Editing Right to keep and bear arms (section)

====United Kingdom====
{{See also|Firearms policy in the United Kingdom|Self-defence in English law|Offensive weapon#England and Wales}}
{{quote box
| align = right
| quote = That the Subjects which are Protestants may have Arms for their Defence suitable to their Conditions and as allowed by Law.
| source = [[Bill of Rights 1689]]
| width = 40%
}}
In the [[United Kingdom]], there is no automatic right to bear arms,<ref name="SydneySchoolOfPublicHealth2015">{{cite web|last1=Alpers |first1=Philip |last2=Wilson |first2=Marcus |last3=Rossetti |first3=Amélie |last4=Salinas |first4=Daniel |url=http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/united-kingdom |title=United Kingdom – Gun Facts, Figures and the Law&nbsp;– Gun regulation, Right to Possess Firearms |publisher=Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney|date=2015-04-29 |access-date=2015-05-13}}</ref> although citizens may possess certain firearms on obtaining an appropriate licence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firearms-law-guidance-to-the-police-2012 |title=Guide on firearms licensing law |author=Home Office |website=GOV.UK |date=April 2016}}</ref> Ordinary members of the public may own sporting rifles and shotguns, subject to licensing, while [[handgun]]s, [[Automatic firearm|automatic]] weapons, and [[Semi-automatic firearm|semi-automatic]] weapons other than [[Rimfire ammunition|rimfire]] rifles in [[.22 calibre]] are illegal to possess without special additional conditions.<ref name="SydneySchoolOfPublicHealth2015"/><ref>{{cite journal| last =Kopel| first =David| title =It isn't about duck hunting: The British origins of the right to arms| journal =Michigan Law Review| issue =6| pages =1333–1362| publisher =Michigan Law Review Association| year =1995| volume =93| doi =10.2307/1289883| jstor =1289883| url =http://www.guncite.com/journals/dk-dhunt.html| access-date = 7 April 2013| url-access =subscription}}</ref> All licensed firearms must be stored securely (locked) and separate from their ammunition when not attended. [[Firearms regulation in the United Kingdom#Airguns|Regulations for airguns]] are less stringent and air pistols with a muzzle energy not exceeding {{cvt|6|ftlbf|J}} and other airguns with a muzzle energy not exceeding {{cvt|12|ftlbf|J}} do not require any certificates or licensing, although the same storage requirement applies.

The first serious control on firearms was established with the passing of the [[Gun politics in the United Kingdom#Firearms Act 1920|Firearms Act 1920]],<ref>{{cite web|first=John |last=Pate |url=http://www.dvc.org.uk/dunblane/pistolsact.html |title=Dunblane Massacre Resource Page&nbsp;– Pistols Act, 1903 |publisher=Dvc.org.uk |date=1903-08-11 |access-date=2012-05-22}}</ref>{{self-published inline|certain=y<!--personal website-->|date=April 2025}} handgun restrictions being added in response to the 1996 [[Dunblane Massacre]] in which 18 people died.

Historically the English [[Bill of Rights 1689]] allowed:
{{blockquote|That the Subjects which are [[Protestants]] may have Arms for their Defence suitable to their Conditions and as allowed by Law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMarSess2/1/2/introduction/data.htm|title=Bill of Rights [1688]|website=www.legislation.gov.uk}}</ref>}}

Since 1953, it has been a criminal offence in the United Kingdom to carry a knife (except for non-locking folding knives with a cutting edge of 3 inches (7.62 centimetres) or less) or any "[[offensive weapon]]" in a public place without lawful authority (e.g. police or security forces) or reasonable excuse (e.g., tools that are needed for work, or [[Bow and arrow|bows and arrows]] used for sporting purposes). The cutting edge of a knife is separate from the blade length. The only manner in which an individual may carry arms is on private property or any property to which the public does not have a lawful right of access (e.g., a person's own home, private land, the area in a shop where the public have no access, etc.), as the law only creates the offence when it occurs in public.<ref>{{cite legislation UK|type=act |year=1953 |chapter=14 |section=1|act=Prevention of Crime Act 1953}}</ref><ref name="cps.gov.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/offensive-weapons-knives-bladed-and-pointed-articles|title=Offensive Weapons, Knives, Bladed and Pointed Articles |publisher=Crown Prosecution Service |access-date=2019-08-23}}</ref> Furthermore, [[Criminal Justice Act 1988]] Section 141 specifically lists all [[offensive weapon]]s that cannot technically be owned, even on private property, by way of making it illegal to sell, trade, hire, etc. an offensive weapon to another person.<ref>{{cite legislation UK |type=act |year=1988 |chapter=33 |section=141 |act=Criminal Justice Act 1988}}</ref>

Furthermore, the law does not allow an offensive weapon or an ordinary item intended to be used or adapted for use as an offensive weapon to be carried in public before the threat of violence arises. This would only be acceptable in the eyes of the law if the person armed themselves immediately preceding or during an attack (in a public place). This is known as a "[[weapon of opportunity]]" or "instantaneous arming".<ref name="cps.gov.uk"/>