Guns, lost or stolen in the UK

majnu said:
This is why all guns should be banned, obviously people are incapable of looking after their possessions. All licensed fire arms should be kept in a high security bank if people use them for "fun and games". Keeping them at home no matter if they are in a secure vault is NOT an option.
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Herp Derp...



Browning 12 bore, shoot clays and pest control.
 
What do people mean by 'vermin control'? Isn't using a shotgun to kill a rat the definition of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

And yes, this is genuine ignorance on my part.
 
naefeart said:
"Nearly 3,000 guns were lost by or stolen from people registered to hold them in the past five years"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19416579

"The guns lost during the period included 730 shotguns, 86 rifles and 14 revolvers".

Quite worrying really. We used to have shotguns but they were locked in a thick, steel box that was rawl plugged to a concrete floor, inside another solid steel cupboard. When out with the guns, you were always very careful about what you were doing, even when just transporting them. We didn't leave them lying about, show them off to the public or not know where they were at all times.

This bit did make me laugh though: "Two muskets and a cannon had also been mislaid by their owners."

How many people here have proper guns and what do you use them for (sport, vermin control etc)?
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haha. how do you misplace a cannon?

how the hell do you lose a firearm anyway? would you lose your license for that? seeing as if you are so stupid should you really be allowed a firearm anyway?
 
Hikari Kisugi said:
What on Earth were the other 2000 firearms, if shottys and rifles and handguns have been excluded as 1000 of the 3000 total?

Muskets might have stolen to order, or for auction.
Cannon, stolen for scrap no doubt ;)

I hold a shotgun licence for sporting and vermin control.
The weapon isn't in my home, it is elsewhere, not my weapon I am licenced for.
It is in a steel solid cabinet which is secured to the fabric of the building. You'd need a jcb to get the cabinet out, and even then i doubt that thing could be opened by a digger.
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Air rifles. They count them as firearms so they can boost the number and justify budgets probably.

I would bet you could pry the cabinet open with a crow bar pretty quick, or punch a hole and go at it with a reciprocating saw or even a circular saw and have the guns out in 30 seconds. Those thin gauge cabinets only protect against children and a quick smash and grab burglar.
 
estebanrey said:
What do people mean by 'vermin control'? Isn't using a shotgun to kill a rat the definition of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

And yes, this is genuine ignorance on my part.
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Try using said sledgehammer to crack a nut that runs about, suddenly is a lot harder!

Vermin - rats, squirrels, rabbits, pigeons, corvids etc

A 410 shotgun is an ideal ratting gun, remember 'shotgun' covers every gauge from elephant gun to a 410 ratter.
 
Surely there are more effective ways to kill vermin? Traps, poisons etc. I'm struggling to think of genuine reasons why someone would need a gun at home.
 
WrathOfAchilles said:
Tree rats - they destroy the trees. Beech trees in particular I think.
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So the life of a tree is now more important that the life of a living breathing mammal, that's an odd way to look at things. When you say "destroy" you make it sound like they deliberately going around rioting an vandalising trees for a bit of a laugh. A squirrel didn't destroy a tree and more than you 'destroyed' the various flora and fauna your house was built on.


Teknobry said:
Try using said sledgehammer to crack a nut that runs about, suddenly is a lot harder!
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Agreed, but that same logic applies to a gun. Surely a trap is the way forward, or is that not "fun" enough?
 
dekez said:
How come reenactors need live firing guns? Surely some sort of "cap" gun would be enough?
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Becuase "cap" guns as you call them are nothing like the smell, feel and effect of Black powder and would not allow correct demonstration of drill, should I also trade my yew longbow in for a plastic one? Showing the effect black powder has when fired is integral to demonstration at historical shows, have you ever seen 2 ranks of 30 fire by volley in real life? The field disappearing in a cloud of acrid smoke can not be recreated with "cap" guns, the blackened faces from smoke with riverlets of sweat you have at the end of large battle recreations can not be recreated with "cap" guns. Oddly what makes us safer when we are "charged" before and during battles is following the correct drills as laid down in the period, accidents occur when those drills are not followed.

