New Labour- Upon taking power in 1997, Labour ammended the Firearms Act to include a complete ban on all handguns, including .22 handguns used in Olympic events.
- Introduced a mandatory 5 year minimum jail sentence for possession of an illegal firearm, no matter if intent to harm was present.
- Entirely opposed to relaxation of laws on firearm ownership.
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Conservative Party- Introduced the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997, which in effect banned most pistols. This ban exluded .22 rimfire pistols used in Olympic events.
- No plans to repeal any laws regarding ownership of firearms.
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Liberal Democrats- Pressured for a complete ban on all handguns. Continues to be vocal in favour of more restrictions.
- No plans to repeal any laws regarding firearm ownership.
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UK Independence Party10. Nigel Farage of UKIP was asked about the UK's gun laws and said,
"We have not got it right. It was knee-jerk reaction. Hungerford was awful, Dunblane was quite horrific and just like the Dangerous Dogs Act, we overreacted, we put in place a piece of legislation which means our Olympic pistol team have to go to France to practice, they are not allowed to practice in the UK. It is because politicians think that if you see a problem if you put a piece of legislation that will solve the problem. Clearly it doesn't."
"I am not against a proper licensing system; that is sensible and that is what we should be doing.
"But to bring in a total ban and for Mr Blair to stand up in the Commons and say that by doing this gun crime would be brought under control, well we know that gun crime is far worse now than it was before handguns were banned."
"I do not think we are complacent. I have a son at school in south London and he is very conscious that guns and knives are out there on the streets in very big numbers. Legislation is not the answer, but having real police on the beat might just be."
- No set policies with regards to repealing any firearms laws, although occasionally vocal in favour.
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British National Party- Allow victims of crime full freedom to defend themselves and their property (From
http://bnp.org.uk/policies/law-and-order)
- Some members in favour of the Swiss model of keeping a military issued rifle and ammunition at home as part of National Service (Not set in policy).
- No set policies on the repeal of laws on private firearm ownership, although occasionally vocal in favour.
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Green Party of England and Wales
Tough licensing on guns, cutting off the gun supply to the UK and banning the sale of replica guns will bring down violent crime. We need solutions that work, not political posturing: we don't care about looking tough, we only care about stopping people being injured and killed.
- Opposed to any relaxation of laws regarding firearms
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UK Libertarian PartyFront line policies include:
- Complete legalization of the carrying of 'non-lethal' self defense weapons.
- Complete legalization of muzzleloading firearms.
- Repeal of the handgun ban
- Allow firearms to be purchsed for self defence purposes
http://lpuk.org/pages/manifesto/law-and-order.phpFirearms LegislationThe Libertarian Party stands by the right of peaceful citizens to defend themselves against violent attackers and burglars within the law, and will make it a priority to bring the laws on self defence back into line with common sense.
When seconds count, the police are just minutes away. The police are not your bodyguards. They can outline you in chalk, they can break the news to your family, they can maybe catch whoever did it after the fact, but they cannot protect you. It will take police anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes to reach you, if they even bother to come at all. An attacker can break in and search your entire house in under three minutes or travel 100m in under 15 seconds.
As one of our first steps to reduce the violent crime rate, a Libertarian Government will immediately move to repeal the ban on the ownership and carrying of non-lethal defensive weaponry by law-abiding people. Muggers, rapists and racist thugs make a habit of carrying knives and other lethal weapons in order to prey on the innocent. For too long the law has prevented their intended victims from protecting themselves using the non-lethal technology which is available to the citizens of most civilised countries.
This long-overdue reform is not a charter for vigilantes, but will have the effect of shifting the balance of power on the streets back towards peaceful citizens, where it belongs.
We will amend the Firearms Acts to repeal the pistol ban, which has both completely failed to reduce armed crime and crippled our country's ability to compete in the pistol shooting events in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, while depriving law-abiding householders of the ability to defend their homes with one of the most suitable weapons available. We will also remove the legal anomaly that requires antique-patterned muzzle-loading firearms to be licensed and registered as if they were modern weapons, when the originals can be bought over the counter. Since the technology is long obsolete, we will follow the path of most European countries by removing this bureaucratic requirement.
We will amend the 1988 Criminal Justice Act to prevent law-abiding people from being prosecuted for the simple act of having sharp or pointed objects in their possession. This Act has led to perverse court rulings resulting in innocent people being convicted for carrying the tools of their trade and other non-weapons, and it has done nothing to reduce violent crime.
Throughout our first term in office we will work to further reduce and eliminate bureaucratic and legal barriers to lawful self-defence and peaceful participation in the shooting sports.
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English Democrats- No policies to repeal any laws regarding ownership of firearms.
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This list will be constantly changing. If you have additional information regarding any UK political party, please send a PM or post here.
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