Obvious Omission?

I was in an outdoor pursuits shop yesterday buying some air rifle pellets. The shop sells bows, crossbows, non-FAC air rifles and pistols. A sign states they may require evidence of ID from anyone buying weapons and gives a list of examples of acceptable evidence - e.g. Passport, Driving Licence, etc. A notable omission from the list is Firearms Licence. :)

Edited because it seem a lot of poeople (probably in the US) totally missed my point.

I'm in the UK. No firearms licence is needed for air rifles with a muzzle energy less than12 ft lbf and air pistols with a muzzle energy less than 6 ft lbf. The requirement for ID is the shop's policy, it's not really a legal requirement, although anyone purchasing an air weapon must be 18 or over. I just found it amusing that they didn't think of a firearms' licence as an example of acceptable ID. They did confirm that they would accept it as proof of ID when I asked.

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Freeranger · M

Socialism at it's finest. Camera on every corner and you've surrendered personal freedom to British Big Brother telling you, and mandating what's best for you. As much as I love the UK and it's fellow man, I would never surrender my personal freedoms to that kind of overwatch.
Not trying to be antagonistic, I just don't think given the years of gradual socialistic encroachment on the British citizen, you've become conditioned to losing a rights of man.

Either way, I get roasted....I apologize but.....I hate people being conditioned.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Freeranger As a native, resident and un-"conditioned" Briton, I can assure you the country is not particularly "socialist" even by what seems the American definition. If anything it has drifted somewhat rightwards under both Conservative and Labour governments over the last 40 years.

However, the question is about controlling weapons, nothing to do with political "colour" and irrespective of our Government being of the Labour, Conservative or Liberal-Democrat party.

Weapons that can injure or even kill people and animals. Weapons of no conceivable genuine need or use outside of bona-fide, properly-controlled sports such as archery. Especially in a culture that by and large abjures, not worships, guns and other projectile weapons for all but genuine military, agricultural and sports purposes.

Beyond that though, I have no idea what you are talking about. Have you?

Sharon · F

@ArishMell

the country is not particularly "socialist" even by what seems the American definition.

By some US standards, I suspect even Attila the Hun would be considered a pinko liberal. :(

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Sharon Indeed!

It does look from the highly-nuanced, deeply-analytical discourse we see among Americans themselves on here - and from News reports on the country's domestic matters - that the US Left-Right spectrum is decidedly to the Right of its British and Western European equivalent generally.

Possibly for very real, 20C historical reasons; perhaps influenced too by the USA apparently having only two parties of any significance at national level, so few if any other approaches to the same things.

British politics is dominated by just two, but does have other parties offering further ideas and choices, and indeed thereby attracting their voters. I think this is similar in many of the disparate nations in the geographical Europe that some American SW users seem to think a homogenous country.