How worried should Brits be about the wave of illegal firearms?

There are reports that our ally, the UK, has been suffering from a huge influx of illegal firearms (anything ranging from handguns to submachine guns and even the odd semi-automatic rifles here and there).

Sounds very serious for a nation which has strict firearms legislation compared to most states over here.

Imagine the amount of criminals or random citizens in the UK carrying an illegal firearm...

I suppose some of the criminals there are getting them imported somehow, maybe the EU is not doing checks for those anymore and allowing them to get past the UK ports. I read that one of the UKs officials overlooking imports is boosting inspections of imports a lot, a huge increase not just a minor increase. They are also going to try to get trade deals in place with the EU and Canada. There is a reason that they are increasing inspections, and maybe what you are saying is actually part of that reason.

Southern Ireland is a way of gttn them in look at my country the North that's where most of ours come from anyways..

originally posted by: rickymouse
I suppose some of the criminals there are getting them imported somehow, maybe the EU is not doing checks for those anymore and allowing them to get past the UK ports. I read that one of the UKs officials overlooking imports is boosting inspections of imports a lot, a huge increase not just a minor increase. They are also going to try to get trade deals in place with the EU and Canada. There is a reason that they are increasing inspections, and maybe what you are saying is actually part of that reason.

Don't be fooled. I hear from my contacts across the pond that Ireland and the UK have very, very poor border controls and immigration. Illegal immigration is unbridled into England especially. So, if people can smuggle themselves in, weapons can be smuggled in as well. There were news stories about illegal firearms being smuggled in from Eastern Europe and Russia but those firearms were apparently antiques or deactivated firearms (which can be easily reactivated). The ones we are concerned with here in this thread are more modern firearms (modern working handguns, submachine guns and even semi-automatic rifles)...

If I we’re going to have to break the law to have a weapon, I would go all out, a suppressed full auto. Perhaps German H&K MP5-SDA3 and a matching pistol.

What can I say, I’m a crazy American gun enthusiast.

a reply to: IndigoLLC

I know a couple of guys from Cornwall that we met when they were with a mens choir that sang here, they stayed with us here at our house while they were here, two days of their tour. Of course, they loved my big diesel truck and they got to shoot my 357 Desert eagle, they could not own a hand gun over there so they were really impressed with the guns I own.

I am friends with one of them on facebook and we talk about Brexit occasionally and he was frustrated with how the EU was stalling it and demanding lots of money if they left even though their country got little from being part of the EU. They actually lost out from being part of it, more money going to the EU than they got back from it by a long shot.

Every now and again someone imports a load of reactivated guns thinking theres a good market for them but quite often they sit around for ages as pulling a gun out and shooting someone gets a lot of police attention and thus the gun gets sold on to some other area very quickly.

There is a rise in eastern europeans getting into the drug business and they do like their guns but everyone prefers not to go running around the shops popping caps in peoples asses for the lulz normally.

When you hear about the low level housing estate style shooting its normally with weapons that are as dangerous to the shooter as the target as there is very little chance of getting spares and the average hoodie wouldn't know how to clean and maintain it anyway.

These guns (of which we saw very little of years ago) have come together with the Eastern European gangs from Romania Albania etc often deactivated and then reactivated once they reach their destination. The Netherlands appears to be the hub for this gang activity
www.dailymail.co.uk...

We have such diversity in our gangs now

There is no reason to be afraid of guns. It’s people that are the problem.

Perhaps one could link to said reports?

The reports of illegal guns are false. With all of the gun control laws there there's no way that could happen. It's the same in the US, all of the large cities with strict gun control laws have prevented illegal guns from finding their way to criminals. It's just more government lies to make people afraid of the evil guns.

(that was extreme sarcasm just in case someone doesn't recognize it)

a reply to: lakenheath24

This. Also the Daily Mail is hardly a 'source'. 😂

a reply to: IndigoLLC

There have always been a certain amount of illegal guns here in the UK, just an amazingly small number when compared to other nations.

The vast majority of criminals have no desire to own them, punishments for simply owning or being in possession of them are relatively quite severe regardless of using or even intending to use them.

I'm not too sure if there's been an alarming rise in their availability, just wondering where you got this information from?

How reliable are your 'contacts'?

I live here, never noticed a noticeable rise in their availability or usage.....and I guarantee you, my contacts are many and very reliable and my experiences are first hand.

a reply to: Freeborn

There have always been a certain amount of illegal guns here in the UK, just an amazingly small number when compared to other nations.

Well then , what would you say was the ratio and proportion to those other countries based on population size ?
See , just raw numbers do not work in comparisons.

a reply to: Gothmog

I will guess, and I openly admit it is purely a guess as to be honest I really can't be arsed to start looking things up today, that the number of guns in illegally in circulation in the UK is relatively low when compared with similar nations.

The minimum sentence for illegally owning a gun is five years, the maximum is fourteen years.
That's just for owning one regardless of intent etc.

Considering the amount of guns available in the world it really is quite remarkable how few there are here in the UK.
I hope it stays the same....WE DON'T WANT THEM!

Double post, sorry.

It will not be much of a problem. Knives are cheaper and easier to get. They are weapon of choise for criminals in UK.

When guns cheaper than knives, then it a problem.