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Boy Shot in Eye in Airgun Attack - Jan 2012

 

Derbyshire police have issued a report revealing that 70 percent of all gun crime in their county is attributable to airguns or BB guns.

 

Over the last six months at least two children have suffered serious, life-changing eye injuries after being shot with airguns. A 12-year-old boy in Newport, Wales is in danger of losing an eye after being shot in January 2012, and a 15-year-old girl in Bury lost an eye as a result of being shot with an airgun in July 2011.

 

Click here for more on airgun attacks.

 

Man Kills Three Women, Self - Jan 2012

 

Michael Atherton shot and killed three women before turning the gun on himself in Horden, County Durham. He used a legally owned shotgun in the domestic violence attacks, in which he murdered his partner, his sister and his niece. Atherton had his legally owned guns returned to him after police removed them in 2008 following an incident.

 

Home Office Updating Gun Law - Sept 2011

 

THE UK HOME OFFICE is reviewing gun laws in the wake of the Derrick Bird shootings. Bird shot and killed 12 people in Cumbria before taking his own life as well. The Home Affairs Select Committee, with urging from GCN, admitted in December 2010 that current gun law needed review, and appears to be acting to that end.

 

Norway Gun Massacre - July 2011

 

SEVENTY-SEVEN people have died in twin terror attacks on Norway - the worst peacetime massacre in the country's modern history. A massive bomb blast shattered buildings in the capital Oslo, killing at least eight people. Then a gunman rampaged through an island youth camp run by the ruling Labour Party, killing at least 69 people. Suspect Anders Behring Breivik, 32, has admitted carrying out both attacks.

 > View timeline of events on BBC News

 > See information about victims

 > Dutch Security Minister to tighten laws

 

New Law on Airgun Security - January 2011

 

AIRGUN OWNERS who do not take the appropriate steps to secure air weapons properly will be liable to a fine of up to £1,000 under a new offence.  The new law, which comes into force on 10 February 2011, requires owners to keep the weapon under lock and key and ensure any youngsters who use it do so under close supervision.  Home Office minister James Brokenshire says "there is no excuse - if you do not keep your airgun safely away from children you will be prosecuted".  The legislation is supported by Gun Control Network, some of whose members have suffered personal tragedy as a result of inadequate storage of airguns by irresponsible owners and have been lobbying for these common sense measures for some time.

 > See article in The Telegraph

 

Annual Firearms Crime Figures in England and Wales Show Sixth Consecutive Fall - January 2011 

 

THE LATEST STATISTICS ON GUN CRIME published by the Home Office show a further fall in the total number of offences.  Two sets of figures released in January 2011, the annual data for the year ending March 2010 and a quarterly report on the year ending September 2010, both show a significant drop in overall gun crime.  GCN will comment in more detail in the January Review.

> see Data from Annual Report

> see Data from Quarterly Report

 

Home Affairs Committee Report on Firearms Control Published - December 2010 

 

THE HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE have published a report on Firearms Control.  Their inquiry was prompted by the shooting of 12 men and women by Derrick Bird in Cumbria in June 2010 and the shootings perpetrated by Raoul Moat the following month.  The Committee heard evidence from a number of individuals and organisations, including Gun Control Network.  They have acknowledged the contribution that legally-held guns make to gun crime in Great Britain and have made a number of recommendations to gun legislation to reduce the risks posed by gun ownership.  GCN supports many of these recommendations but believes that in some areas the Committee has not gone far enough - see Press Release.  Nevertheless we would urge the Government to act on the Committee's recommendations as soon as possible.

 > See Report

 > See GCN's Press Release

 

ACPO Report on Cumbria Shootings Published - November 2010

 

FOLLOWING THE MASS SHOOTING IN CUMBRIA on 2 June 2010 (see below), Adrian Whiting, Assistant Chief Constable of Dorset Police and ACPO lead chief officer for Firearms & Explosives licensing, has prepared a report which concerns the grant of a firearm certificate and shotgun certificate to the perpetrator Derrick Bird and contains observations regarding potential changes to the system of granting such certificates and related provisions of law.  He concludes that Cumbria Constabulary made decisions regarding the granting of the certificates in accordance with the law, Home Office guidance and ACPO advice.  He makes a number of recommendations.  These include ones relating to handguns for humane despatch, miniature rifle ranges, prohibited persons and those with suspended sentences, information exchange with medical professionals, and introducing a single certificate type for both Section 1 firearms and shotguns.

