Same here. This video prompted me to do some googling. Apparently an initial shotgun permit will run about 100 smackers and about half that for the renewal. Looks like there are plenty of descent shotguns for under $500, much cheaper than I've been lead to believe
Ian is pulled in every direction and I'd say after his latest announcement has made himself even less available. He's gone from 6 to 5 videos a week and now some are book reviews vs gun videos.
1:02 For comparison, Sweden, with a population of just over 10 million have over 500 000 people with firearms licenses. There is a very large hunting tradition, being so sparsly populated and heavily wooded is probably responsible. Finland and Norway have even more legal firearms per capita but not in total numbers since Sweden has about twice the population of either country.
Correct, also when it comes to owning antique fire-arms, Norway classifies weapons from before a certain year (I cant remember off the top of my head, but iirc like 1890) antiques, rendering then free from requiring a license. Owning guns are still heavily regulated though, compared to the shitshow that is US firearms laws!
A quick Google search tells me there is about 1,22 million registered firearms in Norway. About 484 000 persons are registered as gunowners in Norway. That is about 30 firearms per 100 person. Antique firearms are not registered in Norway.
Wow, 159,000 firearms certificate holders in the UK… Just my home state of Tennessee has 700,000 Cary permit holders. That’s just carry permits to be able to carry a handgun, you don’t need any permit to legally own a a handgun or long gun if you meet the legal qualifications like age, citizenship, background check, etc… That’s a stark ‘gun culture’ contrast for sure!
@@j.v.7451 I know, and TN isn’t full constitutional carry, and the law increased the penalty for illegal fire arms carry and use… and ccw permits are still issued for reciprocity… it’s nice knowing we have a choice…
These numbers translate to Tennessee having a higher rate of CCW permits compared to population than Florida: 100 for every 1,000 people vs 90 for Florida.
@@j.v.7451 so is Georgia, I’m surprised TN got it passed before GA, I’ve got a friend who is working with GA2A group so I get updated, needs to be nationwide, but done by each individual state… 👍
Matt, this video answered a number of questions of mine regarding firearms ownership in the UK and was thoroughly informative and a pleasure to watch! Thank you so much for this!
A fundamental point you passed over - there is effectively a common law legal presumption any UK citizen is entitled to a shotgun (and thus shotgun certificate), unless there is a demonstrable reason NOT to grant it, whereas for the FAC YOU have to demonstrate a reason why you SHOULD have it. Also, ammunition is separately regulated from the weapon. I can have a 2+1 pump action shotgun on a SGC, but I may NOT purchase, for example, slugs, as they are a FAC restricted ammunition, unless I have the appropriate FAC approvals.
@Christian Constitutionalist I believe so, but if you're thinking about home defense, you can forget it. The UKs safe storage requirements preclude the use of a shotgun for home defense. Plus, it is illegal to own a shotgun for defensive purposes anyway.
@Christian Constitutionalist the above point about not being allowed a shotgun for home defence is, however, very much correct. If a homeowner shoots a burglar in the UK you would be exceedingly unlikely NOT to be on a murder charge, and would clearly need to demonstrate the use of said force was proportional. Good luck with that.
And as another p.s. the right to self-defence is an absolute one under common law. However - any force used in self-defence MUST be proportional to the risks/threat faced, for that common law defence to be effective. It has always been thus.
@@andrewt4456 It depends on the threat. If the burglar was using deadly force (a knife for example) then theres a good chance that shooting him would be proportional. The problem is that it is extremely unlikely that the homeowner could to get to their shotgun and load it in time to use it. Using a weapon for home defense cannot be a premeditated act, so the chances of the shotgun just happening to be the first thing you grabbed is extremely unlikely.
AIUI, due to "less than well-documented" arms distribution in the early years of WWII, there were a LOT of loose weapons found in attics and sheds in the decades after the war, from Lee-Enfields to Thompson SMGs, that were issued to some Home Guard guy and misplace/hidden/forgotten.
I think it was the 2017 UN Small Arms report which noted that of the firearms known to have existed in private possession in Western Europe, no more than half are currently licensed in any given country. The current registries are mostly aspirational.
@@carebear8762 I cant remember the details, but a few years ago, New York State passed the SAFE act which altered the definition of an Assault Weapon. Owners of the newly banned weapons had to either register them or sell them. A year after the deadline, it is estimated that only about 5% of those weapons were registered
@@fatpad00 Canada is seeing similar results, as did Australia. Registration is only useful for bans, and bans only impact people who are voluntarily compliant. Canada should know better, after the debacle and repeal of their previous registry after tens of millions wasted with minimal compliance and no crimes solved nor crime rates impacted.
I am a huge firearms fan in the U.S. and actually a particular fan of 1911s and lever action rifles. That 45 Colt lever action your have there is a beautiful firearm! Most impressive.
Do a Collab with him I'd watch that all day you two shooting..👍But in the UK it's pretty simple to acquire an illegal firearm because illegal immigrants bring them over in there boats from FRANCE which is only 20+ miles away..They think there's around 2-3 million of them..
Northern Ontario Canada "where I am located" has a very high firearms ownership level compared to the south. Nearly every household in my region has at least 1 firearm. I purchased the SMLE sporter I am bringing back to mil spec at a yardsale for 50 dollars. Your SMLE is lovely!!
@@entropy11 Afterthe world wars literally thousands of smle rifles went to the north as hunting rifles , stocks were chopped down "at times almost tasefully lol" to make them fit the profile of civillian hunting rifles. Countless of these orphans still in use beg to be brought back to their former glory.
Matt, I really appreciate this insight into the firearms culture and restrictions of the UK. I'm in the US and was under the impression that there wasn't much over there but I'm glad to see that there is still some like-minded individuals abroad. There isn't much overlap but it'd be cool to see you and someone like Ian from Forgotten Weapons collab on a video down the road. You both are very informed on your subject matter and are great at imparting that information to the plebian masses.
A slight addendum to add.... if I'm not mistaken, while you can't own a pistol (outside the exceptions Matt mentioned) in England, Wales and Scotland, you can own a pistol on a firearms certificate in Northern Ireland. Also, a second addendum.... with respect to shotgun certificates, I believe you are only legally allowed to have shotguns with a maximum *_magazine_* capacity of two (but can have third in the chamber, hence the common understanding of a capacity of three shells).
You can own a pistol in the UK with a category 5 licence. You can't keep them at your house (they must either be ina museum or a gun club) but you can own them and shoot them for historical and collector purposes. I feel like Matt didn't mention how broad this is. Glocks and a lot of modern pistols are on the list. NI can own pistols. Shotguns are maximum 3 capacity (2 in the tube, one in the chamber or double barrels) but you can get a semi auto shotgun with no magazine limit using a firearm licence. Interestingly, this does not consider ghost loading. A perfectly legal shotgun can have 4 shells in it with the right technique, but only have 2 capacity in the tube.
@@pluemas Section 5 licenses are out of reach for the average person, they are usually for businesses etc. The historical guns you are referring to are Section 7.3. The restrictions are so tight that it's barely worth doing.
@@pluemas Prior to 1988 you could have owned semi-automatic, center-fire, "assault rifles" along with "hi-cap" shotguns. I believe machine guns were legal (if you were a collector/ correct me if I am wrong here) prior to 88 as well. And handguns were more widely available prior to 1997 of course.
Looks like a rebuild or at least a refinish, unless its a feature of his camera lighting. I've got several all-original No1s and Long Lees, and none of the military ones have a deep black finish like that. They are all rust-blued or oil blacked.
I once purchased a .303 Lee Enfield which was manufactured in the early 1950s for the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It came packed in it's original cosmoline and had a beautiful blond stock with a parkerized finish on the metal. As I recall, I only paid around $125 for it. It is one of the very few firearms I have sold, and I really regret it now. A friend convinced me to sell it to him. I wish I still had it as it would look great paired with my beautifully restored 1944 M1 Garand. Or it would go well with my WWII vintage Webley revolver.
Matt as a someone from the states, with a passion for shooting and firearms, Learning that there are folks across the pond with the same passion and a reasonable access to alot of the same firearms, this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Especially those colt dragoons. Favorite pistol I have ever owned. I have a pair that I do my john wayne BS with. Loads of fun.
There are several UK RUclipsrs involved in Shooting Sports, including "Bloke on the Range" (moved to Switzerland I believe, but from UK if I recall correctly) and "Vicker's MG Collection & Research Association" (the latter focusing on Vicker MGs) Bloke in the Range does compete in various competitons, including Brutality style competitions. They are far smaller in number than in the US, but they are out there.
@@shinobi-no-bueno I think the best way to end it is with 3d printing and metal working technology, that can make gun manufacturing in your home more feasible.
Whilst what has been said applies to the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland, hand guns are available) it is still possible to own a handgun (not a long barrelled pistol) within the British Isles on the self governing dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
It's also possible to own a handgun using a category 5 licence. You must keep it at a museum or your gun club but you can own pistols for historical and collector purposes, which you can shoot. Glocks, 1911 and modern pistols are actually classed as of historical interest.
Thank you for a clear and concise overview of UK firearms laws Matt. The more positive publicity that lawful firearm ownership gets, the better. Similarly the more people involved in shooting sports or even interested in being involved in shooting sports, the better. The more vocal we are, the harder it is for draconian police authorities to tighten restrictions or seize our firearms for political gain. Love your collection!
I’m in Scotland& have been on anti depressants since I had a stroke,would still like to shoot as I used to be in a shooting club& army cadets,it’s too pricey to go clay pigeon shooting nowadays🤷♂️
You ought to get ahold of Karl at InRange and look at running one of his Brutality competitions. They have a class for historical loadouts, and that might be a fun opportunity to try out the kit of the mid-Victorian era officer on the clock.
I lived in the UK and shot regularly right up until the handgun ban and suffered the indignity of surrendering my pistols and revolvers at the police station. A few years prior to that it was our self loading full bore rifles. I believe the final compensation bill was sealed for 50 years. I heard a rumour at the time that it cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions as many people were compensated for the loss of their livelihoods. I now live in Switzerland and own a range of firearms that would give an anti gun zealot kittens.
But your surrendering your weapons as protected millions and ensured that no schools or mass shootings have happened since and I thank you for that as I was able to grow up in safety with no fear of someone coming to shoot me
My late granny carried a pocket Derringer in her handbag up until the early 2000's. A wedding present, no license. She'd literally take it out of her handbag when rummaging for her purse, pills etc.I suspect most people thought it was a cigarette lighter.
