Applying for a firearms licence in the UK.?

Question

What are the complications of owning a firearm in the UK?

I live in gloucestershire, am currently 16 years old will soon be 17.

I want to get a .22 I know which one i want to get and have the assets in place to buy one. I have no medical/Criminal/etc.

How can I get the licence??

Also what is the largest caliber permited in the UK?

Answer 1

Generally speaking it is incredibly hard to own any sort of firearm in the UK legally. After the mass shootings at Hungerford and Dunblaine almost all weapon types have been banned. I'm not a weapons expert but i believe that .22 rifles are allowed to some degree but pistols are completely banned as well as anything that can fire repeatedly. Your best bet is to find out where your local gun club is and ask them. Each club tends to have their own rules and strict guidelines (there was a shooting recently involving a guy that stole a gun from a club and killed someone).

In addition, I believe that many places don't restrict by caliber but by muzzle velocity. Although these tend to be so low that I can't see it being higher than a .22