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1997 Firearms Act
Following the Dunblane massacre, the government passed the Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997 which means that as of 1997 handguns have been almost completely banned for private ownership, although the official inquiry, known as the Cullen Inquiry, did not go so far as to recommend such action.[22] Exceptions to the ban include muzzle-loading “blackpowder” guns, pistols produced before 1917, pistols of historical interest (such as pistols used in notable crimes, rare prototypes, unusual serial numbers and so on), starting pistols, pistols that are of particular aesthetic interest (such as engraved or jewelled guns) and shot pistols for pest control. Under certain circumstances, individuals may be issued a PPW (Personal Protection Weapon) licence. Even the UK’s Olympic shooters fall under this ban; shooters can only train in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or abroad.[23]

A measure of the extent of legal firearms ownership in the UK (post-Dunblane legislation did not extend to Northern Ireland) is that the handgun bans affected an estimated 57,000 people - 0.1% of the population, or 1 in every 960 persons.[24] At the time, the renewal cycle for FACs was five years, meaning that it would take six years for the full reduction of valid certificates to be seen for both large calibre or .22 handguns bans (i.e. because certificates would remain in force, even if the holder had disposed of all their weapons). On 31 December 1996, prior to the large calibre handgun ban, there were 133,600 FACs on issue in England and Wales; by 31 December 1997 it had fallen to 131,900. The following year, after the .22 handgun ban, the number stood at 131,900. On 31 December 2001, five years after the large calibre ban, the number had fallen to 119,600 and 117,700 the following year.[25] This represents a net drop of 24,200 certificates
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_United_Kingdom

Try getting a license for ANY type of gun in the UK and see where that gets ya.

i guess more then a million legal firearm owners in England might dissagree with you.
http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/western-daily-press/mi_8034/is_20100412/uk-gun-owners-increase/ai_n53130732/

That act referred only to handguns.

There are nearly 1.5 million shotguns and rifles in the hands of 1/2 million owners.

A good machinist with the right information and materials can easily make even the most primitive projectile tossing weapon from ordinary and unconventional materials. And building a basic shotgun is simple.

I have seen a tire iron drilled out and modified to fire a .22L.

The answer is to not make more restrictions and laws. Give everyone a gun, make it mandatory. There will in the near future readily accessible materials that will allow anyone to make a weapon, and maybe in 10 years or so a person could get a laser and power supply from other equipment, or a phaser. Are we going to keep mankind hobbled by restricting access to technology?

Give Britons full access to guns I say, what are the officials afraid of, a country full of idiots with bruised egos about who can shoot the best all having duels with each other trying to defend their honor?