Quote:
For many years in the UK, a police license was required for possession of a rifle, but a shotgun could be legally owned by registering it by mail. In those years, many of those surplus rifles were converted to .410 shotguns and sold, not to hunters, but to those who wanted a piece of history but did not own hunting land, have a secure safe, and meet all the other requirements for owning a rifle.
(Today, I understand, even shotguns are under rigid controls, and of course handguns have been completely banned for Her Majesty's subjects.)
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Aye. It was the same type of deal as the cut/welded machine gun "displays" in the U.S.
And... Handguns haven't been completely removed from the hands of the royal subjects. If you talk to a lot of Brits, they'll brag that Veterinarians can still get licensed to own a handgun - to be used only for putting large animals down.
(And even that licensing provision is under risk of being removed. Veterinarians around the world have high suicide rates. Since the Brits tie the Vet suicide rate to owning pistols, they want to take the "suicide devices" away.)