In Britain only certain members of the security forces and a small number of specially-trained police officers are allowed to carry hand guns or automatic weapons. Shotguns and rifles are strictly controlled and licensed. Anyone else is treated as a potential murderer and, if found out, will be arrested and imprisoned or even shot.

No law-abiding citizen needs to own or carry a hand gun. If you don't feel safe in public without a gun or if you don't trust your police force to protect you, you should be insisting that your politicians do something about it. Whatever the circumstances, carrying a gun implies that you expect to kill someone and having millions of potential killers wandering around does not make for a civilised society.