Power to Regulate Airguns to be Devolved to
Scotland -
November 2009
THE DEVOLUTION OF GUN LEGISLATION,
which would provide the Scottish Parliament with the power to
introduce measures to control airguns in Scotland, has been
announced. The measure is part of the UK Government's
response to the Calman Commission review of Scottish Devolution.
Firearms legislation is currently reserved to Westminster.
The changes are not expected to be made before the next general
election.
> see
BBC Report
New Offence Relating to Safekeeping of
Airguns Proposed -
November 2009
THE UK GOVERNMENT'S CRIME & SECURITY
BILL announced in the Queen's Speech includes a new offence to
help prevent air weapons coming into the unauthorised possession
of young people. It would be an offence for a person in
possession of an air weapon to fail to take reasonable precautions
to prevent young people from gaining unauthorised access to it.
Lowest Scottish Gun Crime Figures for at least 20 Years
- October 2009
THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT has
published figures for Recorded Crimes and Offences involving
Firearms, Scotland, 2008-09. There were a total of 949
offences, the lowest figure for at least twenty years. This
represents a decrease of nearly 200, a fall of 17%, since the
previous year. The largest decreases were in airgun offences
(down 23%), though these still account for nearly half of all
offences, and those involving imitation guns (down 28%).
There was a big fall in the number of people who were injured,
138, which is 74 less than in 2007-08. There were two
fatalities.
Recorded gun offences were at their
highest in Scotland during the early 1990's peaking at a total of
1959 offences.
> see
Data
Latest Figures show
Rise in Gun Crime in London but Level is Below that of Two Years
Ago - October 2009
THE METROPOLITAN POLICE have
released the latest figures for gun crime in London. Between
April and September 2009 there were 1736 crimes, 252 more than in
the same period last year, a rise of 17% over the past year.
The number of gun crimes would appear to fluctuate as the previous figures,
announced in April (see below), indicated a fall of 25.8% in the year ending
March 2009 and the latest figure is 89 fewer than
the number recorded in the equivalent period in 2007 (BBC,
18 October 2007).
BMA in Talks with ACPO about
Tagging Medical Records of Patients holding
Firearms or Shotgun Licences
- August 2009
THE BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(BMA) has been in talks with the Association of Chief Police
Officers (ACPO) about possible plans to allow doctors to see
whether patients with mental illnesses have access to guns.
In April 2009 the coroner at the inquest into the death of
Christopher Foster and his family called for communication between
GPs and police forces, who issue gun licences, to be improved.
Christopher Foster, who shot dead his wife and teenage daughter
before killing himself, had told his doctor that he felt suicidal.
In a statement the BMA said that a system in which medical records
could be tagged to indicate that a patient either held a firearms
or shotgun licence or had applied for one can be appropriate,
"provided it is used as part of the ordinary care given to a
patient".
> See
BBC Report and
Comment
Latest Figures Confirm
Further Reduction in Gun Crime in England and Wales
- July 2009
THE LATEST FIGURES released by the
Home Office confirm that these was a further fall in gun crime in
England and Wales for the year ending March 2009. The total
number of offences (excluding those involving airguns) fell by 17%
compared with the corresponding period in 2007/08. There
were significant fall in the number of fatal injuries (a total of
38 homicides the lowest figure for at least 20 years), serious
injuries, slight injuries and offences in which there was no
injury or threat. The number of threats rose slightly.
There were small rises in the number of offences involving
handguns and shotguns but large falls in the number of those
apparently involving imitation firearms, unidentified firearms and
other firearms.
> See
The Home Office Report
> See
Additional Data
GLA Announces Big Fall in Gun
Crime in London - April 2009
FIGURES RELEASED BY THE GREATER
LONDON AUTHORITY reveal that gun crime in London fell by 25.8% in
the year ending March 2009. There were a total of 2,168
offences compared with 2,921 in the previous year. The
offences are all those involving a firearm and include offences
where a firearm has been seen or discharged/used. Both real,
and fake firearms as well as air weapons are counted.
Theft and handling offences are no longer included in the
gun crime definition.
> See the
GLA's Press Release
> Visit the
Metropolitan Police Service Crime Figures
Site
A SIGNIFICANT FALL IN GUN CRIME was
also apparent from provisional figures published by the Home
Office for England and Wales for the year ending December 2008.
> See
Quarterly Update
Scottish Government Launches
Campaign on Dangers of Air and Replica Guns - March
2009
THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT has launched
a hard hitting campaign involving washroom ads, on-line gaming
ads, internet virals, posters, leaflets and a dedicated website to
warn the population about the dangers and consequences of using
air and replica guns. The adverts spell out the punishments,
a fine or jail sentence, and highlight the potential consequences
such as injuring or killing a person or animal or being challenged
by a police armed response unit. Gun Control Network, along
with other organisations including the Scottish SPCA and Scottish
Target Shooting, has given its support to the campaign.
> Visit the
Scottish Government's Campaign Site
Official Launch of NABIS
- March 2009
THE NATIONAL BALLISTICS INTELLIGENCE
SERVICE (NABIS) has been officially launched. It will give
guns and bullets a traceable "fingerprint" and store forensic
information from all firearms and ballistics material recovered by
police in England and Wales. The Home Secretary Jacqui Smith
said the analysis would help police get firearms off the streets.
The system will be based at three centres, in London, Birmingham
and Manchester (BBC, 2 March 2009).
Latest Gun Crime Figures
- October 2008
GUN CRIME DATA were published for
both England and Wales and Scotland.
ENGLAND AND WALES - Provisional
statistics for recorded crimes involving firearms (other than
airguns) to the end of June 2008 showed decreases in almost every
category compared with the same period in 2006/07. There was
a 6 per cent drop in the total number of offences. Just over
two thirds of the offences involved no physical injury. View
Data.
SCOTLAND - The annual report of
Recorded Crimes and Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland, was
released in October. There were a total of 1,125 offences in
which a firearm was alleged to have been used, a decrease of 11
per cent from the total in 2006-07. Air weapons accounted
for 50 per cent of all offences. The number of offences in
which a firearm was fired and killed or caused injury decreased by
37 to 211. The number of young people involved is a cause
for concern: 22 per cent of the victims who were injured were aged
between 11 and 15 years of age and 18 per cent were aged 10 years
or under. View
Data.
Immediately prior to the release of the
latest gun crime data the Sunday Telegraph published an
article claiming that
the statistics massively understate the scale of the problem. The
reason for this is the omission from the figures of "thousands of
offences" including gun-smuggling and illegal possession of a firearm.
The article indicated that last year 5600 offences were excluded from
the official figures and should be added to the estimated 9800 (the
actual number was 9306) offences to be announced by the Home Office.
The omission was said to raise questions about the reliability of Government
crime data.
Gun Control Network supports the publication of all data
relating to firearms offences but questions whether or not the omission
highlights, as an Opposition spokesman maintained, the appalling state of
gun crime in this country. It has always been obvious to those who look
at the detail of the reports published by the Home Office exactly which
offences have been included. They are the same offences used by
previous administrations in compiling the official statistics.
There are no data available to show how
the number of "missing" offences has changed over the years, and so it
cannot be concluded that the "discovery" of these additional offences
provides any insight into recent trends in gun crime. Where it is
possible to compare the same data over a period of time, as is the case
with the official figures, the indications are that the number of
offences is falling. These also confirm that the level of gun crime in
this country remains low in comparison to that in most other
industrialised countries.
YouTube Bans Weapons Footage
- September 2008
YOUTUBE is to ban footage showing
weapons being used to intimidate people on its website in the UK.
The move follows criticism of video-sharing websites for not
vetting content well enough and comes amid growing concern about
knife and gun crime among young people (BBC, 17 September
2008).
Vast Majority of Guns Recovered by
Strathclyde Police are
Airguns, BB guns and Replica Weapons
- July 2008
STRATHCLYDE POLICE have reported
that of the 1,529 reported firearms incidents between January and
June this year, 85% of the guns recovered were airguns, BB guns or
replicas. In total 107 of the weapons have been seized by
the Armed Response Vehicle officers and more than 100 by officers
on routine patrol. The weapons were mainly being carried by
young men in their teens.
> See
BBC Report
Reports on Street Weapons Released
- June 2008
THE STREET WEAPONS COMMISSION set up
by Channel 4 is an independent and diverse group of commissioners
chaired by Cherie Booth who were tasked with examining the problem
of gun and knife crime on Britain's streets in an attempt to find
out why so many young people now routinely carry guns and knives.
The findings have been published in a report.
THE CENTRE FOR CRIME AND JUSTICE
STUDIES was commissioned by Channel 4 to prepare a report for the
Commission.
Both Reports can be Downloaded
from the
Channel 4 Street Weapons Commission Site
Prime Minister Vows to Get Tough on Airguns
- 22 May 2008
PRIME MINISTER
GORDON BROWN told the father of a boy killed with an airgun "We'd
like to do everything in our power to prevent anything like this
happening again". GCN member Andrew Picken's son Mitchel
died when he was shot by another teenager in a house where the
father had left out an air rifle and ammunition.
> See
Daily Mirror Report
Mixed News on Gun Crime - 22
May 2008
ON A DAY WHEN HOME SECRETARY JACQUI
SMITH addressed a conference in Birmingham there was apparently
mixed news about gun crime in England. The Home Secretary
said that £5m would be committed to tackle gun and knife crime,
while witnesses would be offered anonymity to encourage them to
come forward (Guardian, 22 February 2008). An action
plan, Tackling Gangs Action Programme, has halved the
number of firearms-related injuries, according to the Home Office.
The number of gun injuries fell by 51% from 93 in October to
46 in February and there was a 27% decrease in the overall number
of gun offences in the four areas targeted (London, Liverpool,
Birmingham and Manchester) (Press Association, 22 February
2008). However, in two of the individual areas, West
Midlands and Liverpool, the number of gun crimes recorded has
actually increased
(Press Association, 22 February 2008). The rise in
the West Midlands has been linked to the loss of banning orders by
police following a judgement in January 2008. The banning
orders had been extended to curb the activity of members of
Birmingham's rival factions, the Johnson Crew and the Burger Bar
Gang (Times, 22 May 2008). A spokesman for Merseyside
Police's Matrix team said the figures failed to paint a true
picture of gun crime on Merseyside and pointed out figures have
begun to fall. The results of the measures they have
introduced are only just coming through (Liverpool Daily Post,
23 May 2008).
As Gun Control
Network continues to point out it is easy to give too much weight
to a single set of statistics, and it is hoped that current and
future initiatives will lead to further reductions in gun crime in
our major cities and throughout the country.
