CraigD I had no hand in the loss of hand guns in Scotland. . I wasnt interested in continuing with punching holes in paper with a hand gun when it distressed those affected by the Dunblane massacre, on a personal level I found more Walter Mitty characters in the world of pistol shooting and as an ex infantryman didnt enjoy their company.
I introduced many people to pistol shooting when I was a student at open range days, ran a college clay pigeon club for three years and have helped people to take up wildfowling, game shooting ,stalking and clay shooting using my equipment and cartridges
I agree with you whole heartedly that restricting the opportunities for people to join the ranks of shooters is unfair. For an airgun licence with no possession of a firearms or shotgun certificate the price is 70 if you are to buy a cabinet then the cost will ensure that some will never aspire to enjoy shooting as a hobby as they will not get that first opportunity that would lead on to a shooting life.
If dressed to fit in there is probably no area in Scotland I could not walk in, in Scotland there is no no go zones and there is nowhere I could go where there would be any likelihood of me being shot..
As regards safety about the same, violence is mostly city street fights involving young men invariably drunk . Random violence exists but it is invariably about being in the wrong place at the wrong time Shooting incidents are low but fluctuate as a result of feuding drug dealers or organised crime gangs.
To be issued a firearms certificate usually involved a six month probationary period at a target club then applying for your licence few were rejected then after that if you had access to compete or shoot with any type of firearm then you could apply to have authorisation to obtain that calibre of weapon . Many people had an array of calibres to be possessed covering most areas of target shooting. In contrast for shooting out with a range you need to state a valid reason for each rifle and have permission to use that rifle for the species concerned on private ground so a lot more restrictive. As a consequence of these restrictions I am unable to pass on my rifles to my son unless he was to comply with those same conditions. The system for shotguns is more relaxed by standards here and usually certificates are issued should you express an interest in taking up clay pigeon shooting and have a referee who can vouch for your good character. All in all its restrictive and can mean you cant fully enjoy a variety of shooting experiences casually but need to comply with the conditions surrounding gun ownership.

Last edited by Konor3inch; 03/04/20 04:32 PM. Reason: Adding info