 

> See the Report - Part 1, Part 2

 

 

 

Further Fall in Gun Crime in Scotland - October 2010

 

THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT has announced that firearm offences in Scotland fell by 12 per cent in the year to March 2010.  There was a total of 839 offences, the lowest reported total for the 10 year period covered by the Statistical Bulletin.  Air weapons accounted for more than half of these offences.  There were 96 vandalism offences, 164 minor assaults involving a firearm and 19 serious assaults.  A firearm was discharged and subsequently caused personal injury in 154 offences, including two recorded homicides.

 

> See Scottish Government Press Release

 

> See Statistical Bulletin

 

> See Data

 

 

FALLS IN GUN CRIME were also reported from Greater Manchester, where there was a 20.5 per cent drop in reported gun crime in the past six months (BBC, 18 October 2010), and for the whole of England and Wales where there was a 2 per cent drop for the year ending June 2010 (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 16/10).

 

 

Home Affairs Committee Announces New Inquiry into Firearms Control - July 2010

 

THE HOME AFFAIRS COMMITTEE announced a new inquiry into firearms control.  The Committee will examine whether or not there is a need for changes to the way in which firearms and/or shotgun certificates are issued, monitored or reviews as a means of preventing gun violence.

 

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP, Chair of the Committee, said: "In the light of the recent tragic shootings in Cumbria and in Northumberland, the Committee wishes to examine the legislation governing firearms.  It will seek to determine whether there are lessons to be learnt from recent events, including the role of doctors and criminal justice agencies in liaising with police to assess the risk posed by individuals.  We also want to be certain that our gun laws are clear, transparent and enforceable."

> See Terms of Reference

 

Further Fall in Gun Crime in England & Wales - July 2010

 

PROVISIONAL FIGURES for gun crime in England and Wales for the year ending March 2010 have shown a further fall in the number of firearm offences (not including those involving airguns) of 3 percent to a total of 7995.

> See Latest Statistics

Licensed Gun Holder Kills 12 People in Cumbria - June 2010

> See GCN Press Release

Airgun and BB Gun Campaigns in Wales and Scotland - May 2010

 

CAMPAIGNS WHICH HIGHLIGHT the dangers of air weapons and BB guns have been launched in Wales and Scotland.  They remind owners that these weapons can injure and kill.

 

SOUTH WALES POLICE started a poster and leaflet campaign in April which warning buyers of the laws and the dangers.  It follows the death of 10-year-old Swansea boy Rhys Johnson in September 2009.  The number of BB gun offences in South Wales rose from eight for the year ending April 2009 to 28 in the following year.  Police officers will be visiting firearms and air weapon sellers and asking retailers to give advice leaflets to every customer.

> See BBC Article from Wales

IN SCOTLAND, STRATHCLYDE POLICE have launched a 'Game Over' campaign which also highlights the dangers posed by air weapons.  Airguns accounted for 57% of weapons recovered from firearm incidents in the force area.  Computer game imagery is being used on posters and an advert trailer to promote the message that, in the wrong hands and used irresponsibly, airguns can be lethal.  The posters will be displayed in town centres and schools.  The campaign was welcomed by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill who said "Airguns are not toys but weapons that can kill and main.  We've seen too may tragedies over the years that have caused pain and injury to children and animals."

 

> See BBC Article from Scotland

Olympic Starting Pistol Banned - April 2010

 

THE OLYMPIC .38BB STARTING PISTOL, a gun which has been available for under £100 from sports outlets and firearms dealers but can be readily converted to fire live ammunition, has become a new weapon of choice in gang warfare.  The police have seized 179 converted Olympics and recorded a growing number of crimes, including three attempted murders, in which the guns have been used.  It has been behind a number of 'reputational shootings' in London and accounted for nearly one fifth of the firearms seized by the Metropolitan Police last year.  A further 22 of the converted starting pistols have also been recorded outside the capital.  The police have indicated that they are being used because of difficulties in obtaining more sophisticate firearms.