Here in Croatia, we have some 100K gun owners in a population of around 4 million. However, it's illegal to own automatic weapons or guns with more than 20 rounds in the magazine, or any military weapon (I haven't noticed a description of what exactly that means). Bolt action and semi-auto rifles with up to 10 round magazines are OK. A notable limitation is that each gun owner is limited to 3 weapons in total, and I'm not aware of any exceptions so I don't suppose actual gun collection is possible (unless the guns are disabled permanently, that is).
I very much enjoyed this video (as I have all of your videos). I'm in the US, so I can shoot much more than is available to you. I noticed that your Colt 1851 has the steel trigger guard, making it a "London" Colt, which I suspect is why you purchased that particular model. That happens to be the version of the Colt 1851 (also made by Uberti) that I own. I don't have the Dragoon model 1848. I've had a long love affair with the SMLE and mine happens to be a 1918 No1 Mk111. You probably already know of the channel, but I think C&Rsenal would be useful, entertaining and educational for you. Othais & Mae make in depth videos on mostly WW1 and pre-WW1 firearms. Most of which are European and many of which might interest you as they could actually be easier to get on your side of the Atlantic. Thank you for another good video. Good Shooting! ruclips.net/user/Candrsenal
Despite I own 2 AR15s, an SKS, a .22 Semiauto (GSG-15) and several bolt action rifles, my favorite rifle is also a lever action! A model 92 Winchester in .357 Magnum. These guns are so much fun to shoot.
My favorite rifle was also a lever gun - a 3rd hand knock off of a henry repeater in .45-70. (Gunsmith's passion project to duplicate a reproduction henry lever gun - worth nothing, but still fun to shoot)
Having worked in the shooting industry (shotguns) for about 20 years you are correct in saying it's easy to get into, or at least it was before lockdowns etc as I expect many shooting grounds went out of business.
Great video. There are loads of politicians in the US that would like similar laws in effect here. My favorite guns are all of the same caliber: .45-70. I have my grandfather’s original Trapdoor Springfield that he personally used to hunt deer, a Marlin lever-action, and a Magnum Research BFR revolver with a 10” barrel. Keep up the good work. I always look forward to your new posts.
Being from the United States myself, I can say that this did clear up a lot of misconceptions about firearms laws in the UK. Just as I'm sure a similar video made covering firearms laws in the USA would clear up misconceptions. Learning from each other to better understand the different cultures we live in.. what a novel idea for RUclips 😂
One reasonably sized segment of shotgun owners you missed is reenactors. From the few medieval Hand Cannon, through English Civil War (and the *other* one) to Napoleonics. The vast majority of replica ECW muskets (and cannon) are only proofed for blank firing, rather than ball, but they are still capable of firing ball, so need a shotgun certificate. The cannon on a Sealed Knot battlefield are also mainly held on shotgun certificates, as they are sleeved down to be under 2" internal muzzle diameter, which allows them to be held on a shotgun certificate.
Regarding what was said at the start of the video with Shotguns. I'd thought that it was a misconception that a valid reason was required to own one? Rather that's necessary for firearms - i.e. owning a firearm for the purpose of taking part in a sporting club - , but with shotguns your reason for purchasing one doesn't need to go beyond wanting to do so.
Great video, thanks Matt. I know it's not your typical content but it was great seeing seeing some guns on the channel. You'll have to sneak in some range footage sometime.
I do love those classic double barrel shotguns. Some of them are absolutely gorgeous, and I'd love to own them, but I don't have that kind of money. Those 100 year old Holland and Holland or Purdy shotguns can go for several thousand dollars.
there's quite a few companies that make good quality double barrel shotguns for cheap. the high end expensive double barrels are mostly for competition shooting and people who are really serious about hunting. Stoeger is a reliable budget brand i would recommend.
1911 shooting is one of my favorites. Luckily there are no restrictions here on those and I have a few. If you're ever over in Florida, let me know and I can you to a few huge ranges with lot's of options to rent and shoot all sorts.
@@MrEsphoenix I'm going to start with saying your not wrong at all. But it also depends on what you mean by a gun nut. I have a deep interest in the mechanical workings, practical usage and history of firearms, and I have a collection of over 20 guns. Many people who aren't into guns at all think I'm a gun nut. There also seems to be the idea that permeates our culture that chosing to own a firearm is a political statement, and seeing how incredibly regulated the industry, and ownership, is it's hard to disagree with that idea. But people outside the community label those of us who are like me a nut. So we have to define the terms and use precise language when we discuss who is and who isn't a gun nut. My definition would be someone who takes the ownership of firearms to an extreme, turning it into ethno-political demagoguery, or extreme right wing ethno-natiomalism. If that is your definition of a gun nut, I whole heatedly agree that we need to distance ourselves from those types of dangerous people.
@@kunfugunman That's fair, I should have clarified since it's not a set definition. And you're pretty much there with your definition. People who collect and use firearms as a hobby, own one as a tool or for self defence, or love researching, watching and or discussing all things gun (and me), I'd class as gun enthusiasts.
UK: You can own a firearm. Idaho: If you only own one firearm, there's something wrong with you. If you only one one safe full of firearms, you're low-average. As for licenses, almost nothing has to be. As for bearing a weapon, we have a smorgasboard: Open carry (strap on your gun and go), Constitutional Carry (able to carry concealed in most places, no permit required), Concealed Carry License (Good in Idaho, and able to carry in schools and churches) and Expanded Concealed Carry (a license recognized by 39 other states in the US). There are no limitations on magazine size for any firearm. For fully automatic weapons, you need a federal license.
Thank you, this will be my default link when I respond about the UK firearms situation from now on. Just one minor correction though, it is 22RF for semi-auto rifles. Therefore any 22RF cartridge can be used i.e. 22LR, 22WMR and 22 Short (although that one is unlikely). 22WMR rifles are now building in popularity.
The country that I'm living in have a very funny gun law 'couse is stupidly hard to own a firearm if you are not a member of for example hunting club but you can own any kind of black powder gun even a something like a huge cannon and you're not allowed to make any kind of thing that can shoot modern ammunition but you can make something like a blackpowder granade. Also you can't have or make any kind of long object with something heavy on the end but you're allowed to have a axe for selfdefense (which are some people do) which is also hard thing to do (I mean selfdefense) becouse the law that applyies to it is very vague.
I have an Argentine-produced World War I era Mauser and it's cool. But watching this makes me sooooo glad I live in the USA and am less limited as to the type of high-velocity freedom seed dispensers I can own.
This is definitely interesting for me to watch, as I live in Texas, or "The America of America" as it's sometimes known. I'm not sure how big the idea of owning a gun for self defense is in the U.K., but it's huge here (arguably too huge, but that's another discussion). I think my favorite of the guns you've shown is the shotgun with the damascus-style barrels. I'd love a gun like that.
It's illegal to use your firearm for home defence, as unless the criminal in question was also armed with a firearm it would be considered disproportionate force.
You tell the firearms police officer that comes around your house to assess you to see if you are a swivel eyed loon or not and you say you want any weapon for self defence ,you are getting yourself banned from ever owning a weapon of any sort any time any where in UK.
Guns literally aren't an issue here. We can go our entire lives without ever even thinking about being shot or shot at or even hearing a gunshot unless we go down the range. Our houses are all brick and very decently double or triple glazing windows and doors. Someone would likely become a victim when trying to break into a home.
Thank you for clearing up some assumptions about UK laws. Has me wondering if an AR pistol would fall under the long barrel pistol section. Basically an AR fram with a short barrel and either a pad on the buffer tube, or and arm brace. More importantly, I don't think it is humanly possible to not have a huge smile on your face when shooting a lever gun
The regs say a FAC (firearms certificate) legal gun must be over 60cm in length and have a barrel length of at least 30cm. If it is in a centre fire calibre then it must be manually operated, so no semi-auto. So yes an AR “pistol” could be legal if it is long enough and is straight pull. Semi-auto or full auto is a Section 5 license that needs a lot of hoops to jump through and prove you need it (film and tv prop houses, Specialist trainers for NGOs going to dangerous places, private museums, government approved “security” groups etc)
Great work Matt! Now see if you can get us that link to the British fellow who published a book on how to make a submachine gun with basic machine shop skills. What ever happened to him? I think one of his prototypes is on display in some museum over there.
22LR is not the only one legal semi auto caliber in UK. Firearms act states that 22RF is legal in semi auto which means you can legally hold s/a 22WMR for example Guncraft makes AR15 in this caliber.
@@charles2703 That's the sad reality of it. I once saw an ad for a sportarized enfield what's messed up was that it was one of the old long Lee Enfields from the boer wars. The stock was chopped up, the volley sights were removed even the magazine was replaced with a shallower one.
Maybe a good idea for collaborations in the future would be comparisons of UK firearms laws with other countries. You could do UK & Canada with Skallagrim, for example.
On the Colt Navy, Uberti recommends a #11 percussion cap. Try a #10 percussion cap and very carefully push it tighter on the nipple. It will fit tighter and not jam the action as easily. I very carefully lower the hammer down and push it down with the hammer. Do this before loading the powder and ball.
I remember seeing a guy from the UK with an AUG and I thought it was weird but it turned out you have have those if they are modified to not be semi auto, so basically a straight pull bolt action. Also from what I hear suppressors are way easier to get for you guys
The suppressor thing in America is weird. Lots of people in the UK have suppressors on their rifles for pest control. If nothing else it helps reduce damage to the ears.
@@shinobi-no-bueno its bizarre to think that people would actually believe a little tube on the end of the barrel would be able to turn a noise louder than a jet engine into a barely audible whimper. In actuality, a it only brings it down to about the level of an ambulance siren.
Two of my best research resources about the history of gun rights and gun laws in the UK are historian Joyce Lee Malcolm's "Guns and Violence: The English Experience" (2002) and "Firearms Control: A Study of Armed Crime and Firearms Control in England and Wales " (1972) by Chief Inspector Colin Greenwood (Ret) of the West Yorkshire Constabulary.
Depends where in Europe surely? Europe is fairly big. In Switzerland if your a man you have to have one. In Czechia, Austria etc etc it's also very very popular. In Ukraine, perhaps it's a different answer :p
UK gun laws are oppressive even by EU standards. Even among the soft nations of Western Europe, UK gun prohibitiob still stands out as excessive. France and Italy are more lenient, and Italy recently even expanded their gun rights. Many central European nations have a significant gun culture (even if it pales in comparison to the US). Czechia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland al allow for private gun ownership. Ownership meaning you can actually keep a loaded gun in your house. Otherwise you're basically just paying rent for a gun. If I can't take it home with ammunition, that's not ownership...thats a one-time payment expensive rental. What is ownership without ownership? Firearms are family herilooms in the South, so the idea of the an aloof, tyrannical government telling me what I can't do w my possessions is a glimpse of the dystopian future. You will own nothing and he happy about it. And what is it with the British having the most restrictive weed and gun laws among developed nations, and I see so many British just blindly accept law as law without questioning the reasoning.
