SASS in the UK

[LostVaquero]

I have been trying to figure the UK gun laws out.  As near as I can figure a handgun of any kind even with membership in a club is a no.  If any of the UK Cowboys can give me a heads up on what you can and cannot have.  I could not imagine a cowboy match without some sort of revolver and the few pictures I see sure look like there are some.

 

Thank you in advance.

[Abe E.S. Corpus SASS #87667]

I thought they could own and shoot percussion revolvers.  Uberti makes a percussion version of their 1873 revolver for sale in countries that restrict or prohibit ownership of cartridge handguns.

[Major Crimes]

Pistols[edit]

The 1997 law did not ban pistols as such and was drafted in terms of small firearms.^[20]:3.2 British law defines a "pistol" as a firearm with a barrel shorter than 30 cm (12 in) or a total length of less than 60 cm (24 in)^[21] (this definition encompasses revolvers, revolving pistols). Only muzzle-loading pistols—including muzzle-loading revolvers—are permitted; in practice all such firearms use black powder—a Class 1 explosive—as the propellant. Small quantities of muzzle-loading pistols and revolvers in various calibres, which comply with the regulations, are manufactured.^[22] All other pistols are mostly prohibited in Great Britain, with some exceptions such as pistols used for the humane dispatch of injured animals (such as deer) and some historical firearms.

This law created a new market for "Long-barrelled revolvers" and "long-barrelled pistols", firearms with a permanently attached extension to the grip, making them long enough to fit under the legal definition of a rifle. Long-barrelled pistols/revolvers in single-shot of any calibre, or semi-automatic in .22 rimfire, are all permitted with FAC.^[23]

Specific models of blank-firing starting pistol that are "readily convertible" to fire live ammunition may also be either banned or require a FAC. The Bruni Olympic .380 BBM blank-firing revolver was banned in 2010 on evidence that it was being illegally converted.^[24][25]

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearms_regulation_in_the_United_Kingdom#Pistols}

 

[Badlands Bob #61228]

I did some research on this a while back after my daughter married a British citizen and moved over to England.  They are allowed to have 22 rifles and break open shotguns.  There are lots of hoops to jump through to obtain permission to purchase and an ongoing permitting process every few years.  This involves have a documented location to legally shoot the gun (gun club), a proper way of storing it (safe), background checks including psychological testing.  Pistols are out of the question.  The Brits buy very expensive over and under shotguns because most buyers only own one.  Lots of red tape.    

 

 

[Sixgun Sheridan]

I was surprised when I learned that technically speaking AR-15s and AK-47s are still legal over there. The only caveat is that they have to be manually-operated, so the gas systems are missing or welded over.