"....I think the knee-jerk legislation that Blair brought in that meant that the British Olympic pistol team have to go to France to even practice, was just crackers."

Because he is rational, that's why he's hated.

I think the British have, for the most part, surrendered their right to self-defense. Most of them have been convinced that if you bringing back firearm ownership the blood will run in the streets. It’s similar to the apocalypse the liberal press predicted would happen when the “Assault Weapons” ban expired here in the states. The massive slaughter of each and every innocent person in the US never happened, but the liberals will not concede that firearms do not equal violence, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. This faulty logic has been deeply engrained into the general populous of England. You can see this in the comments on the article. The battle to get legal firearm ownership back there will be a long one, and I am not sure the right side will win.