Bob,
In late 2009 the Daily Telegraph published figures supporting the horrendous growth in gun crime since they were 'done away with'. The BBC quoted in 2007: "The number of people injured by firearms in England and Wales has more than doubled since 1998." Two credible sources there, one Right and one Left.
The sorry tale of UK legitmate firearms ownership is dealt with quite well here:
Wiki - UK Firearms Legislation.
Yes, the right to bear arms was in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, much of which was copied by the Founding Fathers into the US Bill of Rights:
Wiki - The English Bill of Rights.
Blackstone, the definitive authority on English Common Law declared in his four volume treatise in the 1760s:
"The fifth and last auxiliary right of the subject, that I shall at present mention, is that of having arms for their defence, suitable to their condition and degree, and such as are allowed by law. Which is also declared by the same statute I W. & M. st.2. c.2. and is indeed a public allowance, under due restrictions, of the natural right of resistance and self-preservation, when the sanctions of society and laws are found insufficient to restrain the violence of oppression."
Perfectly put.

Interestingly, our Bill Of Rights is still in force so I guess in theory the relevant clause could be evoked by us:
"Freedom for Protestants to have arms for their own defence, as suitable to their class and as allowed by law."
I'm no lawyer so I don't know if Parliamentary statutes override my 1689 rights? I could go for a test case, but the minimum sentence for illegal possession of a handgun here is five years!