Gun Incident Summary - September 2008

At the beginning of the month eighteen-month-old Rashid Ullah died from the injuries he received in August when his sister picked up an airgun being used in their garden by their father and fired it at his head. In its response to a recent BBC programme which highlighted concerns about the seriousness of airgun incidents and the lack of responsibility shown by owners, the Home Office was as dismissive as ever of a registration scheme, claiming it would be "costly and bureaucratic". Home Officer Ministers point to the measures introduced in the Violent Crime Reduction Act, but judging by the incidents reported in September the measures have done little to protect the public from those who arm themselves with airguns and target people, pets and property. This is not surprising since the measures did nothing to get these weapons out of the hands of those who already have them and misuse them or to ensure the guns are stored safely so they cannot be picked up and used at random. The Airguns, Incidents Involving Animals and Airgun (Court Cases) sections below reveal the seriousness of many of the incidents. These are not pranks committed with boys' toys, these are acts which injure, intimidate and threaten. How much more evidence is required to demonstrate that airguns can be just as destructive to peoples' lives, wellbeing and safety as any other firearm? There is no justification for treating them any differently and it is time for these guns to be registered. This wouldn't harm those who have a genuine reason for owning airguns, but it would begin to get them away from those whose actions contribute half of all firearm offences and cause approximately a quarter of all firearms injuries.

Joan Walley MP has an early day motion in Parliament calling for an airgun registration scheme which holds owners responsible for what happens to their guns. We urge all MPs concerned about the dozens of airgun incidents we report each month to sign the motion and kick the Home Office out of its complacency.

Homicides

There was only one fatal shooting attack reported in September and, with the exception of the higher number of gun homicides in August, there have been two or less in each month since April, significantly lower than the recent average for England and Wales. There have been no gun homicides in Scotland for more than a year, the last occurring in August 2007.

Shotguns

GCN has noted an increased number of incidents involving shotguns this month and these are highlighted. Many of those convicted in the court cases reported during September had shotguns. We are uncertain whether this indicates an increased use of shotguns in crime but we will be monitoring the situation.

Gun Deaths and Injuries - One man died as a result of a gun attack in September - his wife was also seriously injured in the double shooting in Porth Kea (Cornwall), and the suspected gunman was taken to hospital with self-inflicted wounds and is under arrest.
There appear to have been no suspicious circumstances in two other fatal shootings: one man was found dead at a pub in Fernhurst (Sussex) and another at his house in Arrington (Cambridge).
There were several shooting incidents reported in September that resulted in injury. These occurred in:
- Bristol - a teenager was injured in the groin in a shooting at a nightclub
- Cornwall - see above
- Greater Manchester - a man was seriously injured in Stockport and needed emergency treatment for gunshot wounds to his chest and leg (a man has been arrested)
- Hertfordshire - two men were shot and injured during an armed attack on security guards at a supermarket in Tring (see below)
- Leeds - a man was shot in the chest in the Harehills area
- London - a man has described how he was shot in the head at his home in Addiscombe (south London) in August but escaped with minor injuries, and a doorman suffered a bullet wound in a shooting in South Woodford (north-east London)
- Merseyside - in two apparently targeted attacks a man was shot in the leg in Croxteth and another was shot in the leg in Birkenhead - the injuries to neither victim were believed to be life threatening
- Suffolk - a man received serious head injuries after a shooting in the village of Wickham Skieth (a man has been arrested)
- Tyneside - a man is recovering after being shot in the lower stomach at a pub in Chapel House (a man has been arrested)
- West Midlands - in three separate incidents a man was shot in the back in Newtown (Birmingham), another received a gunshot wound to his leg in Tipton (a man has been arrested) and three people were injured during a shooting in Bilston
There were also injuries to several victims of airgun attacks (see below).

