Awsome news, thank you for correcting me. Why is it that Americans think the UK is (mostly) unarmed?
Because we are.
BUT thats because the British have NEVER been a big gunowning public, even when it was completely free to own what you wanted. We werent built on the gun, and gun ownership as a result is not anywhere near as huge a part of culture as in the US. Which is why gun laws have never really caused great ire here (mistake of course imo), as people are want NOT to get angry about taking away items they dont own.
Most British guns have always been for animal/pest control, gun club shooting. Rather than self defence/home defence.
Historically even our criminals werent ‘tooled up’ and only used guns to bump each other off. And burglars wouldnt be armed or if so would be armed with a cosh or a knuckleduster, weapons more to intimidate and possibly break a nose, rather than to kill.
The British therefore always owned many more rifles and shotguns than handguns.
As to the UK laws, handguns are banned by and large on the mainland (England, Wales and Scotland). They are legal in Northern Ireland. Rifles and shotguns are legal in the UK. In fact in NI, there is a form of concealed carry of handguns as well.
Legal guns of all kinds in the UK need a licence. One licence per ‘type’. Not per weapon.
930000 gun licences.
2.3 million legal guns (approx 150000 of those are handguns)