Scottish Government Hosts Firearms Summit
- May 2008
NEWS RELEASE from the Scottish
Government
Firearms summit
07/05/2008
Police, gun control campaigners and
shooting representatives are gathering at the First Minister's official
residence, Bute House, today to discuss how to tackle the misuse of
firearms.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who
will chair the firearms summit, organised the meeting amid increasing
public concern about the misuse of such weapons, including airguns, in
communities across the country.
Recorded firearms casualties in Scotland
rose by a quarter in 2006-07 - one in three of them children and 58 per
cent involving air weapons. Cases of attempted murder involving firearms
were almost three times that of a decade ago.
Mr Salmond said:
"Recorded firearms casualties in Scotland
rose by a quarter last year - one in three of them children and 58 per
cent involving airguns. Cases of attempted murder involving firearms,
though uncommon, were almost three times that of a decade ago. Clearly
the time has come to take action on firearms - to look afresh at the
legislation and put public safety is at its core.
"Current legislation is a guddle, amended
and extended over 40 years. While we have supported changes to the law
passed at Westminster, so far as they go, what we need is a spring-clean
not a sticking-plaster. We want to start again - to produce an
unambiguous, modern and enforceable system that protects the people of
Scotland.
"It is the duty of any Government to
safeguard its people. That's why we have sought the removal of
Westminster reservation on firearms to allow us to legislate for
Scotland. Home Office refusal will not stop us from taking a
constructive approach. We can not be complacent - communities are crying
out for tough action.
"Today we are bringing together a wide
range of people to find agreement about what measures we can take to
make our society safer. What unites everyone around the table is the
acknowledgement that more can be done and more needs to be done. By
continuing our consultative, can-do approach to government I know that
together we can find new ways to better protect the public and respond
to the serious threat of firearms."
Mr MacAskill added:
"We are determined to protect those
communities where the continuing misuse firearms, including airguns, is
damaging lives and damaging the peace and security that everyone
deserves.
"We need to enact laws but also change
attitudes. Enforce legislation and educate people - all of which we will
consider in the summit.
"The 1968 Firearms Act has been amended
countless times - changes having been bolted on through a raft of Acts
and regulations over four decades.
"There is considerable support, including
among police who must enforce this complex framework, for a modern
firearms Act that is simpler to understand, administer and enforce and
which places prime importance on public safety.
"When the Parliament debated this issue in
January MSPs across the chamber also made clear their view that both
Governments should work together and that the existing regime needs to
be reviewed.
"Clearly there are legitimate uses for
firearms and we do not want to impede on those - indeed they too can
benefit from a reformed regulatory regime.
"But we must respond to the demands for
action to remove these weapons from our streets, as well to tackle the
mindset of those who carry them without any good reason.
"We appreciate the involvement of all of
the summit participants and I sincerely hope we can help re-energise the
debate started by Home Office in 2004 and pave the way for both stronger
legislation and non-legislative measures to tackle the problem."
Participants include:
-
Deputy Chief Constable Kevin Mathieson,
firearms licensing portfolio lead, Association of Chief Police
Officers in Scotland (ACPOS)
-
Detective Chief Superintendent William
Prendergast (Strathclyde Police)
-
Cllr Harry McGuigan, Community Wellbeing
& Safety spokesman
-
Mr Mike Callaghan, Community Resourcing,
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
-
Dr Colin Shedden, British Association of
Shooting and Conservation
-
Dr Mick North, Gun Control Network
-
John Dunn, Deputy Crown Agent, Crown
Office & Procurator Fiscal Service
-
Sheriff Kevin Drummond, Jedburgh Sheriff
Court
-
Alex Boyd, Scottish Target Shooting
Federation
-
Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn,
Scottish SPCA
The four main opposition parties have also
been invited to attend.
NABIS to Begin Operations in April
- March 2008
THE NATIONAL BALLISTICS INTELLIGENCE
SERVICE (NABIS) will begin operations in April and aims to go
national by September. The new service, based in London,
Manchester and Birmingham, aims to identify weapons and link gun
crime incidents within 24 to 48 hours. It will include a
national database for recovered guns and ammunition. Home
Secretary Jacqui Smith visited Birmingham to see the agency as
part of the Tackling Gangs Action Programme which was launched
last September.
> See
BBC Report
> See
Birmingham Mail Report
RSPCA Reports Increased Number of Airgun
Attacks on Animals - February 2008
THE RSPCA in a number of regions
have reported a huge increase in the number of cats shot in air
weapons attacks. In the East region the number of attacks on
cats increased by 67 percent in 2007 compared with 2006 (Buxton
Advertiser, 20 February 2008). In the north the
charity's officers were called to 197 incidents in 2007, 76
involved injured cats and 55 concerned birds that had been shot (Huddersfield
Daily Examiner, 20 February 2008). Overall in England
and Wales the RSPCA investigated 497 shootings in 2007 compared
with 354 in 2006 (Manchester Evening News, 20 February
2008).
Fatalities and Serious Injuries Down as
Non-Airgun
Offences Increase by 4% in England and Wales -
January 2008
PROVISIONAL FIGURES for firearm
offences (not including air weapons) in England and Wales for the year ending September 2008
showed a 4% increase in the total number of offences. There
were 6 fewer fatalities than during the corresponding period in
2005/06 and the number of serious injuries decreased by 16%.
The number of slight injuries increased by 4% and over two thirds
of the total number of incidents resulted in no injury.
The latest detailed Annual Figures
(for the year ending March 2007) which will include air weapon
offences are due to be published on 31 January.
> See
More Details
Surrender Scheme for Imitation Guns in
London - January
2008
A CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN LAUNCHED IN
LONDON urging young men and boys to hand in their imitation
firearms. A four-week surrender scheme will allow the guns
to be handed in anonymously. Imitation guns represent the
largest number of firearms carried on London's streets.
The campaign will include advertisements featuring an invisible
man. During the campaign police will accept other
potentially lethal weapons and information about any imitation
firearms. Officers will visit shops to make sure they are
following new legislation which bans the sale of realistic
imitation guns.
> See
BBC Article
Half a Million Replicas
Imported Each Year at Felixstowe - January 2008
The London Campaign (see above) has
been announced at the same time as reports are published that up
to half a million replica
guns are being imported into Britain each year just through
one port, Felixstowe in Suffolk. A spokesman for the
Violent Crime Directorate said that there were 30 or 40 importers
at Felixstowe each bringing in about 1,000 guns on a monthly
basis. A consignment of 'airsoft' weapons is sitting on the
dock now. The Directorate are tackling the supply chain
internationally, nationally and locally.
> See
Article in This is London
Scottish Government Proposes Gun Summit -
January 2008
SCOTTISH JUSTICE MINISTER KENNY
MacASKILL has proposed a firearms summit to identify how gun laws
can be reformed. He will invite police, farmers, shootings
clubs and gun control campaigners and hopes that UK Home Secretary
will also attend. The move follows concerns about the misuse
of airguns in Scotland and the Scottish Government's frustration
at the limited steps taken by the Home Office to deal with the
problem. The issue of firearms control in Scotland was
raised in a debate at Holyrood following concerns about a rise in
firearms casualties last year, one in three of the victims being
children. A Scottish Government call to tighten controls
over air weapons (banning the ownership and use other than for
recognised and legitimate occupational and sporting interests) was
rejected by the Scottish Parliament. Scotland's top police
officers have now demanded an urgent review of gun law, claiming
current legislation is outdated and in need of radical overhaul.
Norrie Flowers, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, has
also back moves to re-examine gun laws. There is general
agreement that the protection of the public must be the main
issue.
> See
BBC
Article
> See
Article in Scotland on Sunday
UPDATE HOME SECRETARY
JACQUI SMITH has rejected the calls for a review of firearms laws
saying it would not be "timely". Scottish Justice Secretary
Kenny MacAskill pledged to go ahead with plans for a national
summit and Scottish Government officials have been told to prepare
for their own summit (BBC, 2 March 2008).
Gun Crime Rises in London -
January 2008
GUN CRIME IN LONDON rose by 4% last
year, according to the Metropolitan Police but was nevertheless
22% lower compared with 2002. Mayor Ken Livingstone said
that there was a resistant problem of gang-related knife and gun
crime involving young people. Overall crime fell by 6.1%
compared with the previous year.
> See
BBC
Article
Home Secretary Announces Ban on Deactivated
Guns -
January 2008
HOME SECRETARY JACQUI SMITH has
announced that the Government intends to implement a ban on guns
deactivated before 1995. Before 1995 standards for deactivating guns were
less stringent than those which currently apply. The ban
will be introduced before the end of the year. She said
that "The police tell me these pre-1995 weapons are turning up
more and more in gun related crime". The Home Office added
that museums and enthusiasts with collections of antique weapons
would be considered for exemption. Gun Control Network has
welcomed the news as the lack of restrictions on deactivated guns
has left a big loophole in the firearms legislation.
> See
Article in The Times
Northamptonshire Police Refute Rising Gun
Crime Figures - December 2007
A TOP OFFICER for Northamptonshire
Police has refuted figures suggesting the force is dealing with
one of the biggest increases in gun crime in the country.
Figures compiled by the Ministry of Justice and released by the
Conservative Party suggested firearms offences in Northamptonshire
had more than trebled in the past five years, but Assistant Chief
Constable Alan Featherstone rebutted the data and said the real
figures showed a declining trend in the number of gun crimes in
the county. "The vast majority of incidents that we
record as gun crime involve either the threat that someone has a
weapon when none is seen or the reported sighting of ball bearing
guns or imitation firearms." ACC Featherstone's remarks must
cast doubt on the interpretation given by the Tories to data for
other areas of the country, emotively described by
shadow police minister David Ruffley as "gun hot spots", in
support of their
argument that there are too few armed police officers.
