It is a shame that a few idiots who wanted their 15 minutes of fame in a merciless manner, caused the system to be so much harder for everyone else. They give people with mental health issues (genuine issues, not selfish moron syndrome) a very bad name, and they also give shooters a bad name.
Gun ownership should be a right, for protection of your own home against criminals and for sporting purposes - the very small minority are to blame for that not being the case in the UK, along with knee-jerk reactions from governments instead of dealing with the real problem.