Saying that in the 25 years I have been reenacting I've only ever seen 2 major accidents, one was black powder related when a rammer on a cannon crew forgot his drill and held his hand over the end of the rammer instead of around it -spark, bang and you can imagine the rest, needless to say he couldn't continue his career at Games Workshop HQ as a figure design sculptor. The other accident was in a situation where there was no black powder at all, a lad tripped over his own shield and fell mouth first onto his own (reenactment blunt) sword, luckily it was at an angle and the sword came out the side of his cheek rather than continue to the back of his throat.

You do hear of the odd incident at other events around the country and the world but they are few and far between. The thing you most commonly see is minor bone breaks from the ruff and tumble of battle or people collapsing with dehydration spending hot days in personal tin can saunas.

In the group I mostly work with now we have a 1 strike and you are no longer allowed to live fire rule where 'misplaced' firearms are concerned, many groups also apply this policy.

All that being said, if you do find yourself being held up by a scrote carrying a stolen musket duck for cover for the first shot and you then have at least 20 seconds while he tries to reload to nab the blighter :p
 
estebanrey said:
Are squirrels really that much of a problem to you? Again I'm a city boy so I dunno, I'm sure you can tell me how much 'damage' a squirrel can really do to a human being.
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My stepdad has a gun licence, also used mainly for squirrel pests - Derbyshire has been infested with grey squirrels now. They destroy the bark on trees, and more annoyingly they eat all the chicken eggs as well.

They're getting pushed out by black squirrels (!) here in Cambridge now. We need red ones back!
 
estebanrey said:
Are squirrels really that much of a problem to you? Again I'm a city boy so I dunno, I'm sure you can tell me how much 'damage' a squirrel can really do to a human being.
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Squirrels do considerable damage, as do rabbits, I use to pest control on a local nursery, the saplings, & root stock they lost due to the critters stripping the bark, cost them thousands in lost stock.

Many years ago I shot a squirrel,it fell about 30' from the tree on to the concrete track,picked it up by the tail, a big mistake, as it swung up & sank it's teeth in to my index finger, I still have the scars to my finger.
 
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dekez said:
Surely there are more effective ways to kill vermin? Traps, poisons etc. I'm struggling to think of genuine reasons why someone would need a gun at home.
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some people just like killing animals. im not saying all are but some people just like it.

its like sport hunters. how is 1 man and a firearm v a small animal sport? sure, give the animal a gun and its sporting :)
 
Nightglow said:
Squirrels do considerable damage, as do rabbits, I use to pest control on a local nursery, the saplings, & root stock they lost due to the critters stripping the bark, cost them thousands in lost stock.

Many years ago I shot a squirrel,it fell about 30' from the tree on to the concrete track,picked it up by the tail, a big mistake, as it swung up & sank it's teeth in to my index finger, I still have the scars to my finger.
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do you want sympathy for you or the squirrel? :)

you still win. scar V dead i will take the scar any day. real men wear scars :)
 
my girlfriend keeps her shotgun at my house as it needs to be stored on an outwards facing wall or something? Never actually been shooting myself but i will probably join her once it gets too wet to muck about with cars :P
 
realBabelfish said:
some people just like killing animals. im not saying all are but some people just like it.

its like sport hunters. how is 1 man and a firearm v a small animal sport? sure, give the animal a gun and its sporting :)
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This basically. Anyone arguing that shotgun is a more effective way of killing a rat than a trap is clearly lying to themselves.

Besides whilst we're talking about animals that do massive damage to the wildlife, in the US the sheer amount of lead that is lying around in the forests and fields from hunter's guns is causing serious environmental issues.

I don't see how pumping lead into a tree you are trying to 'protect' from a squirrel is environmentally much better for the tree.
 
estebanrey said:
This basically. Anyone arguing that shotgun is a more effective way of killing a rat than a trap is clearly lying to themselves.
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im sure its more fun though
estebanrey said:
Besides whilst we're talking about animals that do massive damage to the wildlife, in the US the sheer amount of lead that is lying around in the forests and fields from hunter's guns is causing serious environmental issues.

I don't see how pumping lead into a tree you are trying to 'protect' from a squirrel is environmentally much better for the tree.
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the Swedish army are now using environmentally friendly bullets, i think it might catch on :)
 
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