Gun Incident Summary

Gun Deaths and Injuries - Four people were reported to have been killed in shooting incidents during April.
- Following a double shooting in Dousland (Devon) it was reported that a man who collected antique guns had shot his partner and then killed himself.
- A man was shot dead and a second victim injured in a targeted attack in Huddersfield (West Yorkshire): two men have been arrested.
- A 20-year-old man was shot in a street in Handsworth (Birmingham).
Other shooting incidents which resulted in injury occurred in:
- Bedfordshire (2) - there were two separate shootings in Luton, one in which a teenager was shot whilst getting out of a taxi and another in which the victim was shot on his doorstep - there was also a third shooting in the town involving an airgun (see below)
- London (4) - a teenager was shot in the lower back in Hainault, another teenager was shot in an estate in Brixton, a man was shot in the head in Thornton Heath and another was in a life-threatening conditioning after a shooting in Gospel Oak
- Merseyside (4) - shooting incidents which resulted in injury occurred in Kensington (a gunman went into the victim's house), Croxteth (three men shot a teenager in a pub) and Prescot (two victims were shot)
- Strathclyde (1) - a man was seriously injured when he was shot on his doorstep in Paisley: a man has been charged
- West Midlands (1) - a man arrived at hospital with gunshot wounds, and his shooting may be linked to reports of a gun fired in Lee Bank and the arrest of three people after police found drugs
- West Yorkshire (1) - a second man was injured during the fatal shooting in Huddersfield (see above)
There were a number of incidents involving airguns and imitation weapons in which the victims were injured (see below).

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - There were robberies and attempted robberies in which a gun is alleged to have been used at:
- Bookmakers - in Shaw (Greater Manchester), Worthing (West Sussex) and Walsall (West Midlands)
- An Estate Agents - in Kingswood (Surrey)
- An Hotel - in Walsall (West Midlands)
- A Petrol Station - in North Shields (Tyneside)
- Post Offices - in Bleasby and Watnall (Nottinghamshire) (a man was later arrested in connection with these and an earlier raid in the county) and Padstow (Cornwall)
- Shops - in Cardiff, Portsmouth (a man has been charged with attempted robbery and possession of a firearm), Colchester (Essex), Brighton (the perpetrator, who wielded an imitation gun, was tackled by staff and customers) and Drumchapel (Glasgow)
Security guards were robbed in Thornaby (Teesside) (the suspects were chased to Manchester by police where one man was eventually caught) and Pudsey (West Yorkshire).
A car was stolen at gunpoint in Anfield (Merseyside) and a man was later arrested after it crashed into a lamppost. Another car was stolen by two men armed with a gun in Rochdale (Greater Manchester).
One man was robbed when two men threatened the occupants of a car in Bromsgrove (Worcestershire) with a crossbow and a ball bearing gun or air weapon. Another man, who was in his car in Hook Heath (Surrey), was injured when he was robbed of a large sum of money by two men who threatened him with what is thought to have been a gun.
A man who presented what appeared to be a firearm at another man in Paisley stole the victim's bank card.

Other Incidents - A teenager charged with the murder of his girlfriend, who died following a fire in Arbroath, has also been charged with discharging a firearm.
A man escaped injury after his car was shot at in Prestwich (Greater Manchester). Shots were fired from a handgun at a taxi in Coventry (a man was charged with two counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm). Another man was lucky to survive an attack on his doorstep in Barton (Oxford) when his attackers fired a shot at point-blank range which missed him and hit the wall behind. Another victim was targeted on his doorstep in Gilmerton (Edinburgh) by two men, probably armed with a shotgun, but he slammed the door in their face - the gun was fired in the street.
Four men were arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life after a shotgun was reportedly fired from a car in Woking (Surrey). Several gunshots were fired in Possilpark (Glasgow), but police were uncertain whether they were aimed at anyone in particular. A shotgun was fired at a car in a street in Halifax (West Yorkshire).
A man was charged with a public order offence after allegedly making threats with a legally-held firearm near a school in Hooke (Dorset).
Shots were fired at houses in Wavertree (Merseyside), Dunscroft (South Yorkshire) and Low Moor (Bradford) (the shooting may be related to a dispute over a bike).
An historic cross at Stocksbridge (South Yorkshire) had its bulbs shot out twice, probably with a shotgun.
Police responded to other incidents in which firearms were apparently seen:
- A passer-by saw a small black handgun carried by a group in Stoke-on-Trent: no weapon was found.
- A man was arrested after he had barricaded himself into a loft in Girvan (Ayrshire) after police received a report of a man with a gun.
- Armed police were called to a church and a college in Bridgwater (Somerset) after reports of a man being spotted with a firearm.
- A man was arrested after a "domestic report" that someone had a gun at an address at Southsea (Hampshire).
Bus windows have been shattered in Stanway (Essex): one driver said the impact marks suggested that it was "not just an airgun".
A man was cautioned after trying to sell a shotgun from his car boot in Swineshead (Lincolnshire).

