UK person here. I can’t believe guns are so cheap! Can’t say I’ve ever had an interest or looked into in any way, so it’s my own ignorance that leads me to be so shocked – but I assumed they’d actually cost more than say a decent wild night out... But from seeing the prices you're throwing around I’m no longer quite so shocked that everyone seems to own at least seven or eight of them!
Again naivety here, but just how easy are they to get? I’d assume that there are very strict checks involved and only a squeaky clean person without any criminal background or mental issues could get one, and even then it’d take a long time? Here the checks usually include interviews, visits to the person’s property, criminal records checks and references from friends. In addition, the applicant’s GP is usually contacted before its even considered. You also have to prove that you actually require your firearm on a regular, legitimate basis for work, sport or leisure.
I’m guessing it’s not quite like that?
In America, the specifics can vary from state to state, but in general, most rifles and shotguns are cash and carry, you pay and take them home the same day. There's a waiting period and background checks for handguns. In the case of semi-automatic rifles like AR-15's or the IMI Tavor or VEPR (all mentioned in this thread before) there's a variation on regulation, state to state, ranging from the same restriction as handguns to outright banning. The difference here is that we have the 2nd Amendment, which the Supreme Court ruled as an individual right. So by law, we're entitled to the ownership of firearms, and have a more permissive attitude about it.
There's a strong lobby that pushes against regulatory measures that ban guns outright, though laws aimed at preventing criminals from acquiring the weapons as well as confiscating them from domestic abusers have gained traction in recent years. Personally, I'm a strong believer in safety, that's why I joined a prestigious rifle club similar to the shooting clubs in other countries with their own ranges and more stringent regulations -- I prefer to shoot on a range being actively supervised by a certified RSO. I've tried indoor ranges with rental weapons and found that they tend to let people be silly with the guns, because they're paying customers. By contrast, the Associated Gun Clubs (of Maryland) has a much more stringent policy toward members that violate safety rules, and the Baltimore Rifle Club has one of the best safety track records of the clubs. (It also doesn't require us to be NRA members, which I consider a boon because I happen to be a bleeding heart liberal for the most part. ;) There's more of us out there owning guns than a lot of people might think given the way the gun culture sometimes is presented.)
As to the weapons, they can be cheap, but the price varies, though they've gone up as of about two years ago -- they really shot up on the fear, not a very well-justified one, that there'd be a push to ban guns in America. That effort has mostly fizzled (and, politics for a moment, I tend to predict it's going to generally continue to do so due to demographics in America.)
My Sig Sauer is worth about 800 these days, my AR-15 might well be 1500 total before we factor the price of optics and modifications. Surplus and foreign weaponry tends to be considerably cheaper because the ammunition is not widely available and that lowers their worth. So a surplus bolt action rifle can go from roughly 120-400 bucks, depending on type, except for, say, an American Springfield 1903 which fires the commonly available .30-06.
Not that I've ever had a problem acquiring Swiss 7.5 or Brit .303. My next acquisition will probably be a Czech or Yugoslavian Mauser, which will be in 7.92, a German round. I expect to pay about 300 for the rifle, and it won't be as hard to find those in good shape the way it was hunting down a couple of Enfields with good bores. The ammo will be the pricey part of owning that rifle, just like the others.
Well, I ended up getting to where I am comfortable around guns. I went to the shooting range and was excited to do so. This was over 7 months ago. I'm doing much better and hoping to go for a concealed carry permit.
I did have an instance where I thought someone broke into the apartment and was screaming, and I was in the bedroom where me and my boyfriend slept. So I quietly locked the door to my bedroom and assembled his Ruger and did a sweep of the apartment. Turned out it was just my neighbors yelling in the next door apartment
And one time we had came home and the apartment door was open, and the boys weren't home yet, so me and my best friend were scared to death, but she told me to stay outside and quietly and slowly went into her bedroom (visible from the front door) and pullled out her shotgun and did a sweep of the apartment. We didn't see anything taken out of the apartment or anyone in, so we just guessed that we just didn't close the door all the way.
I'm glad you're better with it all. I've lived in a high crime city for years, but have never really been freaked. On the other hand, if the state starts issuing licenses, I'll get one. My shotgun is a home defense deal, but I keep it locked away. It has a really bright tactical light that I recently installed, and it's fairly short and handy for a shotgun. Also, Winchester slides are faster than Remington or Mossbergs.
(The rest of you can eat your hearts out; that's the Associated Gun Clubs range in Marriotsville, Maryland, one of the premier facilities on the East Coast. There's a reason people from other states come here to sight in their rifles and love to shoot here. As a member of the Baltimore Rifle Club, I have year long free access to this and many other ranges on the facility.)
