September 2015 Review
by Gun Control Network on 01-10-2015
Gun Deaths
We are aware of at least three gun deaths in September 2015:
- A soldier in his 20s has been found dead from what are believed to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds from his own, presumed legally held, gun at his barracks in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
- A 43-year-old man died of his injuries after he was found shot in a car parked in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
- A 25-year-old man has died in hospital after being chased and shot in Clapton, east London.
Inquests
We are aware of at least three gun related inquests in September 2015:
- An inquest has found that seven-year-old Mary Shipstone was unlawfully shot dead in September 2014 in Northiam, East Sussex by her father Yasser Alromisse. The inquest also concluded that the 46-year-old man then took his own life.
- An inquest into the death of John Edwards, 42, at his home in Helston, Cornwall has recorded an open verdict. The former sailor was found dead from gunshot wounds by armed police after his neighbours reported hearing two gunshots in the early hours of the morning.
- An inquest has found that Carl Ellam, 53, took his own life with his licensed rifle at his neighbour's stable near his home in Golcar, West Yorkshire.
Sentences and Convictions
We are aware of at least 38 sentences and convictions handed down during September, 66% of which relate to serious crimes involving imitation, BB, Airsoft, replica, and airguns, all of which can be legally held without licences.
- Four men have been jailed for a total of 27 and a half years in connection with several shootings in Liverpool. A number of guns were recovered, including a rifle that had been stolen in a burglary in Cheshire.
- A man has been jailed for five years after being found guilty of possessing a stun gun disguised as a mobile phone in Croydon, south London. While examining the device, officers accidentally discharged the weapon, but no one was injured.
- A man has been jailed for two years and three months for possessing cannabis and for possessing a dangerous article at the airport in Stansted, Essex. He was found in possession of a silver air pistol, 111 pellets, a magazine containing seven pellets, gas canisters, and a balaclava when he was searched by a security staff at the airport.
Licensed Gun Owners/Legally-held Gun Incidents
We are aware of at least one incident involving a licensed gun owner in September 2015.
A man from Yarm, North Yorkshire has been jailed for two years for threatening his neighbour with an imitation gun, failing to comply with his shotgun licence by leaving guns and ammunition on the floor, in wardrobes, and in an unlocked gun cupboard, and possessing an unlicensed shotgun.
Armed Domestic Violence
We are aware of at least eight sentences relating to armed domestic violence in September 2015, 75% of which involved airguns/imitations/BB guns which can be legally held without licences:
- See the incident above relating to a licensed shotgun owner.
- A 54-year-old man has been jailed for two years for threatening his nephew and family with an imitation gun on a busy street in Leeds, West Yorkshire.
- A man has been jailed for 26 months for threatening the mother of his former friend with an airgun and threatening to kill her son in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear.
- A man has been jailed for two years and been made the subject of a five year restraining order for possessing an airgun with intent to cause fear of violence after falling out with a friend in Washington, Tyne and Wear.
- A man has been jailed for 18 months for threatening his former partner with an imitation gun at her home in Brackley, Northamptonshire.
- A man has been given an 18-month community order with 12 months of supervision, been ordered to pay £2,000 costs, and been made the subject of a three-year restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his sister or niece after arming himself with an airgun and pushing his sister to the floor during an argument.
- A man has been jailed for 18 months for possessing a gas powered BB gun with intent to cause fear of violence, breaching a non-molestation order, and assault by battery of his former partner and a man who was with her at her home in Newton Abbot, Devon.
- A man has been jailed for a minimum of 24 years and six months for murdering his 32-year-old girlfriend with a sawn-off shotgun in Holloway, north London.
Animal Cruelty
We are aware of at least ten incidents of animal cruelty in September 2015, 90% of which involved airguns which can be legally held without licences. Three cats and a swan have been killed and a further six cats have been injured in airgun attacks. One cat has been injured by a criminal using a shotgun.
Assaults Causing Fear
Most firearms assaults in Britain involve guns being used to threaten individuals, usually for the sake of robbery. Traumatised victims are often unable to identify the weapons used. It is extremely difficult to distinguish between replicas, BBs, airguns, and imitations etc., none of which require a licence, unless the weapons are fired and/or recovered, and for this reason many incidents are attributed to 'unknown' weapons. Fear of gunfire is also evident when citizens call police to report hearing gun shots.
The chart below shows data compiled from new gun incidents and sentences causing fear in England, Scotland, and Wales as reported in the British media from September 2014 to September 2015:
As the graph demonstrates, many robberies involve the use of imitations and BB guns which do not require a licence and may not contain bullets but are used by perpetrators to capitalise on the fear of victims who believe they are about to be shot. This experience is more common in England, Scotland, and Wales than incidents causing physical injury.
Incidents Causing Injury
In many armed robberies and assaults in Britain resulting in severe injury, perpetrators club or 'pistol-whip' victims using weapons reported to be 'unknown' or imitation firearms. Although imitations, BBs, and airguns do not require a licence in England, Scotland, and Wales they are responsible for many gun injuries to both humans and animals.
The chart below shows data compiled from new incidents and sentences causing injury in England, Scotland, and Wales as reported in the British media between September 2014 and September 2015:
GCN is particularly concerned about the criminal use of shotguns (which are licensed to unsafe individuals, lost, or stolen), 'low-powered' airguns, legally held without a licence (though sufficiently powerful to kill adults, children, and animals), and realistic imitation guns (legally held without a licence but illegal to trade/manufacture).
The table below counts new gun incidents in England, Scotland, and Wales as reported in the British media from September 2014 to September 2015:
|
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
|
|
Shotgun |
15 |
13 |
9 |
8 |
17 |
8 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
8 |
9 |
12 |
7 |
|
Airgun |
36 |
30 |
16 |
14 |
16 |
12 |
23 |
32 |
23 |
11 |
18 |
26 |
21 |
|
Imitation |
12 |
16 |
12 |
7 |
7 |
14 |
14 |
18 |
6 |
9 |
13 |
12 |
9 |
|
Unknown |
49 |
34 |
38 |
27 |
26 |
51 |
40 |
35 |
20 |
18 |
22 |
30 |
31 |
GCN is committed to preventing gun violence and we work to pursue that objective through adjustments to the legal system. Ultimately, legally obtained guns in every country tend to find their way into the wrong hands, whether it's through theft, or the failure of the licensing procedure to identify legal gun owners who pose a risk to themselves and/or others.
See Gun Incidents in the UK for the full list of incidents.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License.