16 Feb 2016 – New statistics from Parliament reveal that more than 160,000 guns could be taken from law-abiding shooters if the EU’s planned semi-automatic firearm ban became law in Britain.
Home Office and policing minister Mike Penning was asked by Conservative MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown to provide the number of semi-automatic .22 rifles are held in England and Wales.
Penning’s reply revealed that on 15th December 2015 there were 40,232 semi-auto .22s held on FACs in England and Wales alone.
There are 108,562 self-loading section 2 shotguns on SGCs in England and Wales, in addition to 12,282 section 1 shotguns held on FACs.
The figures did not break down how many individuals would be affected by the EU gun ban.
There are no figures available for Scotland and Northern Ireland because that data is, apparently, not under the Home Office’s control. UKSN wonders whether the “National” Firearms Licensing Management System is truly the national system it’s claimed to be.
The full letter is reproduced below.
UK Shooting News 
My question is to whoever came up with these ridiculous proposals how is banning legally held firearms going to prevent any further terrorist attacks it will only penalise the people who enjoy shooting sports and hunting also have a massive impact on the shooting community cost many jobs
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Also, who is setting aside funding yo allowed w the legal owners to be paid compensation for their firearms and associated equipment. The EU or national governments as the bill will run into millions of pounds.
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160,000 firearms valued at say an average value of £ 1,000 each (based on Southern Gun V22 semis and Remington semi shotguns at two grand a pop and Ruger 10/22’s at say £ 150 each) and the cost to the UK taxpayer is likely to be some £ 160 million, or to put it in perspective, more than 100 new primary schools. What about all the additional bits like spare mags, extra pistol grips, forends, trigger upgrades, specialist tools, spare parts, etc.? Presumably they won’t accept any optics on the basis that you could use them on another gun, though quite what you would do with things like reflex sights is going to be interesting. My bill is likely to come to at least eight grand.
Don’t get caught out like many did with the pistol ban – start collecting valuation data now whilst you can still find it. The minute anything gets banned nobody advertises it, so how do you prove the pre-ban value of your gear?
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The banning of out .22 semi auto rifles will do nothing to prevent the next or any other terrorist atrocity, the E.U should concentrate on Illegal Full-bore weapons coming from the Balkans, and the underground criminal trade in firearms in Europe, not legitimate sport shooters, Unfortunately I hate too add more possible firearms to this draconian nightmare dreamt up by un elected E.U. Politicians with hidden agendas with this unjust proposal, but I think that Straight pull rifles, based on the A.R. Platform would also become subject to this hysteria,
as they are “Assault” rifles, although currently classified as bolt actions in the U.K. as there is no gas system etc,, they fit the cosmetic description of clones/replicas/looking like Auto firearms that they want to ban.
I heard mention that this piece of crap legislation would cost 40,000,000,000 Euros through out Europe, if it is enacted, which i hope it does not,what a waste of time and money, if we ever do get a vote on the E.U. lets get out , I cannot see any other way to protect our sport.
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You all lost it in a boating accident!
You never owned any guns to being with, take your pick, make the pencil pushers work a bit for their living.
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Cameron, I can think of a lot more than just this proposed legislation that warrants a Brexit, but it is somewhat obvious that this proposed gun ban has the Home Office hand all over it. Having run out of UK ‘justifications’ for banning yet more firearms, the Home Office is now using other peoples tragedies and legal system (remember 84% of our laws are now made in Brussels) to validate their agenda. The agenda out-lives mere political parties and is the product of the buraucrats. Remember “Yes Minister”. The Home Office had a plan back in 1918 and they follow it almost to the letter. Search for the Blackwell Report 1918, it makes interesting reading and puts everything that has happened to firearms legislation since that date into clear perspective. A total ban on legal firearms is the objective. Right now they can just shrug thier shoulders at us and say the ban is an EU thing that they can’t influence – but they will follow the EU legislation to the letter and then gold plate it.
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When will these muppets realise that 99.9% of gun crimes are NOT committed with legal firearms, certified owners value the privilege of owning a gun too valuable to entertain allowing them to be used illegaly.
If they go through with this ridiculous bill then why don’t they put forward a bill to ban cars! We are always being told that a car is potentially an offensive weapon in the wrong hands and everybody knows that there are far more illegal cars driving around than guns.
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Chaz, forgive me for being direct here; (1) ‘they’ are not “muppets”, they are very clever people; (2) ‘they’ know that 99.9% of gun crimes are not committed with legal guns; (3) ‘they’ don’t care about your arguments or the application of logic and (4) ‘they’ are absolutely committed to disarming the public – no matter how long it takes or what it costs. It’s not going to be their money that is handed out and ‘they’ know the taxpayer will have to pick up the tab. This is all about control and the fear that ‘they’ have about the presumed threat that an armed populace could be to wellbeing of ‘their’ establishment. How do you eat an elephant? One mouthful at a time!
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Oh’ and Chaz, if you want to stop all this nonsense, get all your mates, wives, girlfriends, kids, co-workers, etc. out shooting. Invite them to an open day at your range. Let them feel the rush when they connect with the target. Make it fun. Help them get shooting. If half the population start shoot then the establishment has a real problem. There is strength in numbers. It might take a few years given we only have 12 days a year to do it, but 12 new people on 12 guest days is 144 new potential shooters per year per club. Say 1,000 clubs in the UK (smallbore, fullbore and clays) and within a two or three years the effect will be jaw-dropping!
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I can’t understand the owners of these shoguns still living in cloud cuckoo land thinking this does not refer to them. If this goes through does this mean that semi auto’s will have there magazine’s limited to one cartridge and reproof, in line s/s and over and unders. This will cost! who? I can’t see the EU paying up put the foot down and leave.
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From “David – BASC” on the Pigeon Watch forum: “Semi-automatic shotguns fall outside the intent of the proposal and most do not resemble ‘automatic’ weapons but some specialist combat shotguns could be caught. So the statement that 160,000 guns could be taken from law abiding shooters is not correct.”
BASC aren’t bothered about the gun ban. It won’t affect them, you see.
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Left wing fascists dont need logic…..lol think of the children!! Meanwhile tonight heavily armed machine gun police patrol kings cross for our safety!!! All those .22 shootings are a real worry. Nob head eu! Time to leave with what little common sense we have left!!!
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Paul, I am helping to arrange a guest day at my club at the end of this month, I am personally taking 3 people with me that are potential members – we need everyone to do this though if we are to grow the numbers by any sizable amount! Advertise this idea at every opportunity you get and ask others to do the same, lets use social media to benefit our sport.
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Ian, brilliant. Thank you for your efforts. I trust that your day goes well. What about the rest of you guys?
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and whats next any rifle with a clip its a joke
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putting a ban on semi auto disgusting what they doing next it will be anything with a clip ,why dont we just lay back and die ,this goverment has sold us out and it will carry on till we vate him out for ever
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