@@BB-uu9oo Actually the laws are even more liberal than you stated in Central Europe. Czechia for example allows concealed carry of hand guns for self defence outside the house with all basic firearm licences (in most of the EU you can get a carry licence but it's harder). Switzerland allows the ownership of brand new machine guns with a simple background check and Austria doesn't even require a licence for a break action shot gun, bolt action rifle or long barrelled revolver for self defence or target shooting (just a three pay waiting period and background check). Also most central and Eastern Europe countries allow loaded firearms for self defence at home. Central Europe is also much safer than the UK.
@@BB-uu9oo A majority of us don't blindly accept it, we generally acknowledge that a piece of sporting equipment isn't worth loosing a classroom of children for (the reason for our handgun ban). I say sporting equipment because in the UK gun ownership has NEVER been high enough for us to feel the need to own one for protection from someone else with a gun. The other problem we have is one of space, in the US it is not at all uncommon to have enough private land for a range, in the UK we have what's called 'a right to roam' whereby we can wander pretty much wherever we like, however should we trespass (providing no damage has been caused) the worst we will receive is a few expletives from the landowner to leave.....which isn't great if you hop over a fence and find yourself downrange. In a nutshell it's a culture thing, we don't expect life ending consequences for minor altercations / trespass or even making an involuntary movement during a traffic stop.
The cap problem is cured by holding the pistol vertically when you pull the hammer back. The cap falls out of the channel not down between the frame and the cylinder. It makes the rangemaster nervous, so be careful.
Or just polishing the hammer face, particularly the area of the “fangs” that make up the safety pin slot. This will make the cap sucking problems mostly go away. A stiffer hammer spring combined with polishing the hammer face will make the gun pretty much 100% malfunction free.
We can own Glocks, but can't keep them in our home. It's considered a historical weapon (and a lot of modern pistols are). The licence really isn't that hard to get as long as your not an idiot about it.
Others have addressed the shotgun magazine capacity confusion (2+1 not 3). I'd like to point out that semiautomatic is permitted for any .22 rimfire round, not .22lr specifically. So 22 short, long, magnum etc. As long as it's both .22 and rimfire (so not .17hmr or. 22hornet). Also you can own artillery and tank guns on an FAC, no need for section 5, as long as they are hand loaded, not auto-loaders. A smoothbore cannon with sub 2" bore can be held on a SGC.
G'day Matt, nice 3oh and a good explanation of the UK laws. I own a few 3ohs - MLE, various No1 MKIII, Siamese, 4 & 5 and Mosin Nagants, Swiss 96/11 K31 and other milsurps but the authorities in the "Prison Colony of Downunder" are making it extremely difficult with annual inspections for anyone with more than 20 firearms. This involves the cops doing a serial number check of every firearm and checking the safes and anchor points. Rinse and repeat every 12 months. Even with the draconian firearms laws in the "Democratic People's Republic of Downunder" we have just under a million firearms owners and over 3 million "registered" firearms. In some ways your laws are more relaxed in that you can own a semi-auto bunny gun and mods.
I live in South Carolina , USA . You're welcome here . I visited Oz a few times when I was in the US Navy. Esperance , Western Australia was the best Liberty Port . The steak I ate there was best tucker ever .
That was a very nice looking Enfield. Most of the ones you see in the US are in rough shape. You should try your 22lr HK in some of the mini-rifle competitions you have in UK if your schedule permits. I only recently became aware that tactical shotgun competition is something still allowed in the UK. Thanks to RUclips I was able to watch a few matches and some of the competitors are very proficient with shotguns.
Interesting! Being an American that's never been to the UK I had just assumed firearms were even more restricted than they are. I think everything I own would be illegal in the UK but then you have plenty of swords to make up for it!
I grew up in the english countryside everyone seemed to have a shotgun or rifle all day saturday and sunday you could here them down the range or shooting clays.
Thanks so much. I found this very informative. I love the SMLE rifle, I've owned 2 No 4 that came out of Canada. I'm sorry I traded them for something else. Well, such is the life of a hunter. I also own the 36 caliber Colt and have lots of fun at the range with it. Try giving the Colt a bit of a flick after your round has fired. I do find it so very sad that the government has turned what was an active shooting and firearms country into what it is today. Basically, the Government has removed anyone that enjoys firearms and shooting from the political conversation. I personally have never met a Brit or Scot that doesn't go wild with enjoyment at a good shooting range with some good firearms.
My friend in Florida let me loose with his over under an the pigeon range. Was definitely exciting and I hit the first clay with the second shell after initially missing with the first. Felt like a decent recovery on my first try. Hooked ever since but only ever air rifles whilst back here in England, as I've always presumed it to be too hard and drawn out a process to own anything else here that requires a licence. Informative video sir, thank you.
Please go to the Gun&Run Range maybe with some historic guns & uniforms lol & some modern ones you know for research. (You may need to have a go of it with sword, throwing knives & shortbow but that might be fun too)
My cousin was engaged to a girl from somewhere near Durham and she came to the US to visit. The first place we took her wasn't to a museum, or to a show, we took her to a gun range. She'd never fired a gun in her life. She worked her way up from a 22 pistol all the way to a 308 rifle. They broke up eventually, but I think we got her hooked on shooting. At least I know there are places in the UK where she could do some shooting.
What I find hilarious is that the gun pictured at 6:38, which looks modified to be considered "safe" in the UK, is considered an ultra deadly assault weapon in the US.
Thanks for this overview. I've never gotten much explanation of the firearms situation in Britain. Weird laws, but then again the United States government doesn't even class muzzleloaders as firearms, so I guess no legislative body employs logic or consistency :)
Thank you, that was fascinating. I grew up in a rural area and knew all the local farmers, so it seemed natural to own guns. I started with airguns in my early teens, shotguns in my late teens, and later .22 rifles, and I never regarded the legal requirements as onerous. I regularly shot ducks, rabbits and pigeons, and was even invited as a guest on pheasant shoots in return for controlling 'pests'. About 35 years ago, I moved to a town in another part of the country where I knew none of the shooting fraternity, so sold my guns and took up other pastimes, although I retain a passing interest in shooting. Despite the legal requirements at that time, I knew farmers who routinely carried shotguns and rifles in their Land Rovers, or kept them propped behind kitchen doors.
Matt rather skirted round one major reason for the strict firearm laws in the UK: the massacres at Hungerford in 1987 and Dunblane in 1996. At Hungerford 16 people were killed with semi-automatic rifles. Result: stricter controls. At Dunblane a loony with 4 legally owned handguns killed 16 children and a teacher at a school. Result: a virtually complete ban on handguns. Whether that was justified or not, since then there have been no school shootings in the UK. In the USA there have been.... quite a lot. . I don't think there is much public enthusiasm for guns in the UK, even compared with other European countries. Some possible reasons: a. Britain, except for a few places like the Scottish Highlands, is a densely populated country. You are seldom more than half a mile away from houses or public roads, and in the exceptional areas, like Dartmoor or the Lake District, there tend to be walkers and tourists. Since most rifles have a potentially lethal range of more than half a mile, there are few places other than rifle ranges where you could safely use them b. only a small proportion of the population live in rural areas where guns might conceivably be useful c. most of the countryside is owned by farmers or big landowners (including the Forestry Commission and the National Trust) who are far from keen on anyone but themselves, their friends, or paying guests wandering round their land with guns. The landowners also usually own the shooting rights for game (deer, pheasants, etc) and anyone hunting without permission is by definition poaching. Farmers and landowners themselves can get gun licences easily enough, but they have no incentive to make it easy for others. Incidentally, there are no large predators like bears, cougars, or wolves which might be a reason to carry guns for protection d. the police (with some exceptions) do not routinely carry firearms, and people like it that way. If guns, especially handguns, became easily available, the police would have to be armed (as in Northern Ireland, for obvious reasons) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_firearms_in_the_United_Kingdom , which neither the public nor the police themselves would welcome. Films and TV, like the ludicrous 'Line of Duty' series, may give the impression that criminals regularly use guns in the UK, but in fact it is still comparatively rare. Any criminal caught in possession of an illegal firearm would be facing a prison stretch for that alone, so why take the risk?
There were no school shootings before the ban either. Handguns are already legal (Section 1) in NI, primarily for the purposes of target shooting and gun ownership is actually proportionally a lot higher (6% vs the 1% here on the mainland). Handguns (modern breech fed) are also legal in every other western country. I agree with some of your points but most firearms in the UK are actually owned by ordinary working people living in urban areas for the purposes of target shooting at clubs. Most don't own land and are only interested in shooting paper and/or steel.
@@JammyGuns Surely Dunblane itself was a *bit* of a school shooting, on account of being a shooting in a school? Perhaps you meant that there were no school shootings in the UK before Dunblane, which I think is true. Northern Ireland is always different. The police are routinely armed, for obvious reasons, and people under threat can get licences to carry handguns for self-protection, though I think the number of these is quite small.
Exactly, the police aren't armed so criminals aren't, so people are less afraid of armed criminals, no arms race. Plus our ancestors eliminated all the wildlife so no hunting like they have on the continent.
I believe every country that don't outright ban or allow firearms consider shotguns as something different of rifles, pistols and etc. But curiously, Brazil is, as far as I know, one of the few places that it has been actually easier to have small arms (revolvers, pistols..) than long guns (except shotguns). Ps: I said it was easier, didn't say it was easy
@@shinobi-no-bueno Regardless, pistols are always the gun that gets used the most for crimes. Leaving aside countries in war/with violent and armed rebels, semi-automatic rifles are always the least used weapon for murder. I stand by the "all laws are infringement", but just wanted to share that.
for semi auto rifles .22LR isn't the only cartridge, the law only states that is must be .22 rimfire. which does allow some other cartridges to be legal namely .22WMR to which there are a few companies making some ar15 style rifles in .22WMR. although I don't think I will be going for a semi-auto in .22WMR as much fun as it would be to extent the ranges further then a .22lr could do, i think the lawmakers will change this in the future to expressly define it as .22LR as it was probably intended to be in the first place.
Very interesting.. Just bought my first air rifle and starting to get into it.. Tried shotguns out and I was terrible but was good fun and my progress to that.