> See
Article in Northampton Chronicle and Echo
> See
Article in Telegraph
UK Government Refuses Airgun Ban for
Scotland - December 2007
see below for earlier news on this
topic
THE HOME OFFICE has said that an
airgun ban for Scotland alone would be "confusing and potentially
damaging". The view has been criticised by Scottish Justice
Secretary Kenny MacAskill who has accused the UK Government of
ignoring serious crime in Scotland. Gun Control Network
believes that if the Home Office are unwilling to support separate
gun crime legislation for Scotland then airgun misuse must be
tackled through further UK-wide legislation. Perceived
problems with the devolution of firearms laws should not be used
as an excuse for failing to take further measures to deal with
this problem.
> See
Evening Times Article
Euro MPs Back Stricter Gun Laws
- November 2007
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT has voted to
tighten laws on obtaining and possessing firearms.
-
The age at which a firearm can be
bought or owned will be raised to 18 (unless it is for hunting or
target shooting under adult supervision)
-
Blank-firing guns that could be
converted to fire live ammunition will be made illegal
-
Details of firearms will have to be
stored on a national database, listing the type and model of
firearm as well as its serial number and the names and addresses
of the supplier and buyer
> See
BBC Report
> See
International Herald Tribune Report
Police Gun Amnesty Supported by Family of
Teenager who Died from an Air Rifle Wound -
November 2007
A TWO-DAY AMNESTY is being held in
Newport (Gwent). Anyone with an airgun, an imitation firearm
or BB gun can hand it in without fear of any prosecution.
The amnesty is supported by the family of Danny March who died
from an air rifle wound in the Maesglas area of the city in
October. The amnesty has yielded 10 air rifles, 4 air
pistols, 2 BB guns, 1 blank firing pistol and ammunition and 1
imitation handgun (BBC, 30 November 2007).
> See
BBC Report
MEP Wins Backing for New Law on Blank-Firing
Guns - November 2007
MEP ARLENE McCARTHY has won the
backing from the European Commission and Member States to tighten
laws on blank-firing guns that can be converted into lethal
weapons. She says that the new law would classify
convertible weapons as firearms and would ensure weapons could be
traced to their owners and wouldn't fall into the hands of violent
criminals.
> See
BBC Report
Police Call for Sweeping Changes to EU Gun
Laws - November 2007
GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE
have called for Europe-wide legislation to regulate the supply and
sale of replica guns. They were responding to a BBC
undercover investigation which showed how easy it was to obtain a
weapon in Prague and bring it into the UK. The Greater
Manchester force says half of the weapons its officers have seized
this year can be bought easily over the counter, and without a
licence in many countries. The replica guns can be converted
to fire live ammunition.
> See
BBC Report
Rise in Scottish Firearm Offences
- October 2007
FIGURES published by the Scottish
Government show an increase in the number of firearms offences in
2006/07 to the highest level recorded in 10 years. Some of
this increase may be due to changes in recording practices (see
Statistical Bulletin, p.3).
Air weapons accounted for 54 per cent of all offences and almost a
quarter of the victims injured were aged between 11 and 15 years.
The Report notes that the use of firearms in criminal activity
continued to constitute only a small proportion of all offences
recorded by police. There were 8 homicides, 43 offences of
attempted murder and 82 offences of robbery.
> See
Data
Armed Police Call-Outs 'Rising'
- October 2007
IN A PARLIAMENTARY ANSWER Home
Office minister Tony McNulty has said that firearms were
authorised to police officers for 18,891 incidents in England and
Wales in 2005/06, a rise of 53% from 1996/97. There are,
however, significant differences between police forces. For
example, in Devon and Cornwall the number of calls-outs fell by
48% and in Northumbria by 56%. The number of call-outs in
Merseyside in 2005/06 was just two less than in 1996/97.
However, there have been big rises in a number of areas including
Gloucestershire (up 5.6-fold), South Yorkshire (up 4.8-fold),
South Wales (up 4.7-fold), West Midlands (up 3.9-fold), Derbyshire
(up 2.7-fold) and the Metropolitan Police Force area in London (up
1.9-fold and contributing to a quarter of the total).
> See
BBC Article
> See
Data
Violent Crime Reduction Act Measures
Implemented - October 2007
ALMOST A YEAR after the Violent
Crime Reduction Act received the Royal Assent measures in
the Act relating to the sale of airguns and the sale, import and
manufacture of imitation guns came into force on 1 October.
From that date air weapons
can be sold only by Registered Firearms Dealers who must be
approved by the local police force. An RFD is obliged to
keep a Statutory Firearms Register which must include all sales,
purchases and transfers of firearms, including air weapons.
All air weapon sales have to be in person i.e. 'face to face' and
mail order sales are now banned. It will be an offence for
anybody under 18 to purchase or hire an air weapon or ammunition
for an air weapon and for anybody to sell or let to hire an air
weapon or ammunition for an air weapon to a person under the age
of 18.
It will now be an offence to
manufacture a realistic imitation firearm, modify an
imitation firearm so it becomes a realistic imitation firearm,
sell a realistic firearm and bring a realistic imitation firearm
into Great Britain. A realistic imitation firearm is
one which, for all intents and purposes, is indistinguishable from
a real firearm (though neither a de-activated firearm nor an
antique imitation is considered to be an imitation firearm).
Some imitation firearms may still be sold, manufactured and
imported if they meet certain criteria including principal colour,
shape and size. It will be an offence for a person
under the age of 18 to purchase an imitation firearm and an
offence to sell an imitation firearm to a person under the age of
18.
There are, however, some defences which raise significant concerns for
GCN and others, and we discuss these in our Comment (click on link
below).
Other measures in the Act will:
> See
Earlier Details
> See
GCN Comment
Airguns in Scotland (Update)
- October 2007
THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE is seeking a licensing
scheme that would
restrict ownership of airguns in Scotland to those who use them for target
shooting at gun clubs or for appropriate activities such as pest control.
In discussions with UK Government ministers, Scottish ministers are
exploring ways which would allow legislation to be introduced in Scotland.
They view this as being similar to the situation which allowed a smoking ban to introduced North of the Border
earlier than in the rest of the UK. The Executive has maintained its
call for powers over firearms to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Scottish Justice Secretary says "We want to lay a framework for a
consolidated Firearms Act designed for Scottish needs and Scottish
circumstances" (BBC, 30 September 2007).
A number of distressing incidents involving
airguns have made them an issue of significant public concern in Scotland. On 4 September
2007 the parents of Andrew Morton,
who died after being shot with an airgun in March 2005, attended
the Scottish Parliament Petitions Board at Holyrood to review their petition
on banning the sale of airguns except for use at registered gun clubs or
pest control (see
Report).
Gun Control Network supports any move that
ensures that airguns are treated like other lethal firearms, controlled
through a licensing system.
Whilst wishing to see
UK-wide system for airguns
we support any attempt to introduce the measure in Scotland (see
Comment).
Prime Minister Acknowledges Importance of
Handgun Ban in Conference Speech
- September 2007
IN HIS SPEECH to the Labour Party
Conference at Bournemouth Prime Minister Gordon Brown emphasised
the importance of Britain's ban on handguns. It is worth
recalling that whilst in Opposition in 1996 he showed his complete support for the campaign
for a complete ban
(see Article written for the
Daily Record).
Government Announces Specialist Police Unit
to Tackle Gun Crime - September 2007
HOME SECRETARY JACQUI SMITH has
announced a £1m initiative that will target gun crime and gangs in
London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. She promised
that the Tackling Gangs Action Programme would make greater of
use intelligence-led policing that would "get gang leaders off the
street". The unit will be headed by Merseyside's Deputy
Chief Constable John Murphy.
Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker
has recently called for more people convicted of carrying a
handgun to receive the full mandatory five year jail sentence.
> See
BBC article
Gun Crime Down in England & Wales -
April 2007 (Update July 2007)
UPDATE: Figures released in
July 2007 for the year ending March 2007 confirm that gun crime
has been falling in England & Wales and was 13% down compared with
the year ending March 2006.
ACCORDING TO THE LATEST FIGURES from
the Home Office there was a 16 per cent decrease in the number of
firearms offences (these exclude airgun offences) in the year to
December 2006 The annual total was down to 9,513.
Serious and slight injuries were reduced by 12 per cent and 28
percent, respectively. Offences resulting in fatalities rose
from 53 to 57.
>
Latest Data
Metropolitan Police have announced that
gun-enabled crime in London is down
by 11.3 per cent and Trident gun crime is down by 15 per cent.
Overall crime is at an eight-year low (24dash.com, 19 April
2007).
Scottish Ministers and UK Justice Minister
Discuss Tighter Airgun Controls for Scotland
- July 2007
MEMBERS OF THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
raised calls to ban airguns in Scotland during a meeting with UK
Justice Minister Jack Straw. Scotland's Justice Secretary
Kenny MacAskill said that they had received a sympathetic
response. Jack Straw apparently told First Minister Alex
Salmond that he would look at Scotland-only reform which would ban
new sales of airguns and only allow possession by holders of a
licence including farmers who need to shoot pests and members of
registered shooting clubs.
> See
Article in Scotland on
Sunday
> See
BBC Article
ABERDEEN is still on course to be
the first UK city to ban airguns after the Scottish Executive said
it would view any action against air weapons "sympathetically".
Aberdeen City Council will renew efforts to introduce a bylaw
which could be in place as early as September.
> See
Article in Sunday Herald
'Gun-Minding' Offences and Other New
Measures Introduced -
April 2007
GETTING SOMEONE to hide a weapon, a
gun or a knife, from the police has become an offence under
measures brought forward by the Government. Adults who use
children to hide guns could face up to 10 years in prison, those
using other adults face up to four years in prison. A
minimum five-year sentence will now apply to possession of a
firearm with intent to injure, possession of a firearm with intent
to cause fear of violence, possession of a firearm in a public
place and trespassing in a building with a firearm (BBC, 6
April 2007).
Amnesty Announced
in Memory of Airgun Victim
- February 2007
AN AMNESTY on air weapons is to be
held in Staffordshire in memory of 12-year-old Mitchel Picken who
died after being shot through the eye with an air rifle last year.
