Re: We need gunlaws like in the US to fight crime
Another thing about the lack of general guns in society is that ammo is harder to come by. Determined criminals will probably always be able to get guns. But ammo is rarer, and the guy who sells you that automatic down the pub, probably doesn't have the full warehousing and supply chain to offer you spare parts and ammo.
I think you'll find there's a lot of old and custom weaponry in use by the armed criminals of the UK, and often sourced from people you might class a gun lenders. The really thick crims probably do want to own a gun to carry all the time because they think that's cool, gangster style, these are the morons that think "I need an Uzi and a thousand rounds". But the majority of armed crims realise the last thing they want is to carry a gun "off duty", or even to have a personal weapon that could be traced back to them, or between different crimes. Far better to rent a custom firearm with its own ammunition for a specific job, then return it to the lender. That way, if it gets fired a few times, the bullets will be traced to a single firearm, but the crimes undertaken will be by multiple offendors in different locations, making proof more difficult.
Because the weapons may be ancient out-of-production models, or converted replicas, even air rifles or home made weapons, the gun lender has to source the specific ammunition. It won't be available in volume, but that doesn't matter. So to an extent, underworld guns aren't sold like replica watches, they're hired or bought from a small number of professional suppliers, and if "sold" the dealer will repurchase them after the event. Do a search on Paul Edmunds ammunition for a relevant story on this topic - the most amusing thing is that Edmunds was caught because he issued an invoice to one of his criminal customers.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
