In 1968, Britain passed a law requiring civilians to obtain a certificate from their district police chief in order to purchase or possess any type of firearm. This law also required that firearm certificates specify the identification numbers ("if known") of all firearms owned by the applicant. In 1997, Britain passed its next major gun control law, which required civilians to surrender almost all privately owned handguns to the police. More than 162,000 handguns and 1.5 million pounds of ammunition were "compulsorily surrendered" by February 1998. Using "records of firearms held on firearms certificates," police accounted for all but 8 of all legally owned handguns in England, Scotland, and Wales. During the periods before and after these laws, Britain's murder rates varied as shown in the chart at the link below.