A police spokesman said that they will be announcing details of
the amnesty in the next few weeks but that in the meantime "we
would urge adults not to allow children access to any kind of gun"
(BBC, 21 February 2007). It is disappointing to note
that by July 2007 Staffordshire Police had not acted on this
promise. A hand in programme was finally announced in
February 2008 (see Police
Campaigns)
It was recently reported that the
Government are talking to ACPO about a nationwide amnesty later in
the year (see
Report). A gun
amnesty will take place in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and
Humberside next month linked to a
campaign to tackle gun and knife crime (see another
Item on the South Yorkshire campaign).
Airguns in Scotland -
February 2007
IN RECENT WEEKS there
have been a number of calls in Scotland for tougher controls over airguns.
In 2005/06 there were 618 airgun offences across Scotland, the
highest number recorded for seven years (see
Data). During the late
1990s there was a significant fall in the number of airgun
offences but these have now increased in each of the last four
years. A recent independent survey showed that eight out of
ten Scots would support a ban on airguns (see
BBC report). On Thursday 1
March an 11,000-signature petition calling for a ban will be
handed to the First Minister Jack McConnell and two relatives of airgun
victims will address the Scottish Parliament (see
Daily Record article for
details). Sharon McMillan's two-year-old son Andrew was
killed in a Glasgow street in March 2005. Jacqueline Jack's
brother Graeme Baxter died when he was shot by a friend as they
drank together in the friend's house in East Calder in April 2006.
Solidarity MSP Tommy Sheridan has tabled a member's Bill calling
for a ban on airguns in Scotland other than for specific and
licensed use in gun clubs or for pest control (see
BBC report). He has gained
support from the Fire Brigades Union. An Aberdeen
councillor, Norman Collie has asked his fellow councillors to
consider outlawing airguns in the city (see
BBC report). The
Council's policy and strategy committee has voted 10 to 5 to give
the go-ahead to create a groundbreaking bye-law (BBC, 17
April 2007). The issue was
also raised by Dundee councillor Fraser Macpherson following an incident
this month in a McDonalds restaurant in Dundee in which two
11-year-olds were injured when a pellet gun was fired at them.
It has now been reported that
Edinburgh City Council have also begun moves to ban airguns in the
city (Evening News, 6 March 2007).
Gun Crime Measures to be Reviewed
- February 2007
THE TRAGIC DEATHS of three teenagers
in south London, shot
dead within a period of twelve days, prompted
a flood of comment by politicians and the media. The Prime
Minister Tony Blair's response has been to say that he would like to see the
minimum five-year sentence for possession of an illegal firearm to
apply to under-21s, but he repeated the view that the shootings were
not a reflection on British society as a whole and that, as
figures reproduced on this
website confirm, gun crime is falling in general.
Talks involving police chiefs, community leaders, experts and
Government ministers have been announced by Home Secretary John
Reid.
Following a gun crime summit, chaired
by the Prime Minister and held at 10 Downing Street on 22 February,
the Home Secretary announced a three-point plan. The
Government said it would focus on three main areas for action,
Policing (ensuring the police are equipped to tackle gun crime),
Powers (giving the police and courts the powers to deal with
offenders) and Prevention (empowering communities to take action
themselves). There will be a review of the legislation of
gangs, guns and knives, including gun supply issues.
> See
Home Office News Release
A fund of £500,000 from the Home
Office will be made available to community groups tackling gun crime
and gangs. Each group is able to apply for up to £5,000.
Annual Gun Crime Figures for England & Wales
Released -
January 2007
THE
LATEST ANNUAL FIGURES for gun crime in England and Wales (2005/06)
present a mixed picture, and it would be unwise to draw too many
conclusions from them. Though there was a worrying increase in some
categories of crime, the immediate and selective conclusion of Shadow
Home Secretary David Davis and some newspapers that the figures
indicated a loss of control over gun crime is hardly supported by the
overall data. The total number of offences was in fact down by 6
percent from the previous year, something that was hardly reflected in
some of the headlines.
A
major concern was the increase in the number of robberies
involving firearms (up by 10 percent). Thirty five percent of these
(1439 offences) were street robberies (an increase of 9 percent) and
there was a large increase in robberies on residential properties (up 68
percent to 645 offences): however, the authors of the report point out
that some of the increase may be the result of a transfer from firearm
burglaries, which have seen substantial falls in the last two years
(there is a fine distinction between robbery and burglary, and crimes
are apparently only classified as burglaries if firearms are used in the
getaway). Robberies on post offices, banks and building societies fell,
following a recent downward trend (they now make up less than 5 percent
of the total number of robberies involving firearms), although there was
a slight increase in the number of offences on shops and garages (these
make up 28 percent of the total). The weapons used in robberies were
described as handguns in 70 percent of cases (but see below) and
shotguns in five percent. Five percent were known to involve imitation
guns.
Less
than 3 percent of firearm crimes resulted in a serious or fatal injury.
The number of homicides fell from 78 to 50 (the lowest recorded
since 1998/99) and the number of injuries fell by 8 percent to
5409.
Crimes involving handguns increased to 4671 (up 7 percent) and
those involving shotguns to 642 (up 7.5 percent). The majority
of the handgun crimes (3628) are recorded as being committed with a
weapon of “Type Unknown”, and so many of these offences could have
involved imitation weapons. Handguns were less likely to be fired
(fired in 14 percent of the offences) than shotguns (fired in 41
percent). Two percent of crimes involving shotguns and just under 0.5
percent of crimes involving handguns resulted in a fatal injury.
Shotguns and handguns caused serious injury in 11 percent and 4 percent,
respectively, of the crimes in which they were involved.
There
was a welcome fall in the number of recorded offences involving
imitation guns (down 3 percent to 3275 offences). However, there is
certainly no room for complacency, especially given the uncertainties
within the handgun data (see above). Imitation guns can cause injury
and did so in 47 percent of the crimes (a total of 1535 injuries were
recorded, 37 of these serious).
Offences involving airguns still make up the largest proportion
of gun crime. There was a further fall to 10,347 crimes (a decrease of
12 percent), but this still represents nearly half of the total number
and is unacceptably high. In the vast majority of incidents (92
percent) the weapons were fired, and although the proportion of these
which resulted in injury is significantly lower than with other guns,
airguns were responsible for a total of 1 fatality, 117 serious injuries
(23 percent of the total number caused by all guns) and 1029 slight
injuries (30 percent of the total).
Guns
(including air weapons) were used in 0.4 percent of all recorded
crimes. Britain does not suffer from the high levels of gun crime
experienced by other countries with weaker gun laws, but more should be
done, and we would urge the Government to continue to take every
possible measure to ensure that guns of all types are never easy to
obtain. Whilst tough penalties for those who commit gun crime are
important, it would be far better for society and for the individual
victims if the crimes were prevented by maintaining tough restrictions
on the availability of guns.
> see
Home Office Report
> see Data
The
latest Quarterly Report,
which includes provisional data for the year ending September 2006
(six months later than the Annual Report), shows a further
decrease in the number of offences involving guns (excluding
airguns). The number of offences was 14 percent lower than
in 2004/05.
Sussex Police Reveal Shocking Figures on
Children and Imitation Guns - January 2007
ACCORDING TO SUSSEX POLICE children
as young as 11 are committing gun crimes every day across the
county. Almost 130 children have been caught by police with
imitation guns or BB guns in public in the past two years.
The Police warned that people found in possession of the weapons
in public were putting their lives in danger and wasting police
time. Five teenage girls, including one aged 14, had
committed firearm offences, more than 50 youths had been found
with imitation firearms, and more than ten teenagers had been
reprimanded for using a firearm or imitation firearm to intimidate
the public. Campaigner Maggie Smeeth, who has tried to
tackle the sale of BB guns in Brighton as part of an action group
which included Brighton and Hove City Council's trading standards
team and the police, organised an amnesty day for BB guns.
She said that without a total ban on the sale of BB guns children
will still be able to get hold of the guns. "Parents need to
be told these guns are not toys". According to
The Argus (1 January 2007) a
Home Office report has warned that a quarter of those who went on
to commit serious gun crime had "first experienced airguns and BB
guns, typically in their early teens."
Study Highlights the
Use of Converted Imitation Weapons by
Criminals - December 2006
A RESEARCH TEAM has conducted a study
commissioned by the Home Office in which a total of 80 criminals aged 18
to 30 and who had been convicted under the Firearms Act were interviewed
in jail. The research found that converted imitation firearms were
more widely available than purpose built weapons. Gavin Hales from
the University of Portsmouth and a member of the study team, said
that this "reflects the fact that real guns are hard to get hold of and
attempts to reduce them have worked. Why would you use an
imitation when you can get a real gun?" The main sources of
firearms were found to be illegal importation, the burglary of guns and
the conversion of imitation guns. Prices ranged from £20 for an
imitation firearm and £50 for a shotgun to £1000 and above for a
purpose-built handgun and between £800 and £4000 for an automatic
firearm. Most gun possession and use was related to the illegal
drugs market. Whilst rightly concluding that the illegal use of
firearms is not a singular problem the report concludes that some
findings point to clear recommendations, such as greater efforts to
tackle the availability and conversion of highly realistic imitation
firearms.
> see
Full Report
International News:
In Switzerland Army Weapons "Kill 300 People a Year" - December 2006
MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE are killed
every year by army guns in Switzerland, according to a study by
criminologist Martin Killias. The weapons play a central
role in suicides and family killings, of which Switzerland has a
grim history. Together with private guns the army weapons
were used in 36 per cent of domestic murders. In Switzerland
army rifles, issued to all able-bodied Swiss men, can be kept at
home with ammunition during their army service. The results
of the study are at odds with the picture of a safe Switzerland
often painted by the gun lobby, where keeping more guns at home is not
linked to higher rates of gun death.
Police Forces Warn Parents not to
Buy Imitation Guns for their Children at Christmas
- December 2006
FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS during the period before
Christmas police forces around the country have found it necessary to issue
warnings urging parents not to buy ball bearing guns and other replica
weapons as Christmas presents for their children. Despite the
inclusion of measures in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 to ban the
sale, import and manufacture of imitation guns they are still on sale and
once again police this year are concerned about the serious consequences of more of these weapons
falling into the hands of children. In some areas such as Burnley,
Pendle and Rossendale police have introduced a Christmas amnesty and
recommended that youngsters who have BB guns should hand them in at police
stations.
