Could I Own a Gun? [Some Information About What It Takes to Buy a Gun In the United Kingdom]

People thought if hand guns were harder to get, there would be less gun-related crime. But pro-shooting groups think this is not the case.

How many thugs went happily skipping down to turn in their firearms when they were outlawed in the United Kingdom? Obviously the person who wrote this doesn't read the news over there.

When that dog barks, people listen!

"Could I Own a Gun? [Some Information About What It Takes to Buy a Gun In the United Kingdom]"

Well the question is not posed correctly. It should be. "Could I legally own a gun?" From what I've been hearing getting a gun is not all that difficult.

People thought if hand guns were harder to get, there would be less gun-related crime. But pro-shooting groups think this is not the case.

Err, no, pro-shooting groups know this is not the case because they pay attention to crime statistics. Unlike the propagandist who wrote this article who does not say that since the prohibition of all calibres of hand guns in the UK (including the single shot .22 calibre target pistols used by the British Olympic team), the level of gun related violence has increased by over 50%. Quote: 'The figures also show the number of crimes involving handguns has more than doubled since the post-Dunblane massacre ban on the weapons, from 2,636 in 1997-1998 to 5,871 in the last financial year.' (From: "Handgun crime rises by 46 per cent" Times Newspapers Ltd, January 09, 2003).

Left/liberal brainwashing of children is the main role of Newsround and the CBBC channel.

That is such a short barrel. :~)

A friend of mine contacted me about a week ago about buying a book from him. I had wanted this book for years, but I either didn't have the money or had just bought a different book. This was the perfect solution. I could buy the used book at a reduced price.

I called my local bookstore to find out what we needed to do to legally sell this book and transfer ownership into my name. I wanted to do everything "by the book" so I would not be in any trouble. It seems like there is always some new rule or regulation being passed to keep the wrong people from getting their hands on books.

I was told that my Lifetime Book Safety Certificate that was issued two years ago was no longer valid. I was going to have to take the new Book Safety Test at a cost of $25. In addition to the written test, I would also have to I demonstrate to the bookstore employee that I knew how to read and turn the pages of the book in a safe manner. If I passed, the new certificate would be good for 5 years.

But, that wasn't the only new law passed, I was also told to bring additional ID. My drivers' license was not good enough anymore to prove my identity. I had to bring a copy of a recent utility bill or my car registration. I would also have to prove I would be storing the book in a safe manner. No problem I thought…I own a large and expensive book safe. I bought it two years ago to store my books safely so that they could never fall into the wrong hands.

The next day, my friend and I drove to the bookstore. I took the test, demonstrated safe book usage, paid the $25 fee and was issued my 5-year Book Safety Certificate. Now, I only need to pass the criminal and mental history background check and I can pick up my book in 10 days.

Unfortunately, the state licensed book dealer told me that the safe I owned was not on the "California Approved List". The state was only approving new safes and since mine was older, I was going to have to buy a book safety device to lock the book's pages together so that no one could accidentally open the book and read it. That book safety lock would only cost me $8, but I thought it was a bit silly to have to buy additional locks when I owned a book safe. I really wanted this book, so I agreed to pay the additional cost.

Now comes the fun part, filling out the paperwork. I have to answer all kinds of questions. Have you ever been arrested? Have you bought any books in last 30 days? Ever been in a mental institution? A yes answer to any of these questions will mean I cannot buy that book from my friend. I checked "No" on each of those. As I continued to answer the other questions, I heard another customer say, "There sure is a lot of paperwork involved." I looked up to see a very well dressed lady in her late 50's across the counter. I smiled and sarcastically said to her, "Buying a book is so easy here in California, isn't it?" I was a bit taken back by her response. She said, "I think buying a book should be as hard as possible!" At that point, the bookstore employee stopped entering the lady's personal information into the Federal database. He turned around and exclaimed, "Do you think this process is easy?" She quickly replied no and then continued on to say, "Buying a car is much easier than this and you can do a lot more damage with a car."

I nodded and continued filling out my paperwork. Then, my friend had to show identification and fill out a form to make the book transfer legal. While I was waiting for him to finish, a young looking woman walked into the bookstore. I heard her say that she just turned 21 and wanted to buy her first book. I remember the thrill of reading my first book. I waited until I was almost 30 because I had bought into the stereotype that all book owners were crazy subversives. Plus, I found books to be pretty intimidating. That misperception changed quickly after a little education I received from my boyfriend. I found that I loved to read and I was pretty good at it. I read mostly short books, but I was lucky enough to read a few big ones before they passed the "No Books over 500 pages" law back in 2000. Those big books would be great to have today because we can only buy one book per month.

At the completion of the paperwork, I was told the cost to transfer ownership of the book would be $60. That brings to total spent so far to a whopping $93 plus the price I paid for the book. It cost me almost $100 for the privilege of letting the bookstore keep my book during the 10-day waiting period.

I think I want to start carrying my books around in public so next month I will try to get a concealed carry permit. Wish me luck!

well obviously pro-shotting groups will think this is the case because it'll mean less buisness for their shooting ranges and make it harder to aquire guns and stuff

One thing has nothing to do with the other. The crime statistics will tell the story whether shootings groups voice an opinion or not.

But tell me, why shouldn't those groups object to their income being diminished and their individual rights trampled upon?

Oh, never mind a reply. I was giving you the benefit of the doubt, but a check of your posts reveals you to be a devout liberal twit, rather than a merely misguided one.