doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Another UK Possible Restriction on Gun Ownership

I am already worried about the lead ban that looks likely to be implemented in 2029 in the UK. Indeed, I have written on here about my intention, should the legislation go through parliament, to cease all shooting that year. I shall be offering my guns for sale on here first!

Now an additional possible restriction has been mooted by Government and/or nameless civil servants. That is to restrict the number of shotguns an individual can own and to justify their ownership. This is already the case for rifles, held on Firearms Certificate. The new proposal will mean that Shotgun Certificate holders will be treated in the same way. This is another stab in the heart of gun enthusiasts, countrymen and game shots and their enjoyment of their sport.

In my case I have 7 shotguns on my certificate. My great grandfathers 1922 Henry Clarke of Leicester 12 BLE, with which he, my grand father, my father and I have shot. Now retired from use, pretty much. I have a 1899 Frederick Beesley best 12 SLE, used by my father and me and which I had fitted to my specifications. Used maybe twice a season. I also have what is now my go-to game gun, a delightful HJ Hussey Ltd best 12 SLE Imperial Ejector in original condition; the same barrels, stock, action and fore part as it came from the Hussey workshops for its first owner in 1904 (I use a leather slip-on stock extension). I also have a beautiful little ex-rook rifle, converted to .410, by Lang & Hussey from 1896, hammer and, unusually, a top lever. It feels wonderful in the hands and I use it several times a year at the shooting grounds, for fun. Lastly, I have a 1911 Hussey Ltd 'The Times' 12 SLE which I bought and made into a cut-away gun. The barrels had had it, the stock had a crack which had been crudely repaired, but the wonderful workmanship of the action and ejector are now visible. I cut virtually all of the stock off and would liked to have sliced the barrels in half and cut them down to a few inches, but that would be against the law here, so it remains a 'gun', one which I take out to admire the innards of every now and again. Lastly, I also hold two Browning over and unders, one 12 and one 20, for an American friend, so that he can use them when he comes here to shoot game. Because it is also the law here, my guns are all held locked up inside two secure steel gun cabinets, which themselves are located in a hard to find location in my house, so I can not even sit in my study and look at those lovely guns on display.

Diggory has written an article on the proposals here: https://www.vintageguns.co.uk/magazine/proposals-to-restrict-shotguns With all this legislation coming along, it is no wonder I feel angry and sad about my shooting, which I have enjoyed since I was a boy in shorts.

Tim

This is inevitable when GB elects the politicians it has and is only a tiny part of the problems you face. I live in Canada and we are going down the same well worn path.

I know in Canada the current government, disastrous as it is, is overwhelmingly supported by women of all ages except the under 30 crowd and the opposition is well supported, just not to the same degree as the women, by the male population. I don't know if GB has a similar divide but it sure becomes easy to see where the support for these terrible ideas come from.

The problem of a never ending quest by anti-gunners to eventually eliminate private gun ownership is nothing new. We have seen it here, and seen even worse in Great Britain, Canada, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

The major difference is that we have a Constitution which recognizes a God given 2nd Amendment right to bear arms and engage in self defense. And we also have a much higher percentage of gun owners who are unwilling to placidly submit to infringements upon that Right to Bear Arms. They organize, raise money, lobby, and are willing to vote against anti-gun politicians.

Unfortunately, we in the U.S. also have a large number of gun owners who foolishly choose to ignore this. They accept the essentially same formula of slow attrition, often because whatever new law being proposed may have little or no immediate effect on the types of guns or ammunition they use.

But in the end, it will affect all guns, as you are seeing now. Death by a thousand cuts.

We have a number of guys right here who have bent over backwards to suppress or eliminate this sort of discussion, or even simple notifications of new proposals and attacks from the Anti-Gunners. Largely, this is because the vast majority of these attacks on our Gun Rights come from anti-gun Democrats. Those Liberals and Democrat gun owners are offended by the illumination of what their Party is doing. They choose to try to censor the discussion, rather than attempting to change their Democrat Party's near total hatred for firearms. They would rather become like sheep being led to slaughter. Somehow, they choose to believe the lies from their candidates concerning respect for the 2nd Amendment... even when those candidates have 100% anti-gun voting records.

Here's a good essay on the history of Gun Control in Great Britain, a nation that once had a thriving culture of respect for guns and hunting:

https://guncite.com/journals/okslip.html

I wish I could offer you some hope for the future. But without a strong and broad willingness to organize and fight for these rights, it seems only a matter of time before they will be totally gone. It should also be a lesson to the Liberal Democrat gun owners here in the U.S. But it seems they place a greater importance on Open Borders, Transgenderism, and other Woke nonsense. Idiots!