Hi all, I wasn't to sure about posting that I'm from the UK as I get the impression its not the most popular place in the world after what BP have done. Anyway, new to forum and proud new owner of a Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22. I used to own a S&W .357 magnum back before the Nazi's took away our pistols but thats a sore subject.

I, for one, am not down on either the UK or BP who has been made out to be the straw man on this incident. We need drilling. This catastrophe needs to be fixed and the damage cleaned up as best we can but that dog and pony show of lib congressmen beating up on BP week before last along with our "fearless leader's shakedown" was a disgrace in my view. We could have worked together without playing the "blame game."

Welcome to the Forum!

That rifle you are showing us is a practical way to do inexpensive and rewarding shooting.

I have a good friend in W. Yorkshire who lost his S&W .357 Magnum in that '97 gun grab. I'm still sore about it.

Welcome from Va.

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Roger

Hello Bashers79 and welcome aboard!!

If I understand correctly, there would have been no need for searches...as handguns, and indeed all guns I believe, had been registered with the government for years beforehand. As we keep saying here...registration is the natural stepping stone to eventual confiscation.

In any case...welcome to the forums! I don't believe that very many thinking Americans blame the U.K. for this incident. Nice looking S&W there! So, ownership of .22s is still possible in England? Do you have to belong to a shooting club, and does the firearm have to be stored there as well? Are shotguns still ok...single shot and double barrel only?

Tim

Hi, Bashers79! Greetings from the center of the U.S. - Kansas. Welcome to the forum. And no, mate, not all of us Yanks are down on BP or the Brits. Learn to ignore our politicians. We are not all such fools.

Welcome from Texas Bashers79. Great forum for all things S&W, have fun, learn lots, share what you know.

Always nice to have a new member of the S&W family check in from across the pond.

Glad to see you can own the rifle.

+1 on the BP blame. The company may need to take some heat, but the people of Britian have bonds with America that will withstand much than this incident.

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I am a sheep dog!
1601 (ret)

Welcome from TN!

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Misty

Hi Tim, we can still own .22lr semi and fullbore bolt action/straight pull rifles (but I refuse to butcher a AR by making it straight pull, doesn't seem right). Shotguns of all sorts are legal, its stupid I can't own a AR15 in semi-auto but I can buy a semi-auto Saiga-12 and stick a drum mag on it (if I had the money). As well as my 15-22 I own a Tikka T3 supervarmint in .308 win and a AIA M10 A1 jungle carbine in 7.62x39, which are locked up in my loft. Unfortunately in the UK we're not fighting just the Government but public opinion, and public opinion is anti-gun, UK Governments will always pamper to the uneducated masses to secure votes, hence the knee-jerk re-action in 1997. Aside from breaking the law and risking having our guns removed by force, we did all we could to hold on to our handguns but firearm enthusiasts are just to few in the UK.

Also, big thanks to everyone for being so inviting. Its good to know theres a place I can go to and gett advice,or just chat with like minded people.

Welcome!

Visited the UK last Fall and had a great time. Planning another viisit in 2011. Maybe it's my animal magnetism...but all the Brits/Scottsmen we met seemed to like Americans!?!? Imagine that!

NOT to bring up a sore subject but when your handguns were confiscated did the Govt repay you for the loss?? If so...was the price paid fair market value??

Stopped in a gun shop in Edinburgh Scotland , had a tremendous selection of high grade shotguns and a few very nice Anschutz .22's as well.
Got mentioning AR's here in the US. Had a few shots of a dozen or so AR's, a few AK's, and M1A's on my camera. The owners as well as a few of the customers were AMAZED that I owned such an arsenal. Then I mentioned the HANDGUNS. As if I spoke a DIRTY word in Church! Even a few of the customers mentioned the loss of the handguns were no big deal. I was quite surprised at that statement.

Welcome again. GREAT forum.

FN in MT

Bashers79, welcome from North Carolina.

cheers, mate. welcome to S&W

Greetings from Maine. Welcome aboard!

Welcome from Illinois. I spent two years in your country back in the early 60's, USAF stationed at RAF Sculthorpe in Norfolk county, just outside Fakenham. Used to visit Sherringham, Kings Lynn, and Hunstanton a lot. Even in the 60's if you wanted to buy a gun, it had to be registered with the British Govt. and you got a permit to buy ammo. You had to state how much ammo you would use the next year, and that's all you could buy. They marked it off on your permit.

We plan to return for a visit possibly in 2011 or 2012. I imagine things have changed a lot. When driving (on the left side of the road) to town, if 2 full sized American cars met, you had to pull partly off the road for them to pass each other.

I still have the darts I bought and used several times a week while over there.

Have fun with the 15-22, I know they are great guns.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

The Govt did pay us for our loss and if I remember correctly most of us did pretty well out of it. The pen pushers doing all the paper work and dishing the money out new next to nothing about firearms or what they're worth so they paid what we asked for mostly.

Greetings from Northwest Georgia! I'm glad to have you with us.

Welcome to the forum from KY!

There are lots of helpful and knowledgeable folks here.

I think you will enjoy your time here.

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Incoming fire has right of way