Airguns and Imitation Guns - Further evidence that, in spite of recent legislation, some traders are still selling imitation firearms came from Blackpool where trading standards officers took various goods off sale including ball bearing guns.
There were more victims of airgun and BB gun attacks during April. GCN is aware of at least 18 people hit with pellets, nine of whom were females, three of them young girls.
- Three women were shot in the head, one in her garden in Lincoln, another whilst walking in Harwich (Essex) (she needed stitches after the pellet was removed in hospital) and the third in Aberdeen.
- Another woman was with her baby when she was shot in the hand at a bus stop in Rainscough (Greater Manchester) (two boys have been arrested for causing grievous bodily harm with intent). A teenage woman had to have a pellet removed in hospital after being shot with an airgun in Wyberton (Lincolnshire).
- A young girl was shot in the leg with an "air rifle-style pellet" in Frimley (Surrey) and an 11-year-old girl was shot with an airgun whilst she queued for an ice cream in Huyton (Merseyside).
- A 9-year-old was shot three times in the face, neck and leg with BB gun pellets as she played near her home in Grimsby.
- A man was shot in the eye with an airgun in a park in Luton (Bedfordshire) and another was hit whilst he was walking in a street in Loughborough (Leicestershire) (two teenagers have been arrested). Another male victim suffered leg injuries when he was shot in Whitehaven (Cumbria) and a school caretaker was shot in the forehead with an air weapon in Middlesbrough.
- Two footballers were hit with airgun pellets at the end of a match in South Wales.
- Three people, two men and a woman, were hit with what they believe were airgun pellets in separate incidents in Norwich.
- A man was hit in the face after a BB gun was fired from a car in Pangbourne (Berkshire).
A boy who shot at an aerosol can with an airgun in his back garden in Pentre (Flintshire) suffered serious burns when the can exploded.
Two men repeatedly fired a ball bearing gun at a man on a street and at a house in Barrhead (Renfrewshire).
Police had to deal with a number of other incidents involving imitation guns:
- Two BB guns were seized from two boys who were seen waving them in Epsom (Surrey)
- A man was arrested after reports he was taking potshots with a BB gun and wielding a samurai sword in Plymouth
- A man who resisted arrest in Shoebury (Essex) whilst armed with an imitation gun is due to appear in court
- A youth involved in a game with realistic-looking replica firearms sparked a firearms response when he was seen with two guns
- Two men found with two plastic BB guns were arrested in Wolverhampton
- Five men were arrested after a man was threatened with a handgun in Crewe (Cheshire) (an imitation firearm was found later)
Police also had to deal with a number of other incidents involving airguns:
- A man has been charged with two counts of common assault and possession of an air weapon after allegedly being seen with a gun in Hull
- A man was arrested in Grimsby and an air weapon recovered after a man was reported getting into a car with what looked to be a firearm
- Police conducted house-to-house inquiries in Dundee after a man was seen brandishing an air rifle
- A man was charged under the Explosive Substances Act 1883 and the Firearms Act after he was found to be in possession of several bottles of fluid and an airgun in Motherwell.
- A man who confronted two engineers with an air rifle when they went to fix an electrical fault at a caravan site near Belbroughton (Worcestershire) was given advice by police
A man tried to carry two guns into court in Consett (County Durham): when he was barred from entering he took the air pistol and air rifle back to a limousine.
In Cambridgeshire, a number of shop windows in Chatteris were damaged (it is thought the damage could have been caused by an air rifle) and in Eaton Socon the rear window of a property was shot with what was believed to be an air rifle. A church in Northfields (west London) was damaged in an airgun attack.
Damage worth £35,000 was caused to a windows at a school in Poole (Dorset) by slingshots and BB guns
It was reported that an air pistol had been confiscated from a girl at a school in Sandwell (West Midlands) earlier this year.