Sadly, katanas were banned after some joker sliced a Challenger tank in half with one. Chobham armor may work great against shaped charge warheads and depleted uranium penetrators, but it's no match for a katana.
I have a Colt '51 Navy mine is called the Conference Navy because it's a .44 it's my second Conference Navy because as a teenager I shot my fist one so much the internals failed. There is no way to avoid spent caps from falling inside. I love the Colt Navy anyway. I from the US so I have a number of guns that I couldn't have in the UK. I'm jealous of your Enfield! I believe I love every Enfield ever made. Each model is so iconic. I've missed an opportunity to get a Mark 4, I'll not pass up such an opportunity again.
Interesting video. I live in BC, Canada; our firearms laws lie somewhere between the British and US laws. We have pretty good regulation on firearms ownership here. You need to be trained, have a license and certain categories of firearm need to be registered and used in a restricted manner. I own one shotgun, three handguns and three 'SPORTING' rifles (these are now referred to as assault rifles under the current government and and under impending seizure). I have a VZ 58 and an AR15 in my possession that are currently 'prohibited' status. For some reason, my IWI X95 bullpup is 'non restricted' which makes zero sense to me....
Can I ask something about it? If I understood correctly, the semi-automatic rifles are not banned all together, but only some platforms, and the criteria is their shape. Is it correct?
Thankyou for your very interesting and through video, As an American we cherish are Second Amendment and it is so encouraging to see a thriving interest in firearms and gun ownership in Great Briton . Cheers from Southern California!
I was lucky enough to shoot in an era in this country when firearms were still available to law abiding citizens to enjoy, I shot full bore semi auto rifles, full bore pistols, shotguns, pretty much everything, I even reloaded my own ammo ( 12 different calibres) at my height I owned seven full bore pistols three full bore rifles and two shotguns and I lived the sport with a passion, what you have left now is just pathetic and I feel sorry for you, you'll never have what I had or experience the joy of it, it's just sad.
Matt, if you ever come to the Washington D.C. area I'll take you out to the range with my small collection of Webleys. I have a Mk. I in .455, a Mk. IV in .38 that was a RAF pistol carried by a pilot who flew in the Battle of Britain, and a Mk. VI that's had the cylinder cut down to accept .45acp. I do have a .455 cylinder and top frame for the Mk. VI that I just need to get fitted to the bottom frame.
in Bangladesh where I am from, it is pretty much impossible to own a firearm. You've to be over 32, have a show-cause letter "reasonably justifying" a gun which is at the discretion of the police, who will conduct stringest background checks, and then you can only buy 2 handguns or 1 handgun and 1 "long gun" or something like that, below a certain calibre (I think .38 and .22 LR), and have a limit on the amount of ammunition you can purchase, which is kept track of. Hell even airsoft is banned.
@GiRayne hmm I'm not sure, but it was a British colony for close to 200 years so that might have something to do with it 😂 But it's something that's lasted and the thought of just walking into a store and walking out with a gun would blow most people's minds or they'd think you were bullshitting. You'll always get the same "But...why would need a gun unless you were going to commit violence? You've the police for protection" argument, even though the police here are notorious for being inept/corrupt. 🤷🏻♂️
@@terrenceroll3848 In all honesty, it actually probably stems from preventing revolution. South Asia (including Bangladesh) was a British colony for nearly 200 years, and half-way in they'd stamped out one major revolution already, so they made pretty sure another one wouldn't happen. The subcontinent was in a rush to be independent after WWII so we basically copy-pasted the legal system and swapped out the Brits in administrative roles. A lot of our legality issues considering LGBT are also a hold over from prudish Victorian colonialism
3 gun competitions are fun. Me and my friends carry it to 5 gun by adding Heavy Sniper(up to including 50bmg etc) unknown distance targets to 1,200yds and Heavy Handgun (unknown distance targets to 250yds)
Greetings from the USA. I have a lovely Australian .303 which I bought when their repressive government got rid of 70% of their citizens firearms after one tragic incident perpetrated by one psychopath. Currently I cannot buy any .303 ammunition or other WW2 rifle ammo here due to long term ammo shortages since the "SUMMER OF LOVE" in 2020. Have you ever visited BLOKE ON THE RANGE in Switzerland to shoot? I know Lindy Beige has.
Interesting that the first pistol you showed is the one I quite fancy. I'm another UK SGC/FAC owner. Quite fancying a venture into the muzzle loading pistol scene. A shame you didn't mention the rules on holding black powder because I'm not entirely clear on them. Excellent video though. One of the best I've seen covering UK firearms ownership. Certain points could have been emphasised or explained in a little more detail but overall, very, very good. Interesting. that you say only about 50 people in the UK have .50 calibre rifles. I bought my S&W MP 15-22 from one of them.
Edit.. Just saw the last few seconds. You can also own calibres above .22 in a lever action. A local gun club has an AK lever action. Strange looking gun.
1. Super informative - well done :) 2. The next 6 comments would be repeats of below. Including how much fun the Uberti colt .44 is. 3. On this side of the pond, we don't sweep the camera with guns, even if the camera is on a mount. Made my blood pressure jump every time. Gun safety is more important than, well everything...
This is what I REALLY like about firearms. It isn't even the shooting, it's that every man I know looks like a kid at christmas when he talks about his guns.
My first deer rifle was a SMLE just like that one with the upper wood removed. 215 gr. soft nose slug, a true freezer filler for a Northern Michigan boy.
Matt, I'm not up on how or if lobbying works in the UK, but are there any firearms advocacy organizations currently pushing for greater civilian freedoms regarding firearms/shotguns/pistols?
I would hazard a guess that any such organizations would be too busy trying to keep what rights they have to make a serious push for expansion. I’d love to be wrong, though.
The British NRA is doing its best to promote shooting sports in the UK. My wife has started indoor target shooting thanks to the support of the NRA to get visually impaired people shooting.
@@neilmorrison7356 Worth pointing out that the NRA in the UK and the USA are VERY different organisations. The British NRA is more like what the USA was in the 1950s, promoting safety and good shooting techniques rather than being a lobbyist group opposing any laws restricting gun ownership.
I was interested to see some of the creative solutions that some fun manufacturers in the UK came up with to try to circumvent the restrictions on semi-autos larger than 22LR - one I cannot remember the name of, but it involved the gun firing a bullet every time the trigger was pulled AND released (which certainly makes for faster shooting but seems very hazardous to me). The other I think is called a lever release (not to be confused with the lever action), which is essentially a semi-automatic rifle that interrupts the the loading of the next round, and requires a small lever to be pressed by the right thumb after each shot to load the next shot. I think both of these mechanisms got banned in the UK.
![ROSÉ(로제) - APT. (Band VER.) (With. 이영지) [더 시즌즈-이영지의 레인보우] | KBS 241129 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IW8qaemx74g/mqdefault.jpg)
From an American perspective, this was very interesting, and corrected quite a few misconceptions I had about things across the pond.
Same here. This video prompted me to do some googling. Apparently an initial shotgun permit will run about 100 smackers and about half that for the renewal. Looks like there are plenty of descent shotguns for under $500, much cheaper than I've been lead to believe
crossbows are completely unregulated apart from no hunting with them and a lot of people own crossbow's
Careful what you believe..
Shut up @@nospoon4799
I would be very enthusiastic about a Forgotten Weapons/scholagladiatoria collaboration if the stars ever align... 😃
Ian is pulled in every direction and I'd say after his latest announcement has made himself even less available. He's gone from 6 to 5 videos a week and now some are book reviews vs gun videos.
1:02 For comparison, Sweden, with a population of just over 10 million have over 500 000 people with firearms licenses. There is a very large hunting tradition, being so sparsly populated and heavily wooded is probably responsible. Finland and Norway have even more legal firearms per capita but not in total numbers since Sweden has about twice the population of either country.
Correct, also when it comes to owning antique fire-arms, Norway classifies weapons from before a certain year (I cant remember off the top of my head, but iirc like 1890) antiques, rendering then free from requiring a license.
Owning guns are still heavily regulated though, compared to the shitshow that is US firearms laws!
But Finland does also have 4 times the craziness and Russia as a neighbor.
US firearms laws are far too restrictive
Finland actually has higher total and per capita than Sweden at 650 000
A quick Google search tells me there is about 1,22 million registered firearms in Norway.
About 484 000 persons are registered as gunowners in Norway.
That is about 30 firearms per 100 person.
Antique firearms are not registered in Norway.
"People owning shotguns fall into two categories:" farmers, farmers' mums
everyone and their mums is packing round 'ere.
Yarp.
I'm sure it's all for the greater good.
@@woodsman105 THE GREATER GOOD.
No luck catching them swans then?
Wow, 159,000 firearms certificate holders in the UK… Just my home state of Tennessee has 700,000 Cary permit holders. That’s just carry permits to be able to carry a handgun, you don’t need any permit to legally own a a handgun or long gun if you meet the legal qualifications like age, citizenship, background check, etc… That’s a stark ‘gun culture’ contrast for sure!
@@j.v.7451 as of July 2021, TN residents no longer need a cc permit…
@@j.v.7451 I know, and TN isn’t full constitutional carry, and the law increased the penalty for illegal fire arms carry and use… and ccw permits are still issued for reciprocity… it’s nice knowing we have a choice…
These numbers translate to Tennessee having a higher rate of CCW permits compared to population than Florida: 100 for every 1,000 people vs 90 for Florida.
@@j.v.7451 so is Georgia, I’m surprised TN got it passed before GA, I’ve got a friend who is working with GA2A group so I get updated, needs to be nationwide, but done by each individual state… 👍
@@bigredwolf6 unfortunately that is most states… but CC is getting passed in a lot of areas…
"They are real automatic weapons shooting blunts - blanks; sorry. I am too used to swords."
That made my day
Automatic blunt-shooting weapons you say?
*excited dutch noises*
Matt, this video answered a number of questions of mine regarding firearms ownership in the UK and was thoroughly informative and a pleasure to watch! Thank you so much for this!
A fundamental point you passed over - there is effectively a common law legal presumption any UK citizen is entitled to a shotgun (and thus shotgun certificate), unless there is a demonstrable reason NOT to grant it, whereas for the FAC YOU have to demonstrate a reason why you SHOULD have it.
Also, ammunition is separately regulated from the weapon. I can have a 2+1 pump action shotgun on a SGC, but I may NOT purchase, for example, slugs, as they are a FAC restricted ammunition, unless I have the appropriate FAC approvals.
To borrow American parlance, shotguns certificates are 'shall-issue' whereas firearm certificates are 'may-issue'.
