450 is required. A separate licence is needed to shoot deer and although there is no hunters exam requirement, before the State body will lease you shooting rights on State forestry, one must have passed the HCAP (Hunter Competence Assessment Programme)
Licenses for sidearms are harder to obtain but there is a big increase in their sale/ownership. The biggest problem seems to be the disparity in requirements between the different police districts, each of which has a Firearms Officer and each interprets the law differently.
Ownership of a gun safe is a big help, although my local cop prefers that a shotgun is broken down and stored separately. Same for bolts/rifles.
Remember, history, population density statistics, and availability of hunting ground are quite different here to the US, hence the differing requirements..
K.

Well done Salopian for opening up an interesting debate. I notice that nobody has, as yet, objected to being re-permitted to join the old Empire.

Being English, not British; there is a huge difference, I still use Imperial measurements; metric is alright when working out some calculations for convienience and then convert back.

Soccer, is really called Association Football and is a bit of a Girlie Game. Real Football is only played in about three places in England, notably Ashbourne in Derbyshire, which is close to where I live: Google Ashbourne Football to find out more; this is not a Girlie Game and has been illegal since 1300 and something or other but nobody dare stop it. Games last eight hours with goals 3 miles apart and no limit to the number of Players. (For those who can't find it: http://www.ashbourne-town.com/events/football.html )

Baseball is played in England and is called 'Rounders' and IS a Girl's game.

As for taking it all back; we did all that back in 1812 when the cheeky upstarts had a go at us. I count taking the Capital and chasing the President out of his own house a win. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0008442 Link provided as I don't think that this is taught in American schools. Lagopus.....

"Differing requirements," is an understatement!
A short phone call and I can walkout with whatever I want that is on the shelves. As a landowner(10acres, or more) I hunt all game free, other than waterfowl with needs a federal stamp.
You guys are under the thumb...big time!
Prolly need a gov't permit to fart - so I'd pipe down about our firearm and game laws.

Lowell.
Sadly, more of your flippant unconsidered views and a non-sequetor. I never commented on either your game or gun laws; I was answering/providing clarity on questions asked above. Typically, you missed the point.

It is easy to start when one has a blank canvas, as the US ensured it had when it took control of the land in North America.
In Europe, we have a longer history. One of my homes has been around for considerably longer than the USA, and while the rights which come with that property might appear quaint, they can be useful, such as the right the game on it and to hunt over it. In England, hunting and weapons control started in the early Norman era, where even nobles had to tie their arrows to their bowstrings when traversing the King’s forest. Many of the citizens of Australia are there because their early 19th century ancestors poached a deer or hare. Someone comes onto my property, I have a right to prosecute them for poaching or trespass. Were they to carry a gun, I can prosecute for "armed trespass" which is a much more serious crime.

Most people in Ireland do not have a problem with our gun laws because they are perceived as reasonable. In Ireland we had a revolution and a civil war within the last 100 years; in my lifetime the arming of fanatics by other fanatics from the US and Libya ensured that we were kept aware of the damage that can be done by weapons in the wrong hands. Frankly, I see no need to own a H&K machine pistol or a Kalashnikov.
K.
FWIW, there was a parliamentary proposal in the early 1900s to have a United States of Great Britain, modelling the legislature on the US system. Some of it, such as the reduction in size and structure of the H. of Lords, has already come to pass.
K.