560,000 people own a gun in the UK - do you have a gun in your family?

[cakeorwine]

Quite surprised to hear this statistic today - but it's true

www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-on-firearm-and-shotgun-certificates-england-and-wales-april-2020-to-march-2021/statistics-on-firearm-and-shotgun-certificates-england-and-wales-april-2020-to-march-2021

That seemed a lot. I know some large landowners and farmers probably own one - but 560,000? That seems a lot.

Just curious if you have one in your family and what it's used for?

Only air rifles.

DFIL has land though & a couple of shotguns. He mostly shoots squirrels.

I have one friend who’s a farmer, he has a shotgun which is used for pests - some massive rats knocking about these days!
He also has a Jack Russell, which is definitely a more efficient method for getting rid of the rats than the shotgun, so don’t think it comes out of the gun locker very often!

Both myself and DH have fire arms certificates, as well black powder licenses. Our DD and eldest DS haveshot gun licences as well. We shoot target and clay pigeon.

Yes, we have 3 (I think?) and are about as pro-gun control as you can be. It’s the only sensible thing. We live on a farm and Dh hunts and uses for vermin control when needed. We’re very cautious though and I don’t think dc have ever even seen a gun.

Yes both dad and brother have them for game keeping.locked away in special locker.both have been police checked.

Yes. Shotgun in approved gun safe used for clay pigeon shooting.

Almost everyone I know owns a shotgun. My uni was a specialist farming one and there would often be students around campus with guns i.e in the library. It probably depends on what type of community you live in as to whether it is normal or not!

DH has inherited shotguns from his and my grandfathers. So he's a gun owner (licensed, obvs) but virtually never uses them (very occasionally invited onto local shoots).
He probably spends more time dealing with the renewal paperwork for the licence than he does using the guns!

Dh used to have one long before he met he which he used as pest control for farmers.

He was paid very well for this and really wants a gun again but I refuse to allow one in the house

Dh used to when I met him. Let it go when we had dc.

No, I wouldn’t want one in the house.

Yes DF shoots so has a licence, certificate, locked cabinate etc. Fairly certain his home address is on a database due to having them there too.

My DH has one for clay pigeon and pheasant shooting. He grew up around farming and it is normal for his family.

The rules are really strict though. I don’t know where the keys to the gun cabinet are. He was visited by a policeman to get the licence and the GP informed. Also you wouldn’t be able to fire off many shots with a shotgun before reloading, giving people a chance to take the gun from you.

My uncle had a few, he was a farmer. Got sold when he died.

My cousin has a shot gun for clay pigeon shooting…..I had a go once about 25 years ago…..it really hurt my arm….never did it again

DH and DS have a shotgun for clay shooting. It's in a locked gun safe that is hidden within a cupboard. I don't know where the key is kept.

From the amount of gun safes we ship out way more guns are around that you’d expect in the U.K. we ship cases that hold six guns tall enough to hide a body in. We have three of those safes in our house.

Apparently my grandmother has one. She's 95 and dropped it casually into conversation once it's an antique and probably doesn't work (I've never actually seen it) but our jaws dropped when she confessed!

We have a sword. No guns though (although we both know how to use them). DDs know the gun safety basics from being around them. Both have done target shooting.

The number doesn't surprise me really. Ots shot guns and similar, not machine guns!

I know a few people who have them. Ex-public schoolboys who use them on pheasant shoots. They have licenses, gun safes etc. Have to say I don’t see the appeal of shooting living things for fun.

To put it into context... its 0.8% of the population

My brother does, for pest control on a farm.

Not that I know of.

An ex of my sister's had one for clay pigeon shooting.

We have air rifles but they won't even be on that list.

It's a pretty normal thing to have a shotgun in the countryside and you'd struggle to do much malicious damage with them. Firstly they're massive and obvious. You could pepper someone with shot if they were nearby but after two shots you have to reload so it's not really a mass damage weapon.

In the countryside there needs to be pest control for e.g. pigeons, rabbits etc, never mind shoots for pheasants and at clay pigeon ranges so 0.8% of the population sounds about right to me.

I have three.