> see
This is Lancashire article
> see
Article from Greater Manchester
Other forces who have issued warnings include
those in Dorset, Somerset and Leicestershire.
International News:
UN General Assembly Approves a Resolution on the Global Small Arms
Trade - December 2006
THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY has approved
a resolution that could lead to the first international treaty on
controlling the trade in gun and other small arms. The
resolution was approved by a vote of 153-1 with 24 abstentions.
The United States was the only country to vote against it.
The resolution asks the secretary general to seek the views of the
192-member General Assembly on the feasibility of a comprehensive
treaty "establishing common international standards for the
import, export and transfer of conventional arms".
Latest Figures Show a Fall in Gun Crime
in Scotland -
November 2006
THE SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE has released the latest
figures for gun offences in Scotland. These show an overall fall in
the number of offences and the number incidents resulting in injury.
There were 8 gun homicides in 2005/06, the same number as in 2004/05.
> See
Statistics
Police Look at Gun Crime Strategy - October 2006
ACPO, the Association of Chief Police Officers,
will meet in Birmingham to discuss plans for a national strategy to
tackle illegal firearms. Details are expected to be released after
the meeting (Manchester Evening News, 26 October 2006). The
creation of a new national ballistics database has been announced.
The National Ballistics Intelligence Programme will have three "hubs" in
London, Birmingham and Manchester (Press Association, 26 October
2006).
Latest Figures Indicate a Further Fall in Gun Crime in
England & Wales
- October 2006
THE LATEST FIGURES published by the Home
Office show a further fall in firearms offences in England and Wales.
The figures, which do not include airgun offences, reveal falls in
offences involving most types of weapon. The number of gun
homicides and injuries were both down compared with the previous year.
The data contradict the oft-repeated view that gun crime is spinning out
of control. Although the number of offences remains too high to
allow for any complacency they confirm that this country still has a
very low level of gun crime relative to that in most other
industrialised nations.
> See
Further Details
Separate figures for London from the past
six months indicate a 19.5 percent fall in gun crime in the capital (ic
South London, 24 October 2006).
Gun Hand In Announced for Manchester after Boy's Death
- October 2006
FOLLOWING THE TRAGIC DEATH of Jesse James
in Moss Side police in Greater Manchester have launched a firearms
amnesty. People who hold or find illegal guns have been asked to
hand them in. It is not an amnesty as any weapons which were
involved in crime would be investigated but it no one will be prosecuted
for possessing a gun (BBC, 2 October 2006). At Middleton
police station, just two days into the campaign, more than 1000 bullets
were handed in (Middleton Guardian, 12 October 2006). The
latest report indicates that 430 guns have been handed in along with
2500 rounds of ammunition (BBC,
10 November 2006).
Metropolitan Police Officers Call for
Longer Jail Terms - October 2006
THE CURRENT five-year mandatory minimum sentence
for anyone over the age of 21 carrying a gun should be raised to seven or
even 10 years, say senior Metropolitan Police officers. One assistant
commissioner has suggested that the age limit should also be reduced to 18
to tackle gun trends in teenagers (BBC, 2 October 2006).
Registered Firearms Dealer Arrested
and Charged after Massive Arms Find
- September 2006
MICHAEL SHEPHERD, a registered gun dealer,
has appeared in court charged with a series of weapons offences
following a large seizure of guns in Dartford, Kent. He has been
charged with conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and
conspiracy to put people in fear. He is also charged with
conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited ammunition and possession of
prohibited weapons. Hundreds of guns including pump-action
shotguns, M16 rifles, revolvers and antique firearms were found in a
semi-detached house. The police raids in which the guns were found
were part of an 18-month inquiry into gang shootings in north London and
were carried out by Operation Trident (BBC, 13 September 2006 &
15 September 2006). He was eventually acquitted of all charges
brought against him (see June
2007 Incidents).
Airgun Shootings on Pets Increase
- September 2006
THE RSPCA has reported that the number of
pet shot by airguns has increased by more than a quarter in the past six
years. There has been a 28% rise from 182 cases during the first
six months in 2000 to 234 incidents during the first half of 2006.
The society described the figures as the "tip of the iceberg" and says
there are more incidents that officially reported (BBC, 2
September 2006).
International News:
Scottish Parents Support Turkish Campaign
with Anti-Gun Song -
September 2006
BEREAVED SCOTTISH PARENTS will attend
an anti-gun rally at the Izmir International Fair. David
Grimason, whose 2-year-old son Alistair was fatally injured in a
shooting in Turkey in 2003 has recorded Silahlara Hayir (a
Turkish version of Throw These Guns Away, a song written
and released after the Dunblane shootings in 1996) with Turkish
singer Nico. David will be attending the rally with John
Crozier, whose daughter Emma died at Dunblane.
> see
Throw These Guns Away Website
> see
IANSA Website for more details
Another Boy Dies after being Shot with an
Airgun - August
2006
A 12-YEAR-OLD-BOY has
died after being shot in the eye with an airgun
pellet in Stoke-on-Trent. He was rushed to hospital where he died of a
penetration wound. Two 12-year-old boys were arrested at the scene and
have been released on police bail. A police spokesman said the his
death "would appear to serve as a terrible reminder of the dangers of
children having access to air weapons" (BBC, 22 August 2006).
> See
GCN Comment on Airgun Incidents
in August
Rise
in Legal Gun Ownership Making Firearm Incident Situation Worse (Wiltshire
Police) - August
2006
OF THE
109 INCIDENTS to which Wiltshire Constabulary's armed officers were called in
2005, 31 involved replica weapons, BB guns and airguns. Officers fear
a tragedy is just waiting to happen. And because legal weapon
ownership has increased significantly in the last five years police are
concerned that this is making the situation worse, because they can no
longer assume when they are called out that they are dealing with fake gun (Swindon
Advertiser, 1 August 2006).
Keeping Ball-Bearing Guns Off Our Streets
- July 2006
THE
ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE of Derbyshire has written to Parents and Guardians
in the county asking for their help in the campaign to reduce the misuse of
ball-bearing, imitation and airguns. The text of the letter is given
below.
Dear
Parents/Guardians
Keeping Ball-Bearing Guns Off Our
Streets
I am
writing to ask for your help in our campaign to reduce the misuse of
ball-bearing, imitation and air guns. Sadly the figures say it all. These guns
account for some 80 per cent of all firearm incidents dealt with by
Derbyshire police.
Ball-bearing and imitation guns look like real firearms, and this
means that if your child is seen
carrying one in public they could find themselves facing
an armed police officer. As an organisation we have to respond to
many incidents where firearms have been or are being used. We rely on skilled officers making a professional judgement, but I am
really concerned because of the frighteningly realistic nature
of some of these guns. At the point of potential conflict, only your child will know if
their gun is real or not. This puts themselves,
the public and police officers at unnecessary risk.
You may or may not know, that these guns can still be
purchased legally although it is an offence
to
carry one in public. Those people who do carry such a weapon in public
run the real risk of
being arrested and prosecuted.
Help us to help you keep your child safe by calling
Derbyshire police on 0845 123 3333 to arrange for your ball-bearing,
imitation and air guns to be collected.
Yours
faithfully
Mick
Creedon
Assistant Chief Constable
Scottish SPCA Airgun Campaign
-
May 2006
THE
SCOTTISH SPCA has long campaigned to highlight the animal welfare
problems posed by airgun misuse and called for tighter restrictions on
their use. They invite people to help by writing to the Home
Secretary and highlight the need for tougher airgun legislation.
>
Visit the Scottish SPCA Website
International News: Study Confirms
that Australian Gun Buy Back has made the Country a Safer Place -
April 28 2006
AUSTRALIA'S tightened gun controls,
introduced after the massacre at Port Arthur, Tasmania, in April
1996, have been followed by a remarkable reduction in gun deaths
according to a forthcoming study summarised in articles in the
Australian press. Following a decade in which Australia had
experienced a number of mass shootings none has occurred in the 10
years since the Port Arthur massacre.
> see
Article in The Age
A Second Man in Scotland is Killed with an Airgun -
17 April 2006
WITHIN THE SPACE OF TEN DAYS two men have
been killed in separate shooting incidents in Scotland involving
airguns. The first victim was killed in East Calder and the second
in Duntocher (see Incidents).
The deaths have occurred just over a year after the fatal shooting with
an airgun of toddler Andrew Morton in Easterhouse. Gun Control
Network has been campaigning for tighter controls over airguns and has
highlighted their lethality. We will be renewing our attempts to
urge the Government to do more to control these weapons.
One Gun, Eight Shootings - 31
March 2006
FORENSIC EXPERTS have linked a single
9mm semi-automatic pistol to two murders (in Digbeth in July 2005
and Birmingham city centre in 2004) and six other shootings in the
West Midlands. A police spokesman said "It is a myth to say
that there are a lot of weapons out there. They are hard to
come by so they tend to keep them.....We think criminals have
their own magazine clip of bullets and share the piece with
associates". The pistol, called Gun Six, is one of about 10
weapons used in 30 shootings across the West Midlands since the
mid-nineties.
> see
Article in Birmingham Mail
Public Urged to Report Fake Guns
- 27 March 2006
THE
PUBLIC is being urged to report the presence of guns, both real and
imitation, in their community in a campaign launched by the
independent charity Crimestoppers (tel: 0800 555 111).
The campaign is backed by the Home Office and is supported by the
Association of Chief Police Officers. It will be promoted in the
Thames Valley, Wales, Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire, West
Yorkshire, Leicestershire, Gloucestershire, Derbyshire, Greater
Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, Nottinghamshire and West Midlands
police areas (BBC, 27 March 2006).
> see
Other
Items on Campaigns
Army's 'Lost' Guns End up on
Streets - 26 March 2006
DOZENS OF LETHAL WEAPONS have
disappeared from Britain's high-security military bases and found
their way on to the streets. Almost a hundred weapons,
including high-powered rifles, pistols and a light machine-gun
have been "lost" in recent years. Sixty three have been
stolen from the army, air force and navy over the past five years
and 34 weapons have been lost (e.g. see 5 November 2005 below).