@Christian Constitutionalist I believe so, but if you're thinking about home defense, you can forget it. The UKs safe storage requirements preclude the use of a shotgun for home defense. Plus, it is illegal to own a shotgun for defensive purposes anyway.
@Christian Constitutionalist the above point about not being allowed a shotgun for home defence is, however, very much correct. If a homeowner shoots a burglar in the UK you would be exceedingly unlikely NOT to be on a murder charge, and would clearly need to demonstrate the use of said force was proportional. Good luck with that.
And as another p.s. the right to self-defence is an absolute one under common law. However - any force used in self-defence MUST be proportional to the risks/threat faced, for that common law defence to be effective. It has always been thus.
@@andrewt4456 It depends on the threat. If the burglar was using deadly force (a knife for example) then theres a good chance that shooting him would be proportional.
The problem is that it is extremely unlikely that the homeowner could to get to their shotgun and load it in time to use it.
Using a weapon for home defense cannot be a premeditated act, so the chances of the shotgun just happening to be the first thing you grabbed is extremely unlikely.
AIUI, due to "less than well-documented" arms distribution in the early years of WWII, there were a LOT of loose weapons found in attics and sheds in the decades after the war, from Lee-Enfields to Thompson SMGs, that were issued to some Home Guard guy and misplace/hidden/forgotten.
Re caches to be used in the event of invasion, records were actively destroyed so invading forced wouldn't get them.
I think it was the 2017 UN Small Arms report which noted that of the firearms known to have existed in private possession in Western Europe, no more than half are currently licensed in any given country. The current registries are mostly aspirational.
@@carebear8762 I cant remember the details, but a few years ago, New York State passed the SAFE act which altered the definition of an Assault Weapon. Owners of the newly banned weapons had to either register them or sell them. A year after the deadline, it is estimated that only about 5% of those weapons were registered
@@fatpad00 Canada is seeing similar results, as did Australia. Registration is only useful for bans, and bans only impact people who are voluntarily compliant. Canada should know better, after the debacle and repeal of their previous registry after tens of millions wasted with minimal compliance and no crimes solved nor crime rates impacted.
I am a huge firearms fan in the U.S. and actually a particular fan of 1911s and lever action rifles. That 45 Colt lever action your have there is a beautiful firearm! Most impressive.
Do a Collab with him I'd watch that all day you two shooting..👍But in the UK it's pretty simple to acquire an illegal firearm because illegal immigrants bring them over in there boats from FRANCE which is only 20+ miles away..They think there's around 2-3 million of them..
Northern Ontario Canada "where I am located" has a very high firearms ownership level compared to the south. Nearly every household in my region has at least 1 firearm. I purchased the SMLE sporter I am bringing back to mil spec at a yardsale for 50 dollars. Your SMLE is lovely!!
Sporterized surp q.q
@@entropy11 Afterthe world wars literally thousands of smle rifles went to the north as hunting rifles , stocks were chopped down "at times almost tasefully lol" to make them fit the profile of civillian hunting rifles.
Countless of these orphans still in use beg to be brought back to their former glory.
Similar laws to America I believe. But Canadians aren't nutters😂
@@maxwhite8470
Hardly. Canadian gun laws are currently more restrictive than Russia, but less restrictive than the UK.
Matt, I really appreciate this insight into the firearms culture and restrictions of the UK. I'm in the US and was under the impression that there wasn't much over there but I'm glad to see that there is still some like-minded individuals abroad. There isn't much overlap but it'd be cool to see you and someone like Ian from Forgotten Weapons collab on a video down the road. You both are very informed on your subject matter and are great at imparting that information to the plebian masses.
A slight addendum to add.... if I'm not mistaken, while you can't own a pistol (outside the exceptions Matt mentioned) in England, Wales and Scotland, you can own a pistol on a firearms certificate in Northern Ireland.
Also, a second addendum.... with respect to shotgun certificates, I believe you are only legally allowed to have shotguns with a maximum *_magazine_* capacity of two (but can have third in the chamber, hence the common understanding of a capacity of three shells).
You can own a pistol in the UK with a category 5 licence. You can't keep them at your house (they must either be ina museum or a gun club) but you can own them and shoot them for historical and collector purposes. I feel like Matt didn't mention how broad this is. Glocks and a lot of modern pistols are on the list.
NI can own pistols.
Shotguns are maximum 3 capacity (2 in the tube, one in the chamber or double barrels) but you can get a semi auto shotgun with no magazine limit using a firearm licence. Interestingly, this does not consider ghost loading. A perfectly legal shotgun can have 4 shells in it with the right technique, but only have 2 capacity in the tube.
@@pluemas Historic/collection pistols would be section 7, not 5.
@@pluemas Section 5 licenses are out of reach for the average person, they are usually for businesses etc.
The historical guns you are referring to are Section 7.3. The restrictions are so tight that it's barely worth doing.
Yep, and also the same is true on the Isle of Man (have shot pistol at both in the past)
@@pluemas Prior to 1988 you could have owned semi-automatic, center-fire, "assault rifles" along with "hi-cap" shotguns. I believe machine guns were legal (if you were a collector/ correct me if I am wrong here) prior to 88 as well. And handguns were more widely available prior to 1997 of course.
That is a gorgeous Enfield! I've never seen one that pristine-looking!
Looks like a rebuild or at least a refinish, unless its a feature of his camera lighting. I've got several all-original No1s and Long Lees, and none of the military ones have a deep black finish like that. They are all rust-blued or oil blacked.
It is purdy, ain't it?
I have a No4 in similar shape.
I once purchased a .303 Lee Enfield which was manufactured in the early 1950s for the Royal Ulster Constabulary. It came packed in it's original cosmoline and had a beautiful blond stock with a parkerized finish on the metal. As I recall, I only paid around $125 for it. It is one of the very few firearms I have sold, and I really regret it now. A friend convinced me to sell it to him. I wish I still had it as it would look great paired with my beautifully restored 1944 M1 Garand. Or it would go well with my WWII vintage Webley revolver.
Matt as a someone from the states, with a passion for shooting and firearms, Learning that there are folks across the pond with the same passion and a reasonable access to alot of the same firearms, this makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Especially those colt dragoons. Favorite pistol I have ever owned. I have a pair that I do my john wayne BS with. Loads of fun.
There are several UK RUclipsrs involved in Shooting Sports, including "Bloke on the Range" (moved to Switzerland I believe, but from UK if I recall correctly) and "Vicker's MG Collection & Research Association" (the latter focusing on Vicker MGs)
Bloke in the Range does compete in various competitons, including Brutality style competitions. They are far smaller in number than in the US, but they are out there.
Reasonable? Lol.
@@shinobi-no-bueno I think the best way to end it is with 3d printing and metal working technology, that can make gun manufacturing in your home more feasible.
Whilst what has been said applies to the United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland, hand guns are available) it is still possible to own a handgun (not a long barrelled pistol) within the British Isles on the self governing dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
It's also possible to own a handgun using a category 5 licence. You must keep it at a museum or your gun club but you can own pistols for historical and collector purposes, which you can shoot. Glocks, 1911 and modern pistols are actually classed as of historical interest.
@@pluemas You are confusing Section 5 with Section 7a and b.
Thank you for a clear and concise overview of UK firearms laws Matt. The more positive publicity that lawful firearm ownership gets, the better. Similarly the more people involved in shooting sports or even interested in being involved in shooting sports, the better. The more vocal we are, the harder it is for draconian police authorities to tighten restrictions or seize our firearms for political gain. Love your collection!
I’m in Scotland& have been on anti depressants since I had a stroke,would still like to shoot as I used to be in a shooting club& army cadets,it’s too pricey to go clay pigeon shooting nowadays🤷♂️
You ought to get ahold of Karl at InRange and look at running one of his Brutality competitions. They have a class for historical loadouts, and that might be a fun opportunity to try out the kit of the mid-Victorian era officer on the clock.
With a 22 would never have enough minerals to make it to the target. As in all things the UK has its personal freedoms eroded.
I lived in the UK and shot regularly right up until the handgun ban and suffered the indignity of surrendering my pistols and revolvers at the police station. A few years prior to that it was our self loading full bore rifles. I believe the final compensation bill was sealed for 50 years. I heard a rumour at the time that it cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions as many people were compensated for the loss of their livelihoods.
I now live in Switzerland and own a range of firearms that would give an anti gun zealot kittens.
But your surrendering your weapons as protected millions and ensured that no schools or mass shootings have happened since and I thank you for that as I was able to grow up in safety with no fear of someone coming to shoot me
My late granny carried a pocket Derringer in her handbag up until the early 2000's. A wedding present, no license. She'd literally take it out of her handbag when rummaging for her purse, pills etc.I suspect most people thought it was a cigarette lighter.
@@alexrowson-brown6568
I think you may be reading to much in to it...
@@alexrowson-brown6568lol. They just use knives now. Grow up.
I jumped ship too. Not Switzerland though. Can own what I want now. Never been happier.
Here in Croatia, we have some 100K gun owners in a population of around 4 million. However, it's illegal to own automatic weapons or guns with more than 20 rounds in the magazine, or any military weapon (I haven't noticed a description of what exactly that means). Bolt action and semi-auto rifles with up to 10 round magazines are OK. A notable limitation is that each gun owner is limited to 3 weapons in total, and I'm not aware of any exceptions so I don't suppose actual gun collection is possible (unless the guns are disabled permanently, that is).
how many actually obey the gunlaws there i wonder?
I very much enjoyed this video (as I have all of your videos). I'm in the US, so I can shoot much more than is available to you. I noticed that your Colt 1851 has the steel trigger guard, making it a "London" Colt, which I suspect is why you purchased that particular model. That happens to be the version of the Colt 1851 (also made by Uberti) that I own. I don't have the Dragoon model 1848. I've had a long love affair with the SMLE and mine happens to be a 1918 No1 Mk111. You probably already know of the channel, but I think C&Rsenal would be useful, entertaining and educational for you. Othais & Mae make in depth videos on mostly WW1 and pre-WW1 firearms. Most of which are European and many of which might interest you as they could actually be easier to get on your side of the Atlantic. Thank you for another good video. Good Shooting! ruclips.net/user/Candrsenal
Thank you, sir. That cleared up some misconceptions i had. Well done video!
Despite I own 2 AR15s, an SKS, a .22 Semiauto (GSG-15) and several bolt action rifles, my favorite rifle is also a lever action! A model 92 Winchester in .357 Magnum. These guns are so much fun to shoot.
