Teach me about Air rifles please.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Gun licenses arn't that hard to get Micky - though the actual laws have been amended so many time's they make no sense at all. As far as I understand it you just need to take proof of purchase of a UK approved gun cabinet, two references, £50, four passport photos and some ID to a police station and apply.  Once you fill out the form, which asks you your reasons for wanting a license etc, then as long as you don't have a criminal record an officer will visit your home (usually within 28 days) before approving your license.

I've been thinking about getting into shotguns myself, I love claypigeon shooting but it's an expensive habit unfortunately and i just cant afford it right now so will have to make do with heading down there with a couple of my mates who shoot and using their guns.  There's still a gunshop operating near me so i'm suprised Kent has completely lost it's gunshops, i would have expected the rural community around that area to keep them going!

Thanks for that mate , I'll store that info away for a later day as sadly I'm in the same boat money wise

As for Kent, what rural communities , we're no longer the garden of England

@Bob,  target shooting and hunting would be considered valid reasons as long as you've got proof, ie club or landowners permission

[Abstraction]

Gun licenses arn't that hard to get Micky - though the actual laws have been amended so many time's they make no sense at all. As far as I understand it you just need to take proof of purchase of a UK approved gun cabinet, two references, £50, four passport photos and some ID to a police station and apply.  Once you fill out the form, which asks you your reasons for wanting a license etc, then as long as you don't have a criminal record an officer will visit your home (usually within 28 days) before approving your license.

I've been thinking about getting into shotguns myself, I love claypigeon shooting but it's an expensive habit unfortunately and i just cant afford it right now so will have to make do with heading down there with a couple of my mates who shoot and using their guns.  There's still a gunshop operating near me so i'm suprised Kent has completely lost it's gunshops, i would have expected the rural community around that area to keep them going!

 What would be considered  good reasons for wanting a license,and what's considred insufficient reason?

What Micky said  Though farming is another good reason. Of course a gun license here doesn't give you the same permissions it does over there; We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles and can only carry them if they've got a sleeve locked on them at all times in public areas.  I don't neccessarily disagree with the gun laws over here mind, as while the direction the rest of our rights are going is plain scary, gun crime isn't an issue over here despite the odd media frenzy about the occassional shooting.  It still puts the fear of god into me that someday i'll be having to use government approved plastic safety knives to cut my tomatoes though

Gun licenses arn't that hard to get Micky - though the actual laws have been amended so many time's they make no sense at all. As far as I understand it you just need to take proof of purchase of a UK approved gun cabinet, two references, £50, four passport photos and some ID to a police station and apply.  Once you fill out the form, which asks you your reasons for wanting a license etc, then as long as you don't have a criminal record an officer will visit your home (usually within 28 days) before approving your license.

I've been thinking about getting into shotguns myself, I love claypigeon shooting but it's an expensive habit unfortunately and i just cant afford it right now so will have to make do with heading down there with a couple of my mates who shoot and using their guns.  There's still a gunshop operating near me so i'm suprised Kent has completely lost it's gunshops, i would have expected the rural community around that area to keep them going!

Thanks for that mate , I'll store that info away for a later day as sadly I'm in the same boat money wise

As for Kent, what rural communities , we're no longer the garden of England

@Bob,  target shooting and hunting would be considered valid reasons as long as you've got proof, ie club or landowners permission

I've got a fair few mates in kent and there's still the same manor houses, mansions set in the middle of nowhere and large areas of field, so i would have expected the upper classes to keep funding gun shops.  I guess the hunting ban has killed that off though and farmers are struggling enough as it is without funding a shotgun habit  

Rural Essex/Hertfordshire is going to be headed the same way sooner or later i guess, i know the farmers directly around me are already being bullied to sell off their land for Stansted airport and housing developments, and from the noises they are making it's a case of when, not if, they sell    There's a plan to build an 'eco town' right in between my village and the next one - no services, utilities, shops or pubs, just 10,000 houses slap bang in the middle of two very seperate rural identities, destroying the communities which have developed and stretching what little transport links and services we do have.  Britain really is getting far too full!

[Gareth]

We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles

Abstraction, are you sure mate?  I'm pretty certain we don't take down red deer with an air rifle.

[Abstraction]

We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles

Abstraction, are you sure mate?  I'm pretty certain we don't take down red deer with an air rifle.

Heh, sorry mate, the combination of reading the title and the early morning must have thrown me; i didn't mean to write the 'air' part, i think it was just stuck in my brain 

[Gareth]

We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles

Abstraction, are you sure mate?  I'm pretty certain we don't take down red deer with an air rifle.

Heh, sorry mate, the combination of reading the title and the early morning must have thrown me; i didn't mean to write the 'air' part, i think it was just stuck in my brain 

I kinda thought that's what you meant. 

[Gareth]

Mike, what is the restriction on owning air rifles over here now?

Basically you've got to be over 14 to own a rifle, 17 a pistol (but that may have changed now). you're aloud up to 12lb per square foot in a rifle, and 6 in a pistol, and you most have it covered in public.

But your no longer aloud to buy one over the internet , so good luck finding a gunshop

Good job I am not into them then ey. 

Are there any near us?

Good job you're still not into them isn't it?  Could end up costing you money that. 

[american lockpicker]

We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles

Abstraction, are you sure mate?  I'm pretty certain we don't take down red deer with an air rifle.

One of my mates from another forum lives in England and he has a suppressed .223 bolt action rifle.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles

Abstraction, are you sure mate?  I'm pretty certain we don't take down red deer with an air rifle.

One of my mates from another forum lives in England and he has a suppressed .223 bolt action rifle.

Your only aloud to supress a .22 over here I think, so he may be telling porkie pies.

[american lockpicker]

We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles

Abstraction, are you sure mate?  I'm pretty certain we don't take down red deer with an air rifle.

One of my mates from another forum lives in England and he has a suppressed .223 bolt action rifle.

Your only aloud to supress a .22 over here I think, so he may be telling porkie pies.

I've seen a picture of it. And a .223 is .22 caliber if I'm not mistaken.

[american lockpicker]

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u185/stevewilsonbaikal/DSCF0999.jpg

Here it is.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

We're still limited to shotguns and air rifles

Abstraction, are you sure mate?  I'm pretty certain we don't take down red deer with an air rifle.

One of my mates from another forum lives in England and he has a suppressed .223 bolt action rifle.

Your only aloud to supress a .22 over here I think, so he may be telling porkie pies.

I've seen a picture of it. And a .223 is .22 caliber if I'm not mistaken.

Nope .22 as in rimfire, not centre fire

I'm fairly certain you'd need a section 5 (to all intents and purposes impossible to obtain) to have a suppressed .223.

[Benner]

Mike, what is the restriction on owning air rifles over here now?

Basically you've got to be over 14 to own a rifle, 17 a pistol (but that may have changed now). you're aloud up to 12lb per square foot in a rifle, and 6 in a pistol, and you most have it covered in public.

But your no longer aloud to buy one over the internet , so good luck finding a gunshop

Good job I am not into them then ey. 

Are there any near us?

Good job you're still not into them isn't it?  Could end up costing you money that. 

Bloody Phil and Dave.