> see
Article in Scotland on Sunday
Update - April 2006
A later report suggested that more
than 200 weapons belonging to the military have been lost or
stolen during the past nine years. The Army has had 36 SA80
rifles go missing, only 10 of which have been recovered.
Thirty nine handguns have been lost and only seven accounted for.
A Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said that "Even one weapon going
missing is serious.......But if you think about the number of
weapons in use on a daily basis, 200 is actually a tiny
proportion".
> see
Article in The Independent
National Firearms Register
- 19 January 2006 (with Updates)
COMPUTING has reported that
trials of the national register of all firearms certificate
holders were suspended at the end of last year when they
encountered data quality problems. It is now hoped that a
start to the installation of the system will be made in April but
there is no firm target for completion of the project.
A debate on the problems with the
National Firearms Licensing Management System (NFLMS), initiated
by Lord Marlesford, took place on 19 January.
> see
Computing Report
In October 2005 we reported that:
A further delay in the roll-out of the
National Firearms Register has been admitted by the Home Office.
The delay had been due to "technical issues", but in a
BBC report a spokeswoman
said that phase two of testing would begin in November and that
the Government was "committed to beginning the roll-out to all
police forces in the new year". Lord Corbett, who was chair
of the Home Affairs Committee which called for the database to be
installed in 2000, said "There's one promise after another been
made and broken". Danny Alexander MP described the delays as
"disgraceful".
However Computer Weekly has recently
reported a successful roll-out of a firearms registry database by
Thames Valley Police.
> see
Herald Report
> see
Computer Weekly Report
Increase in Airgun Shootings Blamed for Rise
in Wildlife Crime in Scotland - 2
December 2005
According to figures released by the
Scottish Executive there was a 46 percent rise in the number of
wildlife crimes between 2000-1 and 2004-5. An increase in
airgun shootings has been blamed by animal welfare campaigners for
the rise in the crime total. A spokeswoman for the Scottish
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said "We have
definitely seen a rise the number of attacks on wildlife, and the
cases we know about are just the tip of the iceberg".
> See
Scotsman Report
Police
Warn about Buying BB Guns as
Christmas Presents
- 23 November 2005
Hertfordshire Constabulary have voiced their concerns about parents
giving BB guns to children as Christmas presents. Inspector Derek Hollick warned that "in responding to such an incident [involving a BB
gun] officers have to treat the gun as a real firearm, until they can be
absolutely sure that it is not a lethal weapon. We would ask
parents and shop owners to take this warning extremely seriously".
Other Police Forces including Greater Manchester, Lancashire,
Lincolnshire, Thames
Valley (see Poster on Home
Page) and Cambridgeshire have
issued similar warnings.
> See
Watford Observer Report
> See
Campaigns: Shops and Markets
Army Admits Ten Guns Missing
- 5 November 2005
In answer to a question from Stephen
Crabb MP, the MoD has revealed that ten British Army weapons have
gone missing in the UK in the past year. The question
followed two incidents in October in which two soldiers mislaid
weapons. A handgun and ammunition have gone missing from an
armoury at a nuclear power plant in Lancashire this month.
The weapons that went missing include four 9 mm handguns, only one
of which has been recovered, and an SA-80 rifle.
> See
Scotsman Report
Increase in Gun Crime in Scotland More than
Accounted for by Increases in Vandalism
- October 2005
The latest Gun Crime statistics from
the
Scottish Executive
show an increase in the number of offences from 974 recorded in
2003/04 to 1165 in 2004/05. However, the report indicates
that the introduction of the Scottish Crime Recording Standard
(SCRS) has increased the numbers of minor crimes recorded by the
police. The increase in gun offences is more than accounted for by increases
in crimes in the vandalism group (including reckless conduct with
firearms) and in petty assault and can be ascribed to the
introduction of SCRS. As in recent years the numbers of
offences committed with shotguns, handguns and rifles are low,
although in each category there was an increase in the number of
offences from the previous year. The majority of offences
were committed with air weapons (497, 43% of the total). The
report emphasises that the use of firearms in criminal activity
constitutes only a small proportion of all offences.
> See
Statistics
Vets Call for More Airgun
Control - 21
October 2005
A Scottish SPCA study has shown that
40% of the 155 vets surveyed had treated animals injured by
airguns in the last year, and that 46% had treated more than one
animal with an airgun wound. Four out of five of the vets
surveyed wanted tighter controls on airguns.
> See
BBC Report
Offences with Imitation Weapons Responsible
for Increase in Gun Crime in England & Wales
- 20 October 2005
Gun crime in England and Wales rose by 5%
in the year to June 2005 to a total of 11,160 offences (this excludes airgun crime)
according to provisional figures released in the
Quarterly Update on Crime in England and
Wales. However, the
increase can be attributed entirely to the continuing availability
of imitation guns. While there was a fall in the number of
incidents involving handguns (down 8%), and in the number of fatal
injuries (down from 70 to 60), there
was a large increase in crime involving imitation guns (including BB
guns) (up 28% from 2620 to 3340 incidents, nearly 30% of the total
number of incidents) and other firearms such as paintball guns and stun
guns. The increased use of this kind of weapon is once again reflected in a
large rise in the number of slight injuries from gun crime (a 65%
increase from 2190 to 3620).
> See
Details
Replica Gun Sales 'Fuel Crime Fears'
According to the Metropolitan Police - 8 October
2005
A confidential Scotland Yard report
has shown that a growing number of replica guns are being
converted to fire live ammunition. The study expresses the
concern that the conversion of fake guns has become as much of a
threat as the illegal importation of handguns. Metropolitan
Police found that 72% of the firearms seized under Operation
Trident were either imitations, air weapons, blank firers or
starter pistols that had been converted, modified or upgraded to
fire bullets. The police also expressed concerns about
weapon and the necessary components being sent by post and are
working towards closer cooperation with the postal and courier
services.
> see
BBC Report
Home Office Plans for Tough New Regulations on Airgun Sales
- 8 September 2005
The Home Office is considering limiting all
airgun sales to police approved registered firearms dealers following
talks between Home Secretary Charles Clarke and Scottish First Minister
Jack McConnell. The proposed restrictions would be UK-wide
according to the Scottish Executive.
Update:
Home Office Minister Hazel Blears introduced the move at Westminster by
tabling an amendment to the Government's Violent Crime Reduction Bill on
13 October.
> See
BBC Report
> See
Scotsman Report
Report Suggests that One in Ten
London Schoolboys 'has Carried a Gun' - 4 July 2005
A study of 11 to 15-year-olds reported that
as many as one in 10 teenage boys said they had carried a real or
replica gun in the last 12 months. Researchers from the charity
Communities That Care carried out the Safer London Youth Survey which
involved 11,400 youngsters in six inner London boroughs said
self-defence was the reason given by one-third of those who claimed to
have carried a real or fake gun. The most popular type was a BB
gun (used by around half) followed in popularity by an airgun.
> See
Times Report
Guns in the Post
- 30 June 2005
Royal Mail
received a blow from the industry regulator Postcomm which refused
the company's request to prohibit guns and ammunition being sent through
the letters service. Royal Mail said it was surprised and
disappointed by the decision which was made after a consultation
process. "The regulator's stance means Royal Mail's people will
have to handle precisely the sort of items that the government has
announced plans to ban" a spokesman said (Guardian, 30 June
2005).
> See item below from December 2004
Airguns Pose an Increasing Problem in Northern Ireland
- 10 June 2005
It is not only in Great Britain that airguns
are seen as an increasing problem. In Northern Ireland the number
of crimes involving airguns has doubled at a time when the number of
crimes in which handguns, shotguns, rifles and imitations are used is
falling. The Belfast Telegraph (20 June 2005) reported that
there has been a series of recent attacks using air-powered weapons
including attacks on people, pets and vehicles in Ulster. Between
2001-2002 and 2004-2005 the number of incidents involving airguns rose
from 142 to 283. A week later a two-year-old boy was reported to
have been shot in the head with an airgun outside his Belfast home (PA
News, 27 June 2005).
Government Announces Ban
on the Manufacture, Import and Sale of Imitation Guns
- 8 June 2005
As was signalled by Tony Blair earlier in
the year the Government is to clamp down on the availability of
imitation guns by banning the manufacture, import and sale of
"realistic" imitation guns. There will be some exemptions,
including the use in theatrical performances or in film and television
productions, but it will be illegal for anybody under the age of 18 to
buy any kind of replica firearm. Tougher manufacturing standards
are to be introduced to prevent imitation firearms being converted to
fire real ammunition. The measures are part of the Violent Crime
Reduction Bill.
Previously it had been suggested by the Home
Office that is was not possible to introduce legislation because of the
difficulty in defining an imitation gun. However it now covers
anything "that any reasonable person could mistake for a firearm."
Gun Control Network is delighted with this
announcement as we have been highlighting the increasing dangers of the
proliferation of imitation guns for a number of years and have been
advocating a ban on their sale, manufacture and import. We
congratulate the Home Office ministers for taking this bold step which
can only help to improve public safety and reduce the fear of gun crime
in our communities.
Scotland may get Tougher Airgun Laws
- 10 June 2005
According to press articles First Minister
Jack McConnell is prepared to take the unprecedented step of extending
the powers of the Scottish Parliament to bring in tough new gun laws.
He will introduce a major new licensing system for airguns in Scotland.
Anyone buying an air weapon will have to apply for a permit, provide
their details and give a satisfactory explanation as to why they need a
gun. Mr McConnell would like to extend the permit system to the
owners of all existing airguns in Scotland. Some of the measures
could be introduced through the existing licensing powers of the
Scottish Parliament, though the second phase of the proposals would
almost certainly mean interfering with the UK gun law, which is reserved
to Westminster. A later report in Scotland on Sunday
suggested that "Whitehall" might "spoil plans for Scottish airgun
licence".
A campaign to remove airguns from Scotland's
streets had resulted in almost 500 airguns being handed in to police by
the beginning of May (BBC, 5May 2005)
> See
Scotsman article
> See
Scotland on Sunday article
Home Secretary
Promises an Announcement on Air Weapons
- 2 May 2005
During a pre-election visit to Scotland,
Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced that there would be a decision
on measures to control the use of airguns by the end of July. He
said "We are looking at licensing and we are looking at an outright ban.
