Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the NHS gives free mental health counseling.
It's not free.
It's free like a Fireman is. Even when you don't have a job, they still help you.
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11–13 of 13 posts
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#12http://www.economist.com/blogs/lexington/2012/12/gun-control Better link. Good article.
I've always heard that British people were basically not allowed to own guns. I've never heard that people could own rifles for hobbies, such as hunting and range shooting. How are gun collectors handled in Britain? Some people collect them like stamps or Facebook likes, and become very attached to their collections. Would collectors be required to show most of their guns to be non-functional? Would there be a limit…
I'm not certain, but I think that if the gun is not allowed under the limits of weapon types, then if they were found they could be prosecuted. Wikipedia[1] has a good breakdown of the types and restrictions.
Basically, if they had shotguns and hunting rifles which fall under the legal categories, then I think they'd be allowed as many as they want provided they pass all the requirements themselves - e.g. criminial record, mental history etc.
If they have illegal types - handguns, automatic weapons etc. then it's illegal, regardless of how long they've had them. When handguns were made illegal there was an amnesty but now posession would be illegal.
One thing to bear in mind as well, some people argue against banning guns by pointing out that criminals will still get guns. This is true in that it does happen, BUT with a much smaller number of guns it is a) harder for criminals to get guns, and b) much, MUCH easier to track them. Supposedly in London, a lot of crimes are perpetrated with the same guns, and these are much easier to track back to people and therefore much easier to get convictions.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_politics_in_the_United_King...
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#13I don't how relevant this strategy will be in an age of under $1000 desktop manufacturers coming up in a decade or two. They'll be able to do generic strong metal shapes, and after that the cat is out of the bag. Guns are really simple devices that haven't been subject to fundamental innovations since WWI. The only thing left to regulate would be smokeless powder, and gangs are pretty good at importing various powder…
Well, there are other objects and substances which are illegal to make/possess, despite the fact that most anyone can make them from legal materials, so the situation you describe wouldn't be anything new.
The difference I describe is that it would be easy for anybody to do it. You literally download your low recoil machine gun (sold in the 50s) like you downloaded that textbook off bit torrent and press print. Then you print off an ammo reloading robot and your pretty much done.
You don't need machine shop expertise and $10k/$100k worth of equipment. The 'no guns' strategy would fall to pieces in the face of that. That's why no guns works in reducing gun ownership in the UK.