Armed Hold-Ups and Assaults - Six armed attacks on security guards, apparently involving guns, were reported during September.
- In Andover (Hampshire) three men snatched a cash box from security guards
- Two people, a security guard and a shopper who tried to intervene, were shot during a raid at a supermarket in Tring (Hertfordshire)
- Security guards and staff at a garage in West Timperley (Greater Manchester) were intimidated by a gang armed with a shotgun who stole cigarettes
- Two security van guards were threatened by a man with a gun at a supermarket in Windsor (Berkshire)
- A masked gang robbed security guards delivering money to cash machines in Boston (Lincolnshire) - one guard was kicked in the face and an object which may have been a gun was seen during the raid
- Two men armed with a small handgun stole cash boxes in Rusthall (Kent)
There were robberies and attempted robberies by men apparently armed with guns on a bank in Dundee (nothing was stolen), on bookmakers in Heanor (Nottinghamshire) and Barnsley (South Yorkshire), and on shops in Cheadle Hulme (Greater Manchester) and Buttershaw (West Yorkshire). Two men have been charged over a robbery at a betting shop in Ilford (east London).
A man was robbed at gunpoint in the street in Earl's Court (west London) and an elderly woman had her handbag grabbed in a street robbery in Norris Green (Liverpool). Four residents of Westcliff (Essex) were robbed at gunpoint in a series of crimes: a teenager has been arrested. Two teenagers were attacked in a suspected gunpoint robbery in Deepdale (Preston).
In another incident in Norris Green (Liverpool) a man was threatened with a shotgun during a carjacking.
Armed robbers used a stun gun and CS gas when stealing two computers, a phone and cash from a man at his home in Prestwich (Manchester). A man was attacked with a stun gun and had his car and cash stolen in Kings Langley (Hertfordshire).

Other Incidents - A shotgun was fired at a police car as it followed a stolen vehicle in Salford: a man was later arrested and a gun recovered.
A number of people were arrested in Knowsley (Merseyside) after incidents that included one in which a shot was fired through a taxi window and another in which two men on a motorcycle opened fire into the air.
Four people were arrested after a firearm was discharged following an altercation in Wigston Fields (Leicester). One man was arrested after reports of a firearm being discharged in St Ann's (Nottingham). A gun was fired in a street in Darwen (Lancashire) after the resident of a house was threatened by a gang.
A shotgun was fired at the rear of a taxi in Granton (Edinburgh). The incident may be linked to another in Edinburgh in which a gun was discharged outside a pub in Broomhouse - two men have been arrested.
Three men were arrested after brandishing a sawn-off shotgun outside a pub in Elland (West Yorkshire).
A group of men are accused of holding two men hostage in Thamesmead (south east London) after the victims were abducted at gunpoint from a sports store in West London.
Armed police went to a property in Chatham (Kent) after reports that a man had been spotted with a firearm. A man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm after someone was apparently spotted with a gun in a car near Aberdare (South Wales).
A man was arrested under the Firearms Act after a siege in Liskeard (Cornwall).
A man who brandished a handgun after a party in Waterfoot (Lancashire) is being sought by police.

Gun Finds and Losses - Firearms were recovered and a number of arrests made following police searches.
- Five people were arrested after a shotgun was found during a search in Birkenhead (Merseyside)
- A loaded shotgun was found in the front garden of a house in Chorley (Lancashire) - three people were arrested but were all released on bail
- A loaded pistol was recovered by police from a house in Handsworth (Birmingham) - a man was arrested
- Two self-loading pistols were found at a property in Moss Side (Manchester) - three people have been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm
- A loaded gun and a large sum of cash were found during a raid in Aldermaston (Berkshire) - two of the four men arrested have been charged with firearms offences
- A number of firearms were found at a property in Bardfield Saling (Essex) - two people were arrested on suspicion of firearms and drugs offences
- Two people were arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm after a shotgun was found during a raid on caravans and land in Bickington (Devon)
Two guns have been stolen during a raid on a gun shop in Woodhall Spa (Lincolnshire) along with 400 ball-bearing (BB) pellets and around 100 CO₂ cylinders suitable for air pistols. GCN understands that the stolen guns are ball and powder weapons.
A police firearms officer left a gun in the toilets of a coffee shop in central London. An army assault rifle was lost during an exercise on Dartmoor (Devon).
A diver found a sawn-off shotgun while helping to clear rubbish from a river in Ipswich.

