I lived in Hampshire England for two years and you can own shotguns and rifles in England. However, you have to get a permit from the local police. In order to get a permit they will physically come to your house and make sure your guns are secure. This mean that you have a proper gun safe that is bolted to the floor and the guns are safe inside. I think there is also a restriction on the amount of ammo you can have. If you meet these criteria they will let you have a shotgun at the house. Instead of dealing with this, some people just keep their shotguns at a H&H shooting school, or the Royal Berkshire Shooting School, etc.
For rifles things get a bit more difficult. The Police still come out and verify that your guns are secure, just like above, but you must prove that you have access to an area where a rifle can be used. Meaning, you typically need to own an estate(ranch in the US) where game are shot in order to get permit. I think you can also get a permit if you can prove that you have access to a rifle range, but my understanding is it is more difficult to get a rifle permit than a shotgun permit.
Ted
