Europe is a large and varied continent, and different nations have different laws and cultures regarding both gun ownership and hunting. So no generalisation can safely be made on the topic. In Britain, for example, where gun ownership is severely restricted, hunting is nonetheless a popular sport with certain groups and classes. Those who enjoy hunting are quite prepared to go through the paperwork to own a rifle for the sport, and usually hunt on specific preserves which are kept stocked with game for that purpose. In Albania, almost every male citizen outside an urban area owns a gun, although it is more likely used for shooting predators that threaten herds than for anything that looks like 'hunting'. Hunting is still part of a livelihood in areas of the Pyrenees, but not in Italy. In many areas that used to be part of Yugoslavia, guns abound without regulation, but game is pretty scarce. In fact, the biggest restriction on hunting across most of Europe is not the issue of legal gun ownership, but the utter lack of animals to hunt. Over 5,000 or so years, the bears, boars, wolves, deer and similar prey have been hunted to near or complete extinction, and replaced with domestic animals that meet the need for meat and related procducts without the need to hunt.

Each Country has different gun laws. Some countries such as Russia, have a large hunting population, and not just for sport, but for subsistance. Their gun laws are somewhat liberal. Others, such as the UK, have a smaller hunting population, not simply beacuse guns are harder to get, but the popularity of it as a sport, is becomming socially unacceptable. This is really the reason why there is a decline in it as a sport, same goes for North America. The method, game is taken ,is not always by gun. Bow, trap and snare are also used for example. Hunting is hunting..guns are just easier to use. Europeans hunt on average...as a whole, the same as North Americans.

it is not difficult whatsoever for a uk citizen to obtain a gun license. also there are plenty of animals to shoot, in fact shooting makes up a large revenue for the uk and not to mention some of the finest shotguns and precision rifles such as ai and pra originate from the uk. also we have no problem or cost in obtaining sound moderators!