Airguns - There were more incidents which resulted in air weapon injuries to innocent victims.
- Another toddler was in hospital after being shot in the head with an air rifle by his father, this time in Hayes (west London) - a man was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm.
- A 14-year-old suffered wounds to his back and bottom after being shot in Wythall (Worcestershire) by two other boys
- A child was shot in the neck as he took part in a sponsored walk in Stonehaven (Aberdeenshire) - a fellow pupil was suspended from school
- A man needed hospital treatment after being hit by an airgun shot in a drive-by shooting in Broxburn (West Lothian)
- A teenager was shot in the eye at close range with an airgun in Leyland (Lancashire) - a man has been charged with possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life
- Two men were shot at with an air rifle whilst they were at a birthday party in Weston-super-Mare (Somerset)
- A teenage girl was shot in the head by an airgun shooter while playing on a trampoline in her back garden in Morpeth (Northumberland) - a man has been charged with assault and a woman with incitement to unlawfully wound
A teenager was threatened with a .22 air rifle whilst being robbed of a portion of chips in Ouston (County Durham).
A young mother and her baby were on a bus in Edinburgh when a window was shattered by what is believed to have been an airgun pellet. A bus was shot at with what is believed to have been an airgun while it was travelling along a road near Acle (Norfolk). In Fleetwood (Lancashire) two trams were targeted in airgun attacks in two days.
An airgun pellet was fired through a window at a store in Burnham-on-Sea (Somerset), and damage estimated at £100 was caused to street lights in Meden Vale (Nottinghamshire). Four people were detained and an air rifle recovered after reports that a man had discharged a gun towards a house in Balintore (Easter Ross). A car window was shattered at a builders' merchants in Leyland (Lancashire).
A man was released without charge after being questioned by police following an incident in which primary school pupils were allegedly shown a gun, reported to be an air rifle, whilst visiting Willington Marina (Derbyshire).

Imitation Guns - An 11-year-old boy suffered minor injuries when he was hit in the chest by pellets from a BB gun in Alvaston (Derbyshire).
A patient held up an ambulance with an imitation handgun and threatened to kill its crew before taking the vehicle and crashing it into five cars in Dagenham (east London) - he has been charged with various offences including two counts of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Train services were disrupted for three hours as police investigated a firearms incident near Rugby station (Warwickshire) in which "Heavy duty ball bearings" which had the potential to cause serious or fatal injury were fired at and damaged a lorry.
A man has been charged with having an imitation gun after an incident in which a teenager was threatened in Chalvey (Berkshire).
An imitation gun was recovered after armed police surrounded the home of a man in Stockbridge Village (Liverpool) following reports that a gunman was inside.
Two men sparked an armed response in Southend (Essex) when taking part in a "team-building exercise" involving imitation guns.
A cafe window in Paignton (Devon) has been peppered with shots, possibly from a ball bearing gun.
A woman was arrested for having 26 boxed replica BB guns at an outdoor market in Towyn (North Wales) during an undercover sting.
Travellers wearing bullet belts and imitation gun belts have been causing security problems at Edinburgh Airport.

Incidents Involving Animals - The toll of airgun abuse towards animals continues to rise, yet those with the power to act seem unwilling to take appropriate action. In September there were airgun attacks on cats in Berkshire, Bristol, Dorset, Flintshire, Gloucestershire, Lincolnshire, Kent (two incidents), Norfolk, Somerset, Sussex and West Yorkshire.
The police are investigating the fatal shooting of a badger found in St Ives (Cornwall).
A horse was killed by a single shot to the neck in a field in Godstone (Surrey).
Swans were shot at with a BB gun by two youngsters in Clevedon (Somerset) - one of the birds was shot in the eye and blinded. Ducks had previously been shot at the same site.