My favorite rifle was also a lever gun - a 3rd hand knock off of a henry repeater in .45-70. (Gunsmith's passion project to duplicate a reproduction henry lever gun - worth nothing, but still fun to shoot)
Thanks for sharing Matt, I really enjoyed having a look at your collection.
Having worked in the shooting industry (shotguns) for about 20 years you are correct in saying it's easy to get into, or at least it was before lockdowns etc as I expect many shooting grounds went out of business.
Great video. There are loads of politicians in the US that would like similar laws in effect here. My favorite guns are all of the same caliber: .45-70. I have my grandfather’s original Trapdoor Springfield that he personally used to hunt deer, a Marlin lever-action, and a Magnum Research BFR revolver with a 10” barrel.
Keep up the good work. I always look forward to your new posts.
Very common problem with the '51 Navy. You can overcome it by using a slightly smaller cap sometimes.
I own one myself. Loads of fun
Would like to learn more about gun culture of UK back in the days when it is still prominent.
Being from the United States myself, I can say that this did clear up a lot of misconceptions about firearms laws in the UK. Just as I'm sure a similar video made covering firearms laws in the USA would clear up misconceptions.
Learning from each other to better understand the different cultures we live in.. what a novel idea for RUclips 😂
One reasonably sized segment of shotgun owners you missed is reenactors. From the few medieval Hand Cannon, through English Civil War (and the *other* one) to Napoleonics. The vast majority of replica ECW muskets (and cannon) are only proofed for blank firing, rather than ball, but they are still capable of firing ball, so need a shotgun certificate. The cannon on a Sealed Knot battlefield are also mainly held on shotgun certificates, as they are sleeved down to be under 2" internal muzzle diameter, which allows them to be held on a shotgun certificate.
Regarding what was said at the start of the video with Shotguns. I'd thought that it was a misconception that a valid reason was required to own one? Rather that's necessary for firearms - i.e. owning a firearm for the purpose of taking part in a sporting club - , but with shotguns your reason for purchasing one doesn't need to go beyond wanting to do so.
Great video, thanks Matt. I know it's not your typical content but it was great seeing seeing some guns on the channel. You'll have to sneak in some range footage sometime.
I do love those classic double barrel shotguns. Some of them are absolutely gorgeous, and I'd love to own them, but I don't have that kind of money.
Those 100 year old Holland and Holland or Purdy shotguns can go for several thousand dollars.
Equally, one can purchase a less sought after brand of shotgun for £20 here.
@@jean-lucpicard1061 It is true, I could buy some beat up bargain basement piece of rubbish. I'm not sure why I would want to do that, but I could.
there's quite a few companies that make good quality double barrel shotguns for cheap. the high end expensive double barrels are mostly for competition shooting and people who are really serious about hunting. Stoeger is a reliable budget brand i would recommend.
@@Guts3570 My interest in those classic double barrels is as art objects, not firearms. I have things to take down to the range.
Some of them can go for a couple of hundred thousand dollars.
Great overview! BTW, I can show you how to fix the cap sucking issue on your Colt Navy repro.
1911 shooting is one of my favorites. Luckily there are no restrictions here on those and I have a few. If you're ever over in Florida, let me know and I can you to a few huge ranges with lot's of options to rent and shoot all sorts.
Its really nice to shoot, i own a COLT XSE MATCH in .45, and i like it much more than Beretta or Glock 9mm. Greetings from Italy
it's nice to see the firearms community from around the world. This was eye opening. Let's keep the community growing!!!
But distance ourselves from the gun nut community. They give the rest of us a bad name
@@MrEsphoenix I'm going to start with saying your not wrong at all. But it also depends on what you mean by a gun nut. I have a deep interest in the mechanical workings, practical usage and history of firearms, and I have a collection of over 20 guns. Many people who aren't into guns at all think I'm a gun nut. There also seems to be the idea that permeates our culture that chosing to own a firearm is a political statement, and seeing how incredibly regulated the industry, and ownership, is it's hard to disagree with that idea. But people outside the community label those of us who are like me a nut. So we have to define the terms and use precise language when we discuss who is and who isn't a gun nut. My definition would be someone who takes the ownership of firearms to an extreme, turning it into ethno-political demagoguery, or extreme right wing ethno-natiomalism. If that is your definition of a gun nut, I whole heatedly agree that we need to distance ourselves from those types of dangerous people.
@@kunfugunman That's fair, I should have clarified since it's not a set definition. And you're pretty much there with your definition.
People who collect and use firearms as a hobby, own one as a tool or for self defence, or love researching, watching and or discussing all things gun (and me), I'd class as gun enthusiasts.
UK: You can own a firearm. Idaho: If you only own one firearm, there's something wrong with you. If you only one one safe full of firearms, you're low-average. As for licenses, almost nothing has to be. As for bearing a weapon, we have a smorgasboard: Open carry (strap on your gun and go), Constitutional Carry (able to carry concealed in most places, no permit required), Concealed Carry License (Good in Idaho, and able to carry in schools and churches) and Expanded Concealed Carry (a license recognized by 39 other states in the US). There are no limitations on magazine size for any firearm. For fully automatic weapons, you need a federal license.
Thank you, this will be my default link when I respond about the UK firearms situation from now on. Just one minor correction though, it is 22RF for semi-auto rifles. Therefore any 22RF cartridge can be used i.e. 22LR, 22WMR and 22 Short (although that one is unlikely). 22WMR rifles are now building in popularity.
The country that I'm living in have a very funny gun law 'couse is stupidly hard to own a firearm if you are not a member of for example hunting club but you can own any kind of black powder gun even a something like a huge cannon and you're not allowed to make any kind of thing that can shoot modern ammunition but you can make something like a blackpowder granade. Also you can't have or make any kind of long object with something heavy on the end but you're allowed to have a axe for selfdefense (which are some people do) which is also hard thing to do (I mean selfdefense) becouse the law that applyies to it is very vague.
I have an Argentine-produced World War I era Mauser and it's cool. But watching this makes me sooooo glad I live in the USA and am less limited as to the type of high-velocity freedom seed dispensers I can own.
This is definitely interesting for me to watch, as I live in Texas, or "The America of America" as it's sometimes known. I'm not sure how big the idea of owning a gun for self defense is in the U.K., but it's huge here (arguably too huge, but that's another discussion).
I think my favorite of the guns you've shown is the shotgun with the damascus-style barrels. I'd love a gun like that.
Owning a firearm for self-defence here is a massive legal no-no, you’d need divine intervention to get you off a charge of shooting an intruder.
It's illegal to use your firearm for home defence, as unless the criminal in question was also armed with a firearm it would be considered disproportionate force.
You tell the firearms police officer that comes around your house to assess you to see if you are a swivel eyed loon or not and you say you want any weapon for self defence ,you are getting yourself banned from ever owning a weapon of any sort any time any where in UK.
Guns literally aren't an issue here. We can go our entire lives without ever even thinking about being shot or shot at or even hearing a gunshot unless we go down the range. Our houses are all brick and very decently double or triple glazing windows and doors. Someone would likely become a victim when trying to break into a home.
@@terranaxiomukThis is some serious cope, regardless I prefer having my AR-15 for home defense, I'm a citizen not a serf..
Nice overview, and as usual brilliantly presented. Its great to see this topic positively addressed
Thank you for clearing up some assumptions about UK laws. Has me wondering if an AR pistol would fall under the long barrel pistol section. Basically an AR fram with a short barrel and either a pad on the buffer tube, or and arm brace.
More importantly, I don't think it is humanly possible to not have a huge smile on your face when shooting a lever gun
The regs say a FAC (firearms certificate) legal gun must be over 60cm in length and have a barrel length of at least 30cm. If it is in a centre fire calibre then it must be manually operated, so no semi-auto. So yes an AR “pistol” could be legal if it is long enough and is straight pull. Semi-auto or full auto is a Section 5 license that needs a lot of hoops to jump through and prove you need it (film and tv prop houses, Specialist trainers for NGOs going to dangerous places, private museums, government approved “security” groups etc)
@@jenkinsonian thanks for clearing that up.
A good education for we in the U.S. about the truth on guns in the U.K.. Thanks.
Great work Matt! Now see if you can get us that link to the British fellow who published a book on how to make a submachine gun with basic machine shop skills. What ever happened to him? I think one of his prototypes is on display in some museum over there.
P.A. Luty
@@trapperscout2046 yes, Forgotten Weapons / Gun Jesus did a vid on him
He died of cancer a few years ago. Count Dankula recently did a Mad Lads episode on him
P.A. Luty
Count Dankula did a video on him recently.
@@StonesSticksBones Definitely qualifies as a 'mad lad'.
22LR is not the only one legal semi auto caliber in UK. Firearms act states that 22RF is legal in semi auto which means you can legally hold s/a 22WMR for example Guncraft makes AR15 in this caliber.
Beautiful smle Mr Easton. I wish I could get one here in my country, but all of them are sportarized :(
Dang shame
Goddamned boomers
@@charles2703 I'm not a boomer I just like older weapons.
@@michaelsmith8028 no no, the boomers are the ones who sporterized them. Countless priceless antiques were lost so they could clone Remington 700s.
@@charles2703 That's the sad reality of it. I once saw an ad for a sportarized enfield what's messed up was that it was one of the old long Lee Enfields from the boer wars. The stock was chopped up, the volley sights were removed even the magazine was replaced with a shallower one.
I used to shoot clays with a British guy who got fed up with the growing restrictions over there and moved to the States.
Maybe a good idea for collaborations in the future would be comparisons of UK firearms laws with other countries. You could do UK & Canada with Skallagrim, for example.
Joerg Sprave explains German firearms laws : ruclips.net/video/q0-J2pYLCvI/видео.html
On the Colt Navy, Uberti recommends a #11 percussion cap. Try a #10 percussion cap and very carefully push it tighter on the nipple. It will fit tighter and not jam the action as easily. I very carefully lower the hammer down and push it down with the hammer. Do this before loading the powder and ball.
I remember seeing a guy from the UK with an AUG and I thought it was weird but it turned out you have have those if they are modified to not be semi auto, so basically a straight pull bolt action.
Also from what I hear suppressors are way easier to get for you guys
The suppressor thing in America is weird. Lots of people in the UK have suppressors on their rifles for pest control. If nothing else it helps reduce damage to the ears.
@@shinobi-no-bueno its bizarre to think that people would actually believe a little tube on the end of the barrel would be able to turn a noise louder than a jet engine into a barely audible whimper.
In actuality, a it only brings it down to about the level of an ambulance siren.