 

It has been announced that from 4 June the guns are to become prohibited weapons under the 1968 Firearms Act.  The Italian manufacturers have agreed to stop exporting them to Britain and they are being recalled from shops.  Owners are being asked to hand them in during a targeted amnesty.

> See Article in The Times

 

> See BBC Article

Gun Crime in London - April 2010

 

THE LATEST FIGURES FOR GUN CRIME IN LONDON, announced by the Metropolitan Police, show a worrying increase which goes against apparent trends being reported in other areas of the country.  The figures indicate that the number of offences for the year ending March 2010 (see below) increased by 14.2% from 3026 in 2008/09 to 3455.

 

Although the number of firearms-related homicides in London has been going down over the last three years (GCN estimates that there were 16 in 2009/10), the deaths this month of two more gun victims, one a 16-year-old girl, have highlighted how serious the problem of gun crime remains in the capital.

 

Recent figures for gun crime in London can, however, present a confusing picture.  The Metropolitan Police Website describes the offences included in the latest set as follows:

All offences involving a firearm. This will include offences where a firearm has been seen, or discharged/used. Both real, and fake firearms, and air weapons are counted within this category. Theft and handling offences are no longer included in the gun crime definition.

However, it is difficult to match these figures with those published in a recent Home Office Report which suggested that in 2008/09 there were 3090 offences, excluding air weapons, and those quoted by the Greater London Authority for 2008/09 which suggested 2168 offences, including air weapons (see below).

 

Hampshire Police Announce Firearms Amnesty - April 2010

 

HAMPSHIRE POLICE have announced an amnesty to give residents a chance to hand in any unwanted or illegal firearms at nine police stations.  The amnesty follows the news that the gun used by Andrew Copland to kill himself, his ex-partner and their 4-year-old daughter in Aldershot in December 2009 had been found by him in a skip while he was working as a builder in 1998.  He kept the weapon.  Chief Superintendent Mark Chatterton said that "many people within the community have told us they are unaware of the laws surrounding gun ownership."  The amnesty will last two weeks.  Fifty-seven firearms, mostly BB guns or imitation firearms, but including three handguns, were handed in during the first two weeks (Basingstoke Gazette, 16 April 2010).

> see BBC Article

Annual Firearms Crime Figures in England and Wales Show Fifth Consecutive Fall  - January 2010

 

THE LATEST ANNUAL GUN CRIME FIGURES have confirmed a significant fall in the number of offences in the year ending March 2009.  The total number fell by 18 percent to 14,250.  This figure includes offences involving air weapons which account for 42 percent of the total.  There was an overall decrease of 40 percent in the number of gun injuries recorded, with the number of fatal injuries falling to 39, the lowest number in at least 20 years.

 

GCN has provided more detailed comment on these figures.

> see Data

 

> see Home Office Report

ANOTHER HOME OFFICE REPORT provided a more recent figure for total firearm offences (but excluding air weapons) and showed that for the year to September 2009 there was a further 5 percent decrease in the number of offences compared with the previous year.

> see More Information

 

> see Home Office Report

 

Guns Becoming Difficult to Obtain (Nabis) - January 2010

 

THE NATIONAL BALLISTICS INTELLIGENCE SERVICE (NABIS) says that guns are becoming difficult to obtain.  NABIS works by combining advanced forensic technology and police intelligence information and has linked more than 350 guns with crimes in its first year of operation in England and Wales.  The programme manager said that capturing key suppliers meant there were fewer guns on the streets and that it was wrong to suggest guns could be bought cheaply and easily.  Even rival criminal gangs are using the same weapons, hired from a common source, and NABIS have seen the same guns being used over and over again.

> see BBC Report

 

> see Home Office Press Release