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It would be interesting to know what it took in terms of time and effort to attain them. Did your previous service in (I believe) the Navy make it easier? What is the process involved?

I’m in New Mexico USA and purchased 5 handguns at two stores in a total of less than a half an hour. (The stars aligned back in the day when I was collecting Smith and Wessons). I’m just, as we say “Joe Schmoe”.

Thank you for the info.

My previous service probably made it easier in an informal sense. To own more than a basic firearms licence, you need to be interviewed by your local firearms officer (in my case, this was a local police senior sergeant) who has to satisfy themselves that you are a 'fit and proper person' to have such a licence. I think my interview was more straightforward than somebody without more than twenty years military service would have been. You also need to provide a reason you need the licence - there's a range of possible ways of doing this. For most people, the easiest way is to join a pistol club for a handgun licence.

Your first gun licence has a 28 day waiting period, but if you already have a basic licence, you don't have to wait that long for a higher level one.

The real bugbear in the process is you need to get an individual permit for any gun you want to buy. And that can take at least ten days by itself. I actually don't have any real problem with the licencing process myself - I do think the permit to acquire idea is a big problem though.