Convictions - A man who shot his 17-year-old victim in the stomach in Tottenham (north London) has been jailed for ten years after admitting grievous bodily harm with intent, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition - the teenager was only saved by emergency surgery.
Three teenagers have been jailed for offences committed in south-east London. A 19-year-old has admitted possessing a firearm and causing grievous bodily harm with intent for firing at a police officer in New Cross and has been ordered to serve a minimum term of eight years. Two other teenagers have been given seven and four year sentences after pointing a converted Brocock revolver loaded with live ammunition at one of three people whom they robbed in Greenland Quay.
Three men have been jailed for offences committed in east London. A man caught with a gas-powered gun and a knife at Dagenham Heathway station has been jailed for five years. Two men were jailed for six years and five years after an incident in Forest Gate in which a man was chased by another brandishing a sawn-off shotgun.
A man from Kirkby-in-Ashfield (Nottinghamshire) has been jailed for a total of 22 years for arson, firearm and drug offences - component parts of a rifle, a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition were found at his home. A man from Houghton-le-Spring (County Durham) has admitted illegally possessing a handgun and drug - he will be sentenced later. A teenager was given a mandatory five year sentence after police found a shotgun under his bed at his home in South Shields (Tyneside).
Four men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to rob and possession of a firearm after an attempted armed robbery at a jewellery shop in Oxted (Surrey) which was foiled by police officers at the scene - three were jailed for ten years, the fourth man for six years.
There were two court cases involving shotguns in Scotland. A 16-year-old caught with a sawn-off shotgun in Glasgow has admitted being in possession of an offensive weapon and will be sentenced next month. A man who was offered two stolen shotguns to sell has pleaded guilty to resetting them and failing to have a firearms certificate.
A man from Headley Heath (Worcestershire) was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence for keeping a pump-action shotgun. A 20-year-old has been found guilty of two counts of possessing a prohibited firearm and three counts of possessing ammunition without the correct authority after guns were found during a raid in Bolton (Greater Manchester) - police had been alerted by video footage on YouTube.
A man failed to get a reduction in his ten-year sentence for possessing a gun after being convicted of possessing a revolver and ammunition in The Meadows (Nottingham). Another man had his appeal against the length of a five-year sentence dismissed: he was jailed after admitting possessing a prohibited weapon, a 12-bore shotgun.

Airguns (Court Cases) - A number of men who used air weapons to threaten, intimidate or injure have been convicted.
- A man who armed himself with a gas-powered air pistol and shot a man after a drunken row in Calne (Wiltshire) has been jailed for 18-months
- A man who fired an air weapon in Ferryhill (County Durham) hitting his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend twice has been jailed for three years
- A man has admitted brandishing an air rifle in public close to a school in Gowerton (Swansea) and will be sentenced later
- A man has been jailed for two years after forcing a woman out of her car in Bridgham (Norfolk) by poking an air rifle through the window
- A teenager has been given a four-month home curfew following a prank in which he terrified another young man at a campsite in Carleton (North Yorkshire) by pointing a .22 air rifle at him
- A man from Eastbourne (Sussex) has been convicted of having a firearm with intent to cause a police officer to believe unlawful violence would be used against him after raising a .22 air rifle at officers who rushed to his house after being told he intended to kill himself
A man who trashed his house in Swindon (Wiltshire) and assaulted his wife admitted three counts of criminal damage and was convicted of common assault, but he was found not guilty of a firearm charge - he had been accused of pointing an air rifle at a police woman and had apparently smashed the windscreen of a police patrol car with the barrel of the gun

Imitation Guns (Court Cases) - A man, one of three who burst into a home in Frankley (Birmingham) and threatened a family with a sawn-off shotgun whilst demanding cash, was convicted of aggravated burglary and possession of an imitation firearm. A man on day release from prison was found guilty of robbing a post office in North Newbald (East Yorkshire) whilst in possession of an imitation gun.
A teenager who brandished a ball bearing gun that looked like an M16 assault rifle at a neighbour in Calne (Wiltshire) could face the prospect of jail.
A woman from Gilmerton (Edinburgh) admitted possession of an offensive weapon, a replica firearm, and will be sentenced next month.
A man who smuggled an imitation pistol into the country has been fined £500 for brandishing it during a scuffle in Newton Abbot (Devon).
A shopkeeper from Keighley (West Yorkshire) who fired a ball-bearing gun at a boy he found stealing a chocolate bar has been given a conditional discharge for 12 months after pleading guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm.