Guns in America

I'm sorry, I should have started by saying that I have family there!

Norway is ranked eleventh in the number of guns per capita.
You must prove that you have a legitimate reason ( hunting groups are common), and have no convictions or record of mental illness.
There was one terrible shooting incident, some years ago, when a right - wing young man opened fire on an island with many teenagers taking part in a summer school.
He is in prison.
There seems to be comparatively few problems otherwise.

DF was military and we grew up with guns - legally ! - in the house as he shot competitively. Brother and I also shot from the age of 11 - 16 as did a number of others. I even had my own rifle.

DF was a weapons instructor and also ran a gun club that civilians could join. He had no problem at all refusing to allow civilians in for instruction if he thought they weren't responsible. He used to say 'There are people who shouldn't be allowed near a gun just as there are people who shouldn't be allowed to drive a car. They are both lethal weapons in the wrong hands."

Sorry, I'm not a USA gran.

yes, Maremia, most farmers did when I was young, as did the poachers!

GNs with from farming families will have older relatives who may have owned guns.

GrannyGravy13

I haven’t got a problem with guns for sport in the U.K. The process of getting a licence could be more rigorous, in my opinion.

A friend had their house broken into a while back, they rang the police who gave them a crime number, told them not to touch certain things and they would get an officer to them within 7-10 days.

They then told the police operator that their gun cupboard had been broken into, there were several police cars at the gate in under 10 minutes.

Seems it can be advantageous to be a gun owner in the U.K.

The thieves must have known where the cabinet was kept.

Our cabinet would be very hard to locate, as would the ammunition safe.
The cabinet is bolted to a wall it would take two strong men some time to dislodge or break into it.

We had a nasty break in, fortunately they didn’t locate the gun cabinet, they just wanted the car keys.

fancythat

Mt61

It’s crazy that you would have to keep a gun by your bedside just to protect yourself- I couldn’t imagine us grans over here having to.

they tend to keep about 8 or 9 about the place. from what little i know

Statistics show that many households in the USA do not own a firearm but a few households may own several.

When they can just be bought from a vending machine by anyone aged 21+, that makes for a frightening scenario.

In the 1930 s ,apparently, my granddad used to keep a gun by his bed. They owned a jewellers shop in London and thieves would sometimes break in at night. They lived over the shop. He had it to defend his family. I don’t think he ever used it or at least it was never mentioned.

I have owned a competition pistol, I used to shoot competitively. This was back in the 70's, the conditions that came with my gun licence were very restrictive and I believe they are even more restrictive now. It was kept in a locked case and had to be kept at the range although I could take it home if I was competing at other venues (rare because I normally did postal competitions) or it needed to go for repair or adjustment. I could not buy ammunition from any other source but the gun club I belonged to and I only ever bought bullets for use at the range. The police did a thorough check on me prior to granting me my licence.
The idea that anyone could walk into a gun shop, buy a gun with ammunition and walk out onto the street tbh fills me with horror. I was also trained thoroughly to be safe around guns at all times including the correct way to load. Mine was a single shot, like most competition pistols although I have used a revolver and an automatic under supervision, I'd hate to have them in my home. I stopped shooting when I had my first child and I sold the pistol. The range of weapons available for Americans to buy is absolutely horrifying and IMO no one should ever want to buy them. Competition pistols require real skill to hit a target accurately but what most Americans buy are just for killing people. Why???

25Avalon

What about air guns? You can have them in the UK without a licence.

Yes air guns/rifles and BB guns can be held without a license.

More worrying is the fact that a crossbow can be bought and kept without restrictions by anyone over 18 in the UK.

Mt61

Oh heck 😳really.! Is that bad? Fancythat.
I heard we are getting an influx of guns from abroad- hope we don’t ever go like America.

We have had guns smuggled into the uk for years. Back to the 50s in my own personal experience.
In the 1990s we were sailing to the med. At that time there were a lot of boat hijacking’s. We were offered a gun. We took the view that if you had a gun you were likely to use it.

fancythat are you being thick

I remember a news story a few years ago of a child (aged about 2 or 3) who shot his mother whilst she was shopping in the supermarket. She had a loaded gun in her bag; he pulled it out and probably ‘playing’, he shot her.

Absolutely tragic … and madness that someone would legally have a loaded gun in their bag!

What about air guns? You can have them in the UK without a licence.

I have close family living in America and none of them own guns.

Oh heck 😳really.! Is that bad? Fancythat.
I heard we are getting an influx of guns from abroad- hope we don’t ever go like America.

I worked in and with men in Atlanta for almost a year, a particular team of four I worked with literally kept guns - multiple- under their beds.
When asked why, after I’d explained my surprise, answers ranged from ‘to protect my family’ to ‘because it’s my right’, it was unimaginable for them to do anything else. They were brought up by parents who did and were teaching their children to shoot.
This was back in the 90’s.

I haven’t got a problem with guns for sport in the U.K. The process of getting a licence could be more rigorous, in my opinion.

A friend had their house broken into a while back, they rang the police who gave them a crime number, told them not to touch certain things and they would get an officer to them within 7-10 days.

They then told the police operator that their gun cupboard had been broken into, there were several police cars at the gate in under 10 minutes.

Seems it can be advantageous to be a gun owner in the U.K.

I know quite a few women who own guns in the U.K.They are kept in a locked very secure cabinet bolted to a wall. The two keys should be kept in separate hidden places only known to the person with the licence.
The ammunition is kept in a separate secure cabinet.
Of course there will always be careless gun owners who flout the rules but, luckily, not many. A little different from the US.

Yes the perspective of an American would be interesting. I find the idea of owning a gun horrifying. There have been cases of them a) being loaded in the home and b) not being under lock and key and a very young child getting their hands on one and unwittingly firing at a sibling, not knowing what they're doing or the consequences. That's aside from the often deranged with warped grievances on a mission, frequently with umpteen fatalities.

Mt61

It’s crazy that you would have to keep a gun by your bedside just to protect yourself- I couldn’t imagine us grans over here having to.

they tend to keep about 8 or 9 about the place. from what little i know

AGAA4

People in the UK own guns too but not on such a wide scale. My neighbour had one. Licensed of course.
I would hate to see guns being readily available in the UK.

Oh yes of course they do. Our family has in the past been licensed for game shooting.

More enlightened now😊

People in the UK own guns too but not on such a wide scale. My neighbour had one. Licensed of course.
I would hate to see guns being readily available in the UK.

Who are they? The only one I’ve seen is imaround?

Oreo

There seems to be only one US gran on here. Easier to do some reading up of the subject really.
It’s in their Constitution and until it’s removed, never I suspect, the right to bear arms will continue.Each US State has differing gun laws.

We won’t have much idea as a result but there are by my reckoning at least 6 American grans. They have been posting more recently which is nice to see.

It is so alien to us in the U.K. that it will be interesting to read their replies