Two of my best research resources about the history of gun rights and gun laws in the UK are historian Joyce Lee Malcolm's "Guns and Violence: The English Experience" (2002) and "Firearms Control: A Study of Armed Crime and Firearms Control in England and Wales " (1972) by Chief Inspector Colin Greenwood (Ret) of the West Yorkshire Constabulary.
Here in Europe most people will ask you "why?" If you tell them you have a gun...
Depends where in Europe surely? Europe is fairly big. In Switzerland if your a man you have to have one. In Czechia, Austria etc etc it's also very very popular. In Ukraine, perhaps it's a different answer :p
UK gun laws are oppressive even by EU standards. Even among the soft nations of Western Europe, UK gun prohibitiob still stands out as excessive. France and Italy are more lenient, and Italy recently even expanded their gun rights. Many central European nations have a significant gun culture (even if it pales in comparison to the US). Czechia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland al allow for private gun ownership. Ownership meaning you can actually keep a loaded gun in your house. Otherwise you're basically just paying rent for a gun. If I can't take it home with ammunition, that's not ownership...thats a one-time payment expensive rental. What is ownership without ownership? Firearms are family herilooms in the South, so the idea of the an aloof, tyrannical government telling me what I can't do w my possessions is a glimpse of the dystopian future. You will own nothing and he happy about it. And what is it with the British having the most restrictive weed and gun laws among developed nations, and I see so many British just blindly accept law as law without questioning the reasoning.
@@BB-uu9oo Actually the laws are even more liberal than you stated in Central Europe. Czechia for example allows concealed carry of hand guns for self defence outside the house with all basic firearm licences (in most of the EU you can get a carry licence but it's harder). Switzerland allows the ownership of brand new machine guns with a simple background check and Austria doesn't even require a licence for a break action shot gun, bolt action rifle or long barrelled revolver for self defence or target shooting (just a three pay waiting period and background check). Also most central and Eastern Europe countries allow loaded firearms for self defence at home. Central Europe is also much safer than the UK.
@@BB-uu9oo A majority of us don't blindly accept it, we generally acknowledge that a piece of sporting equipment isn't worth loosing a classroom of children for (the reason for our handgun ban). I say sporting equipment because in the UK gun ownership has NEVER been high enough for us to feel the need to own one for protection from someone else with a gun. The other problem we have is one of space, in the US it is not at all uncommon to have enough private land for a range, in the UK we have what's called 'a right to roam' whereby we can wander pretty much wherever we like, however should we trespass (providing no damage has been caused) the worst we will receive is a few expletives from the landowner to leave.....which isn't great if you hop over a fence and find yourself downrange. In a nutshell it's a culture thing, we don't expect life ending consequences for minor altercations / trespass or even making an involuntary movement during a traffic stop.
@@BB-uu9oo English people are mainly sheep when it comes to demanding our rights
The cap problem is cured by holding the pistol vertically when you pull the hammer back. The cap falls out of the channel not down between the frame and the cylinder. It makes the rangemaster nervous, so be careful.
Or just polishing the hammer face, particularly the area of the “fangs” that make up the safety pin slot. This will make the cap sucking problems mostly go away. A stiffer hammer spring combined with polishing the hammer face will make the gun pretty much 100% malfunction free.
So the UK approves of original Megatron's gun form. You cannot have a basic Glock, but you can have the Master of Destruction. Seems legit.
We can own Glocks, but can't keep them in our home. It's considered a historical weapon (and a lot of modern pistols are). The licence really isn't that hard to get as long as your not an idiot about it.
Incorrect, you are not allowed to own Decepticons either. ;)
Others have addressed the shotgun magazine capacity confusion (2+1 not 3).
I'd like to point out that semiautomatic is permitted for any .22 rimfire round, not .22lr specifically. So 22 short, long, magnum etc. As long as it's both .22 and rimfire (so not .17hmr or. 22hornet).
Also you can own artillery and tank guns on an FAC, no need for section 5, as long as they are hand loaded, not auto-loaders. A smoothbore cannon with sub 2" bore can be held on a SGC.
G'day Matt, nice 3oh and a good explanation of the UK laws. I own a few 3ohs - MLE, various No1 MKIII, Siamese, 4 & 5 and Mosin Nagants, Swiss 96/11 K31 and other milsurps but the authorities in the "Prison Colony of Downunder" are making it extremely difficult with annual inspections for anyone with more than 20 firearms. This involves the cops doing a serial number check of every firearm and checking the safes and anchor points. Rinse and repeat every 12 months.
Even with the draconian firearms laws in the "Democratic People's Republic of Downunder" we have just under a million firearms owners and over 3 million "registered" firearms. In some ways your laws are more relaxed in that you can own a semi-auto bunny gun and mods.
I live in South Carolina , USA . You're welcome here . I visited Oz a few times when I was in the US Navy. Esperance , Western Australia was the best Liberty Port . The steak I ate there was best tucker ever .
That was a very nice looking Enfield. Most of the ones you see in the US are in rough shape. You should try your 22lr HK in some of the mini-rifle competitions you have in UK if your schedule permits. I only recently became aware that tactical shotgun competition is something still allowed in the UK. Thanks to RUclips I was able to watch a few matches and some of the competitors are very proficient with shotguns.
Interesting! Being an American that's never been to the UK I had just assumed firearms were even more restricted than they are. I think everything I own would be illegal in the UK but then you have plenty of swords to make up for it!
I grew up in the english countryside everyone seemed to have a shotgun or rifle all day saturday and sunday you could here them down the range or shooting clays.
Thanks so much. I found this very informative.
I love the SMLE rifle, I've owned 2 No 4 that came out of Canada. I'm sorry I traded them for something else. Well, such is the life of a hunter.
I also own the 36 caliber Colt and have lots of fun at the range with it. Try giving the Colt a bit of a flick after your round has fired.
I do find it so very sad that the government has turned what was an active shooting and firearms country into what it is today. Basically, the Government has removed anyone that enjoys firearms and shooting from the political conversation.
I personally have never met a Brit or Scot that doesn't go wild with enjoyment at a good shooting range with some good firearms.
It’s bloody rediculous, you have to have a piece of land or basically just rich to shoot nowadays🤷♂️
My friend in Florida let me loose with his over under an the pigeon range. Was definitely exciting and I hit the first clay with the second shell after initially missing with the first. Felt like a decent recovery on my first try. Hooked ever since but only ever air rifles whilst back here in England, as I've always presumed it to be too hard and drawn out a process to own anything else here that requires a licence.
Informative video sir, thank you.
Great taste in firearms! Always loved the “old west” era pistol caliber lever rifles and wheel guns.
Very interesting to hear the differences between US and UK gun ownership. I feel heavily informed now.
Our gun laws still make even California look free and I still hate it.
Please go to the Gun&Run Range maybe with some historic guns & uniforms lol & some modern ones you know for research. (You may need to have a go of it with sword, throwing knives & shortbow but that might be fun too)
My cousin was engaged to a girl from somewhere near Durham and she came to the US to visit. The first place we took her wasn't to a museum, or to a show, we took her to a gun range. She'd never fired a gun in her life. She worked her way up from a 22 pistol all the way to a 308 rifle. They broke up eventually, but I think we got her hooked on shooting. At least I know there are places in the UK where she could do some shooting.
What I find hilarious is that the gun pictured at 6:38, which looks modified to be considered "safe" in the UK, is considered an ultra deadly assault weapon in the US.
Thanks for this overview. I've never gotten much explanation of the firearms situation in Britain. Weird laws, but then again the United States government doesn't even class muzzleloaders as firearms, so I guess no legislative body employs logic or consistency :)
its the safe that expensive
Don't forget that Northern Ireland is also part of the UK, and ordinary-looking handguns are available there.
Thank you, that was fascinating.
I grew up in a rural area and knew all the local farmers, so it seemed natural to own guns. I started with airguns in my early teens, shotguns in my late teens, and later .22 rifles, and I never regarded the legal requirements as onerous. I regularly shot ducks, rabbits and pigeons, and was even invited as a guest on pheasant shoots in return for controlling 'pests'. About 35 years ago, I moved to a town in another part of the country where I knew none of the shooting fraternity, so sold my guns and took up other pastimes, although I retain a passing interest in shooting.
Despite the legal requirements at that time, I knew farmers who routinely carried shotguns and rifles in their Land Rovers, or kept them propped behind kitchen doors.
"Shoot blunts.....I'm around swords", yeah, sure, it's because of the blunt swords.
Just scrolling along, see a gun video, keep scrolling realise wait that was Matt Easton??? Straight back so excited!
Matt rather skirted round one major reason for the strict firearm laws in the UK: the massacres at Hungerford in 1987 and Dunblane in 1996. At Hungerford 16 people were killed with semi-automatic rifles. Result: stricter controls. At Dunblane a loony with 4 legally owned handguns killed 16 children and a teacher at a school. Result: a virtually complete ban on handguns. Whether that was justified or not, since then there have been no school shootings in the UK. In the USA there have been.... quite a lot.
.
I don't think there is much public enthusiasm for guns in the UK, even compared with other European countries. Some possible reasons:
a. Britain, except for a few places like the Scottish Highlands, is a densely populated country. You are seldom more than half a mile away from houses or public roads, and in the exceptional areas, like Dartmoor or the Lake District, there tend to be walkers and tourists. Since most rifles have a potentially lethal range of more than half a mile, there are few places other than rifle ranges where you could safely use them
b. only a small proportion of the population live in rural areas where guns might conceivably be useful
c. most of the countryside is owned by farmers or big landowners (including the Forestry Commission and the National Trust) who are far from keen on anyone but themselves, their friends, or paying guests wandering round their land with guns. The landowners also usually own the shooting rights for game (deer, pheasants, etc) and anyone hunting without permission is by definition poaching. Farmers and landowners themselves can get gun licences easily enough, but they have no incentive to make it easy for others. Incidentally, there are no large predators like bears, cougars, or wolves which might be a reason to carry guns for protection
d. the police (with some exceptions) do not routinely carry firearms, and people like it that way. If guns, especially handguns, became easily available, the police would have to be armed (as in Northern Ireland, for obvious reasons) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_use_of_firearms_in_the_United_Kingdom , which neither the public nor the police themselves would welcome. Films and TV, like the ludicrous 'Line of Duty' series, may give the impression that criminals regularly use guns in the UK, but in fact it is still comparatively rare. Any criminal caught in possession of an illegal firearm would be facing a prison stretch for that alone, so why take the risk?