Guns Recoveries and Thefts - Two officers from Durham Constabulary have been arrested or suspended during an inquiry into the sale of firearms (shotguns and rifles) that had been handed into the force.
A shotgun and cartridges were recovered from houses in Dalton and Crosland Moor (West Yorkshire): a man was arrested.
Guns were also recovered from properties during raids in which drugs were found:
- In Wigan where a stun gun and cash were recovered: a man and a teenage girl were arrested
- At five addresses in Carlton, Bestwood and Broxtowe (Nottinghamshire) where drugs and two firearms were found
- In Chapeltown (Leeds) where a gun and heroin were seized
- In Swallwell (Tyneside) where cash, an air rifle and blue tablets were recovered
- In Wetherby (West Yorkshire) where heroin and a stun gun were found: a man was in custody
Nine people were detained on a variety of charges after raids on four suspected brothels in London and Hertfordshire during which a stun gun was recovered.
Police in Preston have seized two genuine guns and eight imitation weapons since January.
A rucksack contained a ball-bearing gun and a Stanley knife was found in a car park in Tring (Hertfordshire).
A gun collection was stolen from a remote farmhouse near Wray (Lancashire). A pair of shotguns was stolen from a car in Owston Ferry (Lincolnshire) and a shotgun, rifle and ammunition were taken from a house in Framlingham (Suffolk).

Incidents Involving Animals - There has been no let up in the attacks on animals and birds, especially cats. There were reports of at least 15 cats being shot with airguns in Aberdeen, Cornwall, Coventry, Devon, Dorset, Herefordshire, Hull, Kent (two incidents), Lancashire, Nottingham (two incidents), Somerset, Sussex and Wiltshire. Another missing cat is believed to have been shot dead in Angus.
An animal care complex in Bath has appealed for help in looking after a dog found riddled with airgun pellets.
Two birds, a swan rescued in Buckinghamshire and a goose that had been attacked by a dog in Staffordshire, were both found to have airgun pellets in their bodies.
A 13-year-old boy was convicted of repeatedly shooting at two dogs and a cat with a ball-bearing gun in Whitley (Reading).