We have to find something that is practical." He added that the
kind of abuse which has led to some appalling crimes in Scotland and
elsewhere was not acceptable and that the Government is determined to
drive it out. He also announced that he intended to make it more
difficult for imitation or replica guns to be converted for use, and it
would become illegal to buy imitation firearms under the age of 18.
The Government's intention to introduce
stronger controls over imitation firearms and ball-bearing guns was
announced in the Queen's speech on 17 May.
Gun Crime
in England and Wales increases, but Rise is due to Incidents with
Imitation Guns - 21 April 2005
Gun crime in England and Wales rose by 10%
in a year to a total of 11,082 incidents (this excludes airgun crime)
according to data from the final three months of 2004. However the
increase can be attributed entirely to the continuing availability
of imitation guns. While there was a fall in the number of
incidents involving handguns (down 13%), and in the number of fatal
injuries (down 9% to 70) and serious injuries (down 12% to 390), there
was a large increase in crime involving imitation guns (including BB
guns) (up 66% from 1965 to 3268 incidents, nearly 30% of the total
number of incidents) and other firearms such as paintball guns and stun
guns. The increased use of this kind of weapon is reflected in a
large rise in the number of slight injuries from gun crime (a 74%
increase from 1754 in 2003 to 3051in 2004).
> See
PA News article
on Gun Crime Figures
Further
Calls
for Tighter Air Weapon Controls
- March 2005
Among those calling for tighter controls on
guns following Glasgow toddler Andrew Morton's death were:
-
Mary Bousted, general secretary of the
Association of Teachers and Lecturers, speaking at the ATL annual
conference. She said that strict rules on ownership of guns must
be maintained. Her comments came after a school pupil in America
shot dead 10 people, including children and staff.
Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell did
not rule out further legislation saying that "If further legislation is
required, and if it is in the best interest of Scotland we will push for
that legislation.
Michael Howard
Refuses to back Tough Measures on Airguns
- 18 March 2005
On a visit to Scotland only a few days after
toddler Andrew Morton died after being shot in the head with an airgun,
Conservative leader Michael Howard said that the solution was that "We
want those who do have access to weapons to behave responsibly."
Despite mounting evidence of the widespread misuse of airguns, he gave
no indication about how responsible use could be achieved.
Expressing his distaste for the banning of guns, he added that "I was
Home Secretary at the time of the terrible tragedy of Dunblane and we
did impose restrictions after that. I think the Government went
too far in banning handguns altogether, so I don't think banning things
necessarily solves problems." A Conservative spokesman was later
quoted as saying that "The party has no intention of reversing the ban
on handguns."
At a time when many other politicians
believe that only the licensing of airguns or even a ban provides an
adequate solution to a growing problem, words from the Leader of the
Opposition about responsibility are highly unlikely to bring about a
change in attitude among some gun owners who use their weapons to cause
misery and trauma to others. GCN's Mick North was quoted as saying
"Michael Howard needs to stop dealing in idealism and look at the
reality." Michael Howard's remarks were criticised by Andrew
Morton's mother Sharon McMillan.
> See
Scotsman article
Man found
Guilty of Manslaughter
after "Horseplay" leads to Airgun Shooting of his Friend
- 10 March 2005
A Castleford man has been found guilty of
manslaughter after he shot his friend in the head with a powerful air
rifle at his flat. He had pointed the gun at his friend and pulled
the trigger not realising it was loaded. The rifle had been
modified to make it twice as powerful as an ordinary air rifle. He
had admitted a separate charge of possessing a firearm without a
relevant certificate. The death was described as an accidental
killing. However, it was revealed in court that the men would
often fire unloaded weapons at each other "so they could feel the rush
of air discharged from the barrel". A witness, a friend of the two
men, said that "We would go hunting with air rifles and dogs. I have
seen lots of people aim a gun at somebody and pull the trigger. It is
messing about because you know it is not loaded."
Toddler's Death prompts Calls for
Tougher Action on Airguns
- March 2005
The tragic death of Andrew Morton, a
2-year-old boy, who was hit in the head by an airgun pellet in
Easterhouse, Glasgow, has prompted a number of calls for tougher action
on airguns. Andrew was shot with an airgun that was apparently
fired from the window of a flat. Current legislation provides
little control over airguns in private property. Scottish
politicians including First Minister Jack McConnell and Justice Minister
Cathy Jamieson have spoken of the need to review the law and are quoted
as having not ruled out a ban. However, firearms legislation is a
reserved matter and is dealt with by the UK Government in Westminster.
GCN, which has been campaigning for years
for tighter regulation of airguns, wants all lethal guns to be licensed.
Andrew's death has proved yet again that airguns are lethal and the
ownership and use must be subject to tighter control.
Newspapers, including the Evening Times
(Glasgow) and the News of the World, immediately published
stories describing how easy it was to buy high-powered airguns from gun
shops or on the street.
> See
GCN Press Release and Comment
> See
Quotes
> See
BBC article
In the week following Andrew's death the
response to the airgun problem has been met with apparently different
degrees of concern from Westminster and Edinburgh politicians. In
answer to a question from Jeffrey Ennis MP Prime Minister Tony Blair has
urged caution, but Scottish First Minister Jack McConnell, answering a
question from Frank McAveety MSP, was much braver saying that is was
also
important that we do not rule out even the most severe action that we
could take. He said "I think we need to make it more
difficult to acquire air guns, to make sure that there are less air guns
in circulation." He encouraged parents to assist in getting
airguns off the streets by handing in their children's weapons.
> See
BBC article on Tony Blair's comments
> See
ePolitix article on Jack McConnell's comments
Gun Crime Figures
Highlight Urgent Need for More Action on Imitation Guns - January 2005
> See
GCN Press Release for details
Tory Parliamentary Candidate
Dropped after Photographs with Guns
- January 2005
The Conservative prospective
parliamentary candidate (PPC) for Slough has been dropped by the party
after the Sun newspaper revealed that 11 images of with guns, including
an AK-47 assault rifle, had appeared on the internet. Robert
Oulds, a local councillor in the London Borough of Hounslow, said that
the photos were taken at the home of a friend of his who was a member of
a licensed gun club as well as the Conservative association. He
claimed that all the guns were legal, including the AK-47, which has
been changed to fire single shots. The BBC has reported that Oulds
has now been dismissed as PPC although he has said that he has not
tendered his resignation.
> See
Report
Royal Mail Calls
for a Ban on the Posting of Firearms
- December 2004
Because
of the disruption caused when a sporting or replica gun or other weapon
is discovered in sorting offices, Royal Mail is calling for a ban on the
posting of firearms. Mail centres had to be evacuated several
times in 2004 because of the discovery of weapons. Royal Mail
suggests that Parcelforce and other parcels firms could continue to carry
firearms.
Judge tells Gun Club Members that the Kernel of their Offending "Lay in your Fascination with Guns" -
November 2004
Two gun club officials jailed for 10 years
and 9 years after being found guilty of making sub-machine guns for the
underworld were told at the Old Bailey by Judge Peter Beaumont that they
had allowed their fascination [with guns] to over-ride their sense of
responsibility." Both men were members of Morecambe Rifle and
Pistol club and were convicted of other offences including further
charges of manufacturing prohibited weapons and possession of firearms
with intent to enable another to endanger life.
> See
Press Article
West Yorkshire Police
give Stern Advice over Ball-Bearing Guns - November 2004
West Yorkshire Police have issued the
following advice to parents: Do not let your children have ball-bearing
guns this Christmas. The warning follows a spate of incidents
across the area where armed police have had to tackle youths with
realistic-looking guns. Similar advice has been issued by the
Deputy Chief Constable of Derbyshire (Belper Today, 24 November
2004)
> See
Press Article
> See
What Other Polices Forces are
Doing
Gun Crime in
Scotland falls Again - October 2004
The latest annual figures for gun incidents
in Scotland (for the year 2003) show an overall fall of 9% from the
previous year. There was a total of 970 offences; handguns were
used in only 29 cases. The number of cases in which someone was
injured or killed fell by 24% to 225. Only two gun homicides were
recorded. Those who talk about gun crime spiralling out of control
in Great Britain and the failure of new firearms legislation always
overlook the more optimistic situation in Scotland.
> See
Scottish Gun Crime Figures
Mixed News on
Hi-tech Systems - October 2004
West Midlands Police have won international
recognition after developing a hi-tech system to track the illegal sale
of firearms on the internet. They have worked closely with eBay
UK. However, if the system is in operation GCN is sceptical about
its success as our own members have been reporting numerous instances of
gun sales on eBay, some apparently illegal. Together with Steve
McCabe MP, GCN highlighted the dangers of internet sites for gun sales
at a recent press conference.
> See Report in
"PA" News
> See GCN's Concerns about
Internet Gun Sales
Although promised seven years ago after
publication of the Cullen Report into the Dunblane massacre the firearms
database has been put on hold once again after problems were identified
in pilot tests. The main problems concern the system's extremely
slow operation, and its inability to print actual firearms licence
certificates.
> See Report in
Computing
> See Article from
Scotland on Sunday
Home Office Advisor
says Gun Crime is Low but must be Nipped in the Bud - October 2004
Former US policeman Paul Evans, who now
heads the Home Office's police standards unit, told the Commons home
affairs committee that Britain's gun crime problem is "very, very small"
but it needs to be "nipped in the bud before it snowballs out of
control". Mr Evans said it was critical to identify the source of
the firearms. At the same meeting Sir Keith Povey, Chief Inspector
of Constabulary, reminded MPs that gun crime represents 0.02% of overall
crime and that deaths from shooting had fallen last year (from 93 to 81
in England and Wales). Their comments were made in the wake of the
shooting of Danielle Beccan, which prompted headlines about gun crime
spiralling out of control in Britain.
> See article in
The Guardian
MPs and Wildlife Activists
Demand Ban on Lamping - October 2004
The Independent on Sunday reported
that leading wildlife supporters and MPs have called for a review of the
law on lamping, the practice of shooting animals at night with the aid
of bright lights. In two recent incidents one boy was fatally shot
and another critically injured. Bill Oddie described lamping as "a
hooligan activity"; Tony Banks MP said that "Gun laws must be greatly
tightened and penalties substantially increased". An earlier
article described an email bulletin board, AirGunBBS, which has dozens
of messages from lampers using such sign-ons as "rabbit blaster".
