Bobski from the UK writes:
Hi Jay
I've been reading your blog for a while now and it always makes for a good read. After a couple of abortive attempts, I've recently plucked up the courage to start one of my own (http://bobskisblog.blogspot.com). I'm not sure how many people read it other than my friends, but it gives me somewhere to vent, which with a family history of high blood pressure is usefully theraputic. It's got a bit of everything, rants, guns, cars, planes, whatever takes my fancy really.
[ed. With the exception of planes, that describes MArooned pretty well. Oh, and the road rage. Can't forget the road rage...]
The point of all this is that I thought you'd be interested in a little range report I've put on there: http://bobskisblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/shooty-bang-bang-range-report.html. The day was a bit short, due to the rain, but I did get to put some .303 down the range from a Lee Enfield Mk.4 and some .22 down the range from a Winchester action Marlin rifle (sorry don't know the name yet) and a GSG-5 (semi-auto MP5 variant).
[ed. Wouldn't be a Marlin model 39, would it?]
I'm not quite a new shooter, I've been shooting through the Air Cadets (UK version of the Civil Air Patrol) for several years, firing both Lee Enfield Number 8 rifles in .22 and the L98 Cadet Rifle in 5.56mm (a single shot, straight pull version of the Army's SA80) but I've recently entered the world of full-bore shooting courtesy of a local club.
Being from Moonbat Central (ie the UK under a Labour Government) I don't get to own any guns without going through a ludicrous process of licencing, something I cannot do at the moment because I live in a rented apartment that does not have walls suitable for attaching the mandatory gun safe. However, through friends, I have managed to shoot a number of cool and interesting weapons over the years, some of which I had no idea were legal in this country until very recently. Weapons such as AKs, Dragunovs, FN-FALs and AR-15s are all legal here as long as they are single-shot or bolt action. Some handguns are allowed, but mainly black powder muzzle-loaders. Semi-auto weapons are also legal, but only in certain calibres (ie .22LR). We're even allowed silencers and in some cases, like the GSG-5, a silencer is not only permitted by is in fact a legal requirement because it gets the weapon to the mandatory minimum length to be considered a rifle and thus legal. Ditto for folding stocks.
Needless to say, it's not quite the selection that I would be allowed in the US of A, but it's a start. I just thought you might be interested in the fact that shooting in the UK is not the barren desert that some may think it is.
[ed. Well, that is news to me. I thought y'all were limited to single shot shotguns and .22LR rifles only. Huh. Guess you learn something new every day!]
Keep up the good blogging and I hope you enjoy mine. I've added you to my (admittedly small) blogroll, so if you like what you read feel free to add me to yours if you wish.
Cheers
Bobski
PS: If you want to post any part of this or my blog post, feel free.
[ed. Do they know me or what?] ;)
I am curious about how one goes about obtaining a firearm in the UK these days. It sounds like it's even more arduous than getting one in MA, if you can believe that. It's also a pretty good indicator (IMHO) of where we're headed if the Schumers/Bradys/etc. had their way...
Welcome aboard, Bobski. You hit the magical combination needed to make the MArooned blogroll: You added me to yours, and you told me about it... That way, I knew to add you, as opposed to stumbling across your blog like the next two additions...
Please welcome Old Blind Dog and Bogieblog to the MArooned blogroll. OBD is a pilot (wow, lots of flyers out there!) and fellow gunnie; Bogie is a fellow New Englandah (currently recovering for the wicked ice storm we just had...)
That is all.
3 comments:
Hey Jay, the link to bobski's place is an email address ("@" instead of ".").
Thanks Ted, fixed now.
To get a rifle licence in the UK:
You have to fill in a load of forms and you must satisfy the police that you have a genuine need for a firearms licence (ie work or a sporting need, self defence is not accepted). You must also verify your identity through two character references from people who have known the applicant for at least 2 years. These people themselves may well be interviewed as part of the application. Your doctor must fill in a form to confirm you are 'medically fit' to own a firearm, then, while you are being interviewed by the local Firearms Enquiry Officer, Special Branch will do a background check on you to make sure you're not a terrorist. Then, the local police, at a time and date of their convenience, must come round to inspect the property and the gun cabinet where the weapons will be stored. Assuming you tick all those boxes, then you get a licence. Then, whenever you want to buy a weapon, you have to justify to the police why you want it (you can't just buy it on a whim) and it must be added to your firearms certificate.
That's just the legal hoops you have to go through. Local police may also put restrictions of their own choosing on an applicant over and above these, like limiting the number of weapons that a person may own or the amount of ammunition.
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