A new guy fron England

[Ghettokracker71]

Alright English, I'm originally from England (Essex) but have been in the States for almost 10 years and have dual-citizenship. Welcome to the forum!

To those unfamiliar with the differences between British and English, I'll try to break it down for you. England is one of the countries in Great Britain, along with Wales and Scotland. Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland are referred to as the United Kingdom. Note that while Northern Ireland is a member of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland is it's own country.

It is a common mistake for Americans to think all guns are illegal in the UK. Firearms are highly regulated, but it is possible to own them over there. Handguns are banned (apart from black powder), but other firearms can be had, though the process is long and somewhat invasive. Public perception of firearms is generally skewed toward anti-gun and this is likely due toward the government message that guns are dangerous and if anyone needs to defend themselves then that's what the police are for.

To illustrate this point, just before I moved to the USA there was a case that made national headlines about a farmer who was the victim of a home invasion. Two armed burglars broke in and the farmer used his legally-held shotgun to kill one and wound the other. The result of the court case was that the farmer was convicted of murder, went to prison for life and had to pay the court, medical and funeral bills for the burglars.

Another case I heard of recently was that of a woman farmer who had squatters camping on her land. These "gypsies" as they call themselves pay no taxes and just wander around "living off the land" (i.e. trespassing and stealing). They were killing her chickens and leaving their waste in her fields. She was out taking care of some pests one day with her shotgun and came across some of the trespassers and asked them to leave, at which point the squatters threatened to slit her throat with a chainsaw. Later that day the police turned up at her door to take her firearms an revoke her licence, saying they had received complaints that she was threatening the squatters with a gun. No investigation, they just took her guns and let the squatters stay.

Anyway welcome English! I hope I didn't hijack your thread too much mate.

That squatters story is absolutely mind-boggling!

Welcome English Vince from Virginia, USA !

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[lchamp]

Greetings and welcome from Central Florida.