> See the article in
Independent on Sunday
Police Slam BASC's Airgun Proposals - September 2004
At a time when everyone claims to be
concerned about the levels of gun crime, and when most people agree that
guns should be kept out of the hands of those who might misuse them, the
British Association of Shooting and Conservation decided to propose a
scheme for Nottinghamshire in which young offenders could be armed with
airguns. The scheme would have involved airgun training for
ex-convicts. BASC's naive belief is that teaching people to fire
guns "responsibly" makes them think twice about using them dangerously.
BASC is an organisation that actively seeks to encourage shooting.
GCN was pleased to see that the scheme
received immediate condemnation from Nottinghamshire's Chief Constable
Steve Green, John Clarke, chairman of Notts Police Authority, local MP
Vernon Coaker and Janice Collins of Mothers Against Guns, whose son was
shot dead in Nottingham in 2002.
> The issue was covered by the
Nottingham Evening Post
Home Office Launches Connected
Fund - September 2004
The Home Office has created the Connected
Fund which is aimed to support those at the front line of the fight
against guns. Minister Caroline Flint said that they "want to
ensure that small community groups are not prevented from doing valuable
work for the want of a small amount of funding". The money has
been provided from cash seized from criminals.
> See details from
The Home Office
Gun Crime Down in
London - July 2004
Figures released by the Metropolitan Police
indicate a significant decrease in shooting incidents in London during
the first six months of 2004 compared with the previous year.
The picture in the West Midlands was not so
good with three major gun crime incidents every day in 2003, according
to police figures reported in September.
Gun Destruction Day
- July 2004
As part of a worldwide Global Week of Action
against Small Arms campaigners in the UK participated in Gun Destruction
Day on 9 July 2004. The events were organised to highlight the
need for an Arms Trade Treaty to control the trade in small arms.
Home Office Publishes
Consultation Paper on Firearms Legislation
The Home Office has published a consultation
paper on firearms legislation and has invited all interested parties to
respond by 31 August 2004. Gun Control Network will be giving a
detailed response which will appear on this website later in the summer.
GCN has submitted its response to the Consultation Paper.
> Read the
Consultation Paper
> Read
GCN's Response
Launch
of the Disarm Trust to Fight Gun Crime
Groups campaigning for more control over
firearms and for other measures to reduce gun crime travelled to
Westminster on 28 April 2004 for the official launch of the
Disarm Trust.
Set up in April 2003 with money confiscated from criminals, the
charity's aim is to tackle gun crime. It is supporting measures
that help fight the spread of guns at grass roots level. The
launch was addressed by Home Secretary David Blunkett.
Deadline
Looms on Air Guns
Police forces around the country have
warned air gun owners that they have until April 30 to surrender
their self-contained gas cartridge (SCGC) weapons, apply for
certification or face up to five years in prison. Numerous
articles have appeared in the regional press alerting owners as to
the consequences of not applying for certification if they retain
the weapons.
Senior Tory
Rekindles Handgun Debate
Conservative frontbench spokesman
Patrick Mercer was reported to have questioned the ban on handguns
whilst speaking at a party conference fringe meeting (Daily
Record, 9 March 2004). Although he later denied saying
that he wanted the handgun ban reversed, he did pour scorn on it,
suggesting that 'gun crimes are like joyriding.. people get killed
by cars but we don't ban them'. He also suggested that
children should be taught to shoot so that they learnt respect for
guns. His comments received much publicity in Scotland,
especially as he made them in the week before the anniversary of
the Dunblane massacre. Gun control advocates and politicians
from other parties condemned the remarks.
> View
Article by Mick North
Anti-Social Behaviour Act
Brings Changes in Firearms Legislation
The new Anti-Social Behaviour Act
(Part 5), which came into effect in January 2004, included
measures aimed at curbing the misuse of firearms. Anyone
owning an air weapon which fires potentially deadly compressed air
propelled lead pellets will now need to obtain a firearm
certificate - these guns were particularly vulnerable to
conversion to firing conventional ammunition. The Home
Office estimates there are up to 70,000 of these in the UK.
Anyone caught without a licence will face a prison term - the new
mandatory minimum sentence for possessing any illegal firearm is
five years imprisonment. The new legislation also prevents
the sale of air guns to anyone under the age of 17 and prohibits
their use in public places. Neither may anyone carry an
imitation weapon in a public place.
The new legislation has received wide
support from the police.
> View
Home Office Information on the Anti-Social
Behaviour Act
Government
Abolishes the Firearms Consultative Committee
In a move welcomed by GCN the
Government has decided not to extend the life of the Firearms
Consultative Committee beyond 31 January 2004. The
Government expressed its wish to "maintain a forum for
consultation but on a broader basis than allowed by the existing
statutory framework."
> View
Ministerial Statement
Gun
Crime is Up in England and Wales, but is Down in Scotland
Although gun crime has risen again in England and Wales it
is understood to have peaked (Guardian, October 17 2003),
with recent quarterly figures suggesting a more recent
decrease.
*
In Scotland, as the headline from the Scotsman (24 September
2003) shows, gun crime continues to fall.
All
Party Parliamentary Group on Gun Crime Announces its
Recommendations
During the summer an all party parliamentary
group took evidence from a number of witnesses, including the
police, victims (including members of Gun Control Network), community leaders
and experts on international perspectives of gun crime.
The group's report was published on 5 November 2003.
> View
Summary of
Recommendations
and
GCN's Response
Support
for the Parents of Alistair Grimason in Turkey
Two-year-old Alistair Grimason was shot dead
whilst sleeping in his pram at a resort cafe in Turkey. His
mother and grandmother were close by when a man drew a gun during
an argument and started shooting. A stray bullet hit
Alistair.
Since that tragic event in July 2003 Alistair's
parents David and Özlem, from East Kilbride, have campaigned for
tighter controls on the ownership of guns in Turkey, a country
where firearms remain freely available and gun crime is common.
They have taken their campaign to the streets of Scotland where
they collected 50,000 signatures on a petition - in Turkey Özlem's
parents have collected a similar number.
As part of the campaign they have been to
Istanbul to address the UMUT Foundation, where they were supported
by GCN's Mick North. They hope to be able to persuade the
Turkish government to toughen the gun laws. Anyone wishing
to give them his/her support can do so through GCN or the UMUT
Foundation.
>
View
more details
Imitations
Blamed for Increased Gun Crime
Following the campaigns by groups such as GCN for the banning of
imitation guns, the media have started to
give the problems they cause appropriate attention. The
Guardian (11 October 2003) reported that "between January and
September 2002 72% of the firearms seized by the Met under Operation
Trident were either imitation firearms, air weapons, blank firers or
starter pistols that had been
converted, modified or upgraded to fire bullets rather than pellets".
Since 40% of all gun crime occurs in London
this figure highlights the large contribution that imitation
weapons make to the current levels of gun crime.
Police raids have exposed gun factories in a
number of locations where replica guns are being converted to
lethal weapons (see
Incidents)
The banning of imitation guns was one of the
recommendations of the
All Party Parliamentary Group on Gun Crime.
Nottingham
Police Ask Blair to Ban Replica Guns
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Waterfield, who leads
the fight against gun crime in Nottingham told PM Tony Blair that what
the police would like is "a complete ban on replica guns. There is
no need to have them on our streets." Tony Blair was meeting the
Operation Stealth team set up to fight drug-related gun crimes during a
visit to the city.
In a further development the Nottingham Evening Post
reported that Tony Blair had revealed he is considering outlawing
replica firearms after examining the paper's
No Fake Guns
campaign.
Medics
Urged to Report Gun Wounds
The General Medical
Council has told doctors that they must inform police when
treating patients with gun shot wounds. This was another
of the recommendations of the
All Party Parliamentary Group on Gun Crime.
Gun
Database is Launched
A National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database
has been launched by the Forensic Science Service. The £1.1m
system was welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers and
represented "a massive opportunity for the police service to fill the
gaps in intelligence which have for too long obstructed meaningful
criminal investigations". The Home Office said that "the database
will enable national searches of unsolved crimes in England and Wales as
one operation for the first time". A Firearms Licensing management
system will link into the Police National Computer allowing police
forces across the country to share information about licensed guns.
No Review
of Handgun Ban
Ever since the Commonwealth
Games, which included pistol shooting, the gun lobby have been
speculating that the Government would be reviewing the handgun ban.
The idea was rubbished by Scottish Office Minister Anne McGuire, the
MP for Stirling (which includes Dunblane), according to the Press
and Journal (13 August 2002). The paper reported that both
the Home Office and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport had
issued outright denials, insisting there are no plans to review the
working of the ban
Police chiefs want Home
Office to outlaw holding a fake gun in public
According to the Guardian
(23 July 2002) chief police officers have urged the Home Office to
consider making the possession of replica guns in a public place a
criminal offence. The concern was underlined by a report from
the national criminal intelligence service that showed the market
for replica firearms has doubled in value to more than £10m since
1999. The NCIS report also highlighted how blank-firing air
revolvers were easily converted into working firearms.
Plan to stem the flow of
firearms to the criminal underworld
The Times (23 July
2002)
reported that police, customs and intelligence officers have draw up
a twenty-point plan to stem the flow of firearms to the criminal
underworld. Drug dealers and gangs are increasingly using guns
to fight turf wars.
Perpetuation of the Myth of Gun Club
Complaints about Thomas Hamilton
One of the arguments used to dismiss the handgun ban is that the
Dunblane massacre would not have occurred had Central Scotland
Police responded to reservations about Thomas Hamilton by fellow gun
club members. The myth that shooters had shown sufficient
concern about Hamilton to warn the police was invented by the gun
lobby in an attempt to demonstrate that they are all law-abiding and
able to identify those who are
unsuitable to own handguns. Two recent letters in the Scottish
press (Edinburgh Evening News, 5th July;
Scotland
on Sunday 25 August 2002),
both of which claim that firearms bans don’t work, have repeated
this myth.
There was absolutely
no evidence
at the Cullen Inquiry into the Dunblane Shootings that any gun club
member had complained to the police. Indeed many of his fellow
shooters were quite accepting of his unorthodox shooting style.
