The majority of English people ( I suspect) have never even seen a gun in real life Jacks

I'd agree with that, dode. Strongly. When I was in RAF cadets (sorta) I did some shooting and got to know a bit about guns. Also shot air rifles as a kid, but, even though I live in the country (where there is an occasional working need for guns), I hardly ever see "real" guns. Same applies to when I lived in a fairly rough part of London (obviously nothing like Moss Side, but..), and whenever I go to London these days.

There was an armed soldier outside the Royal Scots Guards barracks yesterday (near Victoria, London). The presence of a gun in Town is striking even if in a military context.

It's quite a shock to the average Brit when in another country, walking past armed police and so on.