Court Cases - A number of men were convicted of murder and attempted murder following the deaths of two men who were shot in Manchester: five of them received sentences of more than 32 years.
A man who put a gun to a woman's mouth in woods near Banbury (Oxfordshire) because she owed him money was convicted of various offences: he had previously been found guilty of shooting a man who also owed him money.
A man was jailed for seven years for a robbery in Stevenage (Hertfordshire) in which the victim was pistol whipped. A man pleaded guilty to charges of robbery and possessing a firearm after he handed himself in, ten years after the incident in Bath: he was given a 2 year jail sentence.
Two brothers were each jailed for eight years for storing guns at a property in Haydock (Merseyside). A teenager who kept a loaded submachine gun in a rucksack at his home in Tulse Hill (south London) has been jailed for nine years.
A man was jailed for six years (five for a firearm offence) after an illegal revolver and child abuse images were found at his home in Standish (Greater Manchester).
A number of men admitted or were found guilty of offences involving shotguns:
- Four men have been convicted of robbery and two of them were found guilty of wounding with intent following the shooting of a female police officer at a pub in Bamber Bridge (Lancashire): she was hit 12 times in the thigh when one of the men fired a sawn-off shotgun.
- A third man has been jailed, for six years and nine months, after he admitted possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence after a sawn-off shotgun was pointed at a family in Elland (West Yorkshire)
- A man who was shot in the street in Chapeltown (Leeds) but fired back with a sawn-off shotgun has admitted possession of a prohibited firearm and has been jailed for five years
- Another man was found guilty of possessing a banned weapon (a sawn-off shotgun) at his home in Huddersfield (West Yorkshire) and was jailed for five years
- A man from Walton (Merseyside) was jailed for five years nine months for possessing a sawn-off shotgun that was found in his loft
- A man from Worksop (Nottinghamshire) has admitted robbing a petrol station and possessing a sawn-off shotgun
- A man from Little Downham (Cambridgeshire) who kept a shotgun in his kitchen with a box of ammunition without having a certificate was fined £250
- A man from Exmouth (Devon) has admitted possessing a shotgun without authority but a charge of possessing the gun with intent to cause fear of violence to his wife was dropped.
- After police found a sawn-off shotgun in a wardrobe at a home in Houghton Regis (Bedfordshire) a man has been convicted of possessing a firearm.
A Lithuanian who was caught trying to enter the UK at the Channel Tunnel control zone with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol and three blank cartridges has been given a five year jail sentence.
A man from Buxton (Derbyshire) has appeared in court charged with possession of a shortened single barrel .420 shotgun and also faces an allegation of purchasing cartridges without a firearm certificate.
A gun collector from West Bridgford (Nottingham) was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence after admitting three offences of possessing a firearm and ammunition without a certificate.
Two teenagers from Pinehurst (Wiltshire) pleaded guilty to drugs charges and one admitted having a stun gun and they have been jailed for a year and 14 months.

Inquests - A coroner recorded that a man, who was a keen shooter and held a firearms licence, killed his wife and daughter at Maesbrook (Shropshire) by shooting them in the head before killing himself, dying of smoke inhalation.

Airguns and Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A recent research paper (Wheal & Tilley, Howard Journal 48, 172-189) has confirmed GCN's perspective that a high proportion of gun-enabled crime involves imitation guns. There was further evidence from court cases this month that imitation weapons are being used in armed raids:
- Two cousins who robbed a bank in Bebington (The Wirral) were armed with a ball bearing gun: they have been jailed for seven years four months
- A man, who was one of a gang of three that attempted to rob a shop in Barnoldswick (Lancashire) whilst armed with a fake military rifle, has been given a five year custodial sentence
- A man responsible for three robberies in the Bristol area who was caught on CCTV wielding a toy gun has been jailed for seven years
- A man who used a water pistol when he held up a bank in Brentwood (Essex) was given a three and a half year sentence
- Two men were sentenced to four years and six years for an armed robbery in Newport in which the assailant was armed with an imitation firearm
A teenager, who shot his friend in the arm with an air rifle in Shevington Nook (Lancashire) and immediately regretted it, was given a suspended 12 month prison sentence and ordered to carry out 200 hours unpaid work.
A man who shot at a neighbour and police in Dumbarton with an air rifle has been given a 40 months prison sentence
A man who took an imitation handgun to a pub in Highcliffe (Dorset) has admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and been jailed for two and a half years.
A man from Cheltenham (Gloucestershire) who fired an air rifle from his bedroom window has been given a £200 fine, and his weapon will be forfeited and destroyed. A man who fired an air rifle at a house name sign in Callander (Perthshire) awaits sentence.
A man spotted by police with an air rifle in a car park in Cardigan pleaded guilty to possessing a loaded air weapon in a public place was give a six month community order.
An alcoholic found with an air pistol in a bag in a car park in Aspley (West Yorkshire) admitted being drunk and disorderly but was found not guilty of carrying an air weapon in public without reasonable excuse.
There are frequent cases of men who are prohibited from possessing a weapon through previous convictions being in possession of airguns. There were two more this month:
- A man from Rugby (Warwickshire) was jailed for ten months for possessing an air pistol which he claimed he had bought for target practice in his garden
- A man from Scarborough (North Yorkshire) was given a 21 month sentence after he was caught in possession of an air rifle and for a later incident involving a hammer