the common man was never allowed to have pistols in the uk,, only the very rich and powerful could have them back in the day
Wrong.
Private ownership of handguns was THE shooting sport of the working man , with an FAC and membership of a gun club pretty much anything apart from full auto could be legally aquired, was growing fast prior to Dunblane and the ban on pistols.
Much less expensive sport /hobby than many would think , secondhand guns and reloading enabled me to shoot extensively and im very common and quite poor.