November 2024 Review

GCN is committed to preventing gun violence and we work to pursue that objective through changes to the legal system, public services and attitudes to guns. We collect and analyse data to provide all stakeholders with the evidence needed to initiate change.

GCN collects data on gun incidents and related sentences, inquests and investigations in England, Scotland, and Wales, as reported in the British media. We know our information is incomplete, though we believe nearly all the most serious crimes are included.

This Review refers to incidents that occurred during November 2024 and to earlier incidents for which further information has now been reported, often as a result of a court case or inquest. Please note that the data used for the Figures is derived solely from incidents that occurred, or first came to our attention, in November 2024.

Figure 1: November 2024 incident reports by type

Gun Deaths

We monitor FATAL GUN INCIDENTS in Great Britain and compile lists that summarise the available information. Our summaries for 2017 to 2024 are available at https://gun-control-network.org/news-analysis/

We are aware of two reports in November 2024 concerning gun deaths:

• Police officers responding to reports of a shooting in Sydenham, South London found an injured man who later died at the scene. A woman was treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries to her legs, while a second injured person remains in an unknown condition. No arrests have yet been made.

• In a double shooting in Edgbaston, West Midlands, one man died in a car and another was critically injured at a bus stop. A man, arrested nearby by armed police officers on suspicion of murder, was later released without charge. Police have appealed for information.

Inquests

We are not aware of any reports of inquest verdicts in November 2024 relating to gun deaths.

Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator

We are aware of four reports in November 2024 that we believe to relate to the above, including:

• A 39-year-old ex-soldier said to have an obsession with firearms, has been jailed for 25 years for rape. He left a shotgun in sight as he carried out the first sex attack on his victim in Nottingham, In an impact statement, the victim described seeing the firearm lying on the floor, adding that she doubted she would ever be able to recover. Following sentencing, the judge said that the perpetrator “…does pose a significant risk of committing further specified offences. I find he has a fascination with guns, running in and out of (his) house holding them while under the influence of ketamine. He has a total lack of insight into his behaviour.” The man was placed on the sex offenders register for life.

• It has emerged that a man allegedly threatened a woman while holding a suspected imitation gun at a property in Whiston, Merseyside last month. The man reportedly grabbed the woman by the throat, assaulted her and damaged the property. He has since been charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, two counts of Section 47 assault, two counts of non-fatal intentional strangulation, making a threat to commit criminal damage and two counts of criminal damage. After he was remanded in custody a police spokesperson said, “Last month we launched our “Taking Action campaign to end violence against women and girls. Hopefully every action we take following reports will reassure victims that their reports will be taken seriously.”

• It has emerged that, in March 2024, a man called at a home in Seghill, Northumberland pretending he wanted to apologise to the occupant for falling out with him. As they spoke, however, two other men pushed past them and took the homeowner to the ground. The assailants hit the victim on the head with a baseball bat, struck him with the butt of a sawn-off shotgun and stabbed him twice in the back with a knife. They also pulled a necklace from his neck and searched through cupboards, demanding to know the whereabouts of money and jewellery, before fleeing. A neighbour’s doorbell camera captured footage of the three men arriving together, with the first man leaving the scene after the other two entered the property. The first man, who claimed to have been intimidated into participating in the incident, has now been jailed for nineteen months for burglary. The other two remain at large.

• A man has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 28 years, after being found guilty of the murder of one person and the attempted murder of three others. In August 2022, he stabbed his wife at their home on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, puncturing both lungs. He then drove to a nearby village and shot dead his brother-in-law, with whom he had fallen out some years previously. He then went on to another village where he shot a woman in the face before shooting her husband twice, in the front and side. The male victim was an osteopath who had treated the perpetrator for a back injury, purportedly making it worse. After this attack, police officers, tasered and arrested the perpetrator. The court heard that he had attacked his wife in “a moment of madness” on reading messages between her and her boss on her phone, after which he felt a “total darkness” come over him. Two psychiatrists and two psychologists gave evidence that, at the time of the attacks, the perpetrator was affected by autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and a background personality disorder. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson expressed sympathy for the victims and their families before commending the two officers who detained the man, using a baton and a Taser.

Licensed/Former Licensed Owners/Dealers/Legal Guns and Ammunition, and Stolen Guns and Ammunition

We are aware of at least three reports in November 2024 that we believe to relate to the above:

• See Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator above — A licensed gun owner fatally shot his brother-in-law and attempted to murder a further two victims with his gun on the Isle of Skye.

• An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct has found that police officers involved in shooting a man in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire in May 2024 acted “courageously and professionally”. An armed police officer shot the man in the abdomen after he stabbed a neighbour and fired a crossbow at another officer’s leg. The investigation concluded that the actions of all officers involved in the firearms incident were fully justified, proportionate and necessary. The man has since been charged with offences including wounding with intent and possession of a crossbow.

• Armed police officers were deployed following a report that an air rifle had been stolen from a vehicle in Kessingland, East Suffolk. A man was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of theft and possession of a firearm.

We are aware