Well, compared to the U.S. they don't look that free. But compared to most of the rest of the world, they're a garden-like paradise of liberty and prosperity. If more countries could step up to UK-style governance, the world would be a far better place.
True enough! My point, however, is that British freedom is a matter of tradition, more than law. They had a powerful tradition of bearing arms, but that’s gone now by various acts of parliament and the home secretary to which there is no appeal.
I’ve lived in countries that give the appearance of “garden-like paradise of liberty and prosperity” (Korea), but the police could follow you home and enter and search through your belongings without explanation. You could be arrested and held for questioning almost indefinitely. Everything depends on the mood of the current government.
Most places freedom is not much more than an attitude, even in our country. I would not live in a repressive state such as Massachusetts, New York or California [again]. Thank God for Montana!