There were no school shootings before the ban either. Handguns are already legal (Section 1) in NI, primarily for the purposes of target shooting and gun ownership is actually proportionally a lot higher (6% vs the 1% here on the mainland). Handguns (modern breech fed) are also legal in every other western country. I agree with some of your points but most firearms in the UK are actually owned by ordinary working people living in urban areas for the purposes of target shooting at clubs. Most don't own land and are only interested in shooting paper and/or steel.
@@JammyGuns Surely Dunblane itself was a *bit* of a school shooting, on account of being a shooting in a school? Perhaps you meant that there were no school shootings in the UK before Dunblane, which I think is true.
Northern Ireland is always different. The police are routinely armed, for obvious reasons, and people under threat can get licences to carry handguns for self-protection, though I think the number of these is quite small.
@@DavidB5501 Yep sry, I worded that badly. I meant prior to Dunblane.
Exactly, the police aren't armed so criminals aren't, so people are less afraid of armed criminals, no arms race. Plus our ancestors eliminated all the wildlife so no hunting like they have on the continent.
Great video.
Minor point, you can have semi auto in 22 rim fire, rather than 22lr. So you can get 22 WMR semi auto rifles.
Today I learned UK shotgun laws are better than NYC's shotgun laws. Lol.
NY is 🏳️🌈🙋❤
A really good overview, clearly explained. Thank you.
I believe every country that don't outright ban or allow firearms consider shotguns as something different of rifles, pistols and etc. But curiously, Brazil is, as far as I know, one of the few places that it has been actually easier to have small arms (revolvers, pistols..) than long guns (except shotguns).
Ps: I said it was easier, didn't say it was easy
One of the main differences between shotguns and rifles is the lethal range, for a shotgun it's way shorter.
@@shinobi-no-bueno Regardless, pistols are always the gun that gets used the most for crimes. Leaving aside countries in war/with violent and armed rebels, semi-automatic rifles are always the least used weapon for murder.
I stand by the "all laws are infringement", but just wanted to share that.
for semi auto rifles .22LR isn't the only cartridge, the law only states that is must be .22 rimfire. which does allow some other cartridges to be legal namely .22WMR to which there are a few companies making some ar15 style rifles in .22WMR.
although I don't think I will be going for a semi-auto in .22WMR as much fun as it would be to extent the ranges further then a .22lr could do, i think the lawmakers will change this in the future to expressly define it as .22LR as it was probably intended to be in the first place.
I bet this video will bring out the septic tanks.
Very interesting.. Just bought my first air rifle and starting to get into it.. Tried shotguns out and I was terrible but was good fun and my progress to that.
So you can own a tank but not a pair of nunchucks in the UK? See Shad was wrong Nunchucks are the most deadly weapon lmao jk.
Who says you can't own nunchaku?
You can own Nunchucks in the UK lol.
nunchucks are not prohibited in the UK. You can buy them easily.
@@scholagladiatoria SOURCE PLEASE!!! LOL just kidding thanks for the reply and ruining the fun Captain Context.
Sadly, katanas were banned after some joker sliced a Challenger tank in half with one. Chobham armor may work great against shaped charge warheads and depleted uranium penetrators, but it's no match for a katana.
I have a Colt '51 Navy mine is called the Conference Navy because it's a .44 it's my second Conference Navy because as a teenager I shot my fist one so much the internals failed. There is no way to avoid spent caps from falling inside. I love the Colt Navy anyway. I from the US so I have a number of guns that I couldn't have in the UK. I'm jealous of your Enfield! I believe I love every Enfield ever made. Each model is so iconic. I've missed an opportunity to get a Mark 4, I'll not pass up such an opportunity again.
Interesting video. I live in BC, Canada; our firearms laws lie somewhere between the British and US laws. We have pretty good regulation on firearms ownership here. You need to be trained, have a license and certain categories of firearm need to be registered and used in a restricted manner. I own one shotgun, three handguns and three 'SPORTING' rifles (these are now referred to as assault rifles under the current government and and under impending seizure). I have a VZ 58 and an AR15 in my possession that are currently 'prohibited' status. For some reason, my IWI X95 bullpup is 'non restricted' which makes zero sense to me....
Can I ask something about it?
If I understood correctly, the semi-automatic rifles are not banned all together, but only some platforms, and the criteria is their shape. Is it correct?
"we have pretty good regulation but the government is going to take my rifles soon and you need the government's permission to have anything at all"
It's because Canadian gun law is partly based on a "This particular gun looks scary!" approach.
Thankyou for your very interesting and through video, As an American we cherish are Second Amendment and it is so encouraging to see a thriving interest in firearms and gun ownership in Great Briton . Cheers from Southern California!
I was lucky enough to shoot in an era in this country when firearms were still available to law abiding citizens to enjoy, I shot full bore semi auto rifles, full bore pistols, shotguns, pretty much everything, I even reloaded my own ammo ( 12 different calibres) at my height I owned seven full bore pistols three full bore rifles and two shotguns and I lived the sport with a passion, what you have left now is just pathetic and I feel sorry for you, you'll never have what I had or experience the joy of it, it's just sad.
Matt, if you ever come to the Washington D.C. area I'll take you out to the range with my small collection of Webleys. I have a Mk. I in .455, a Mk. IV in .38 that was a RAF pistol carried by a pilot who flew in the Battle of Britain, and a Mk. VI that's had the cylinder cut down to accept .45acp. I do have a .455 cylinder and top frame for the Mk. VI that I just need to get fitted to the bottom frame.
The swords suit you, but you know what? So does the rifle.
Great over view it is always good to hear about other countries gun laws from people that live in that nation ..
in Bangladesh where I am from, it is pretty much impossible to own a firearm.
You've to be over 32, have a show-cause letter "reasonably justifying" a gun which is at the discretion of the police, who will conduct stringest background checks, and then you can only buy 2 handguns or 1 handgun and 1 "long gun" or something like that, below a certain calibre (I think .38 and .22 LR), and have a limit on the amount of ammunition you can purchase, which is kept track of.
Hell even airsoft is banned.
Sounds like Bangladesh needs a revolution.
@GiRayne hmm I'm not sure, but it was a British colony for close to 200 years so that might have something to do with it 😂
But it's something that's lasted and the thought of just walking into a store and walking out with a gun would blow most people's minds or they'd think you were bullshitting.
You'll always get the same "But...why would need a gun unless you were going to commit violence? You've the police for protection" argument, even though the police here are notorious for being inept/corrupt. 🤷🏻♂️
@@terrenceroll3848 In all honesty, it actually probably stems from preventing revolution. South Asia (including Bangladesh) was a British colony for nearly 200 years, and half-way in they'd stamped out one major revolution already, so they made pretty sure another one wouldn't happen.
The subcontinent was in a rush to be independent after WWII so we basically copy-pasted the legal system and swapped out the Brits in administrative roles.
A lot of our legality issues considering LGBT are also a hold over from prudish Victorian colonialism
3 gun competitions are fun. Me and my friends carry it to 5 gun by adding Heavy Sniper(up to including 50bmg etc) unknown distance targets to 1,200yds and Heavy Handgun (unknown distance targets to 250yds)
Greetings from the USA. I have a lovely Australian .303 which I bought when their repressive government got rid of 70% of their citizens firearms after one tragic incident perpetrated by one psychopath. Currently I cannot buy any .303 ammunition or other WW2 rifle ammo here due to long term ammo shortages since the "SUMMER OF LOVE" in 2020. Have you ever visited BLOKE ON THE RANGE in Switzerland to shoot? I know Lindy Beige has.
Interesting that the first pistol you showed is the one I quite fancy. I'm another UK SGC/FAC owner. Quite fancying a venture into the muzzle loading pistol scene. A shame you didn't mention the rules on holding black powder because I'm not entirely clear on them.
Excellent video though. One of the best I've seen covering UK firearms ownership. Certain points could have been emphasised or explained in a little more detail but overall, very, very good.
Interesting. that you say only about 50 people in the UK have .50 calibre rifles. I bought my S&W MP 15-22 from one of them.
Edit.. Just saw the last few seconds. You can also own calibres above .22 in a lever action. A local gun club has an AK lever action.
Strange looking gun.
Regarding handguns, you forgot the elephant in the room - Northern Ireland.
He mentioned Northern Ireland.
1. Super informative - well done :)
2. The next 6 comments would be repeats of below. Including how much fun the Uberti colt .44 is.
3. On this side of the pond, we don't sweep the camera with guns, even if the camera is on a mount. Made my blood pressure jump every time. Gun safety is more important than, well everything...
This is what I REALLY like about firearms. It isn't even the shooting, it's that every man I know looks like a kid at christmas when he talks about his guns.
My first deer rifle was a SMLE just like that one with the upper wood removed. 215 gr. soft nose slug, a true freezer filler for a Northern Michigan boy.
I’m glad I live in the USA
Greetings from America. I used to have a 1917 SMLE it was a fantastic gun.
Matt, I'm not up on how or if lobbying works in the UK, but are there any firearms advocacy organizations currently pushing for greater civilian freedoms regarding firearms/shotguns/pistols?
I would hazard a guess that any such organizations would be too busy trying to keep what rights they have to make a serious push for expansion. I’d love to be wrong, though.
The British NRA is doing its best to promote shooting sports in the UK. My wife has started indoor target shooting thanks to the support of the NRA to get visually impaired people shooting.
@@neilmorrison7356 Worth pointing out that the NRA in the UK and the USA are VERY different organisations. The British NRA is more like what the USA was in the 1950s, promoting safety and good shooting techniques rather than being a lobbyist group opposing any laws restricting gun ownership.
@@ErwinPommel yes our NRA is nothing like the US NRA.
@@ErwinPommel The US NRA still does quite a lot of that as well, it just doesn't get the media attention that the lobbying gets.
The only correction I would make is the the semi auto is worded as .22 rimfire so you can have both LR and WMR
22 wmr is getting very popular
As a Swiss person, listening to this caused me physical pain...
As a Yank this reminded me why the revolution happened
I was interested to see some of the creative solutions that some fun manufacturers in the UK came up with to try to circumvent the restrictions on semi-autos larger than 22LR - one I cannot remember the name of, but it involved the gun firing a bullet every time the trigger was pulled AND released (which certainly makes for faster shooting but seems very hazardous to me). The other I think is called a lever release (not to be confused with the lever action), which is essentially a semi-automatic rifle that interrupts the the loading of the next round, and requires a small lever to be pressed by the right thumb after each shot to load the next shot. I think both of these mechanisms got banned in the UK.
Mers and lever release have both now been banned (despite a grand total of 0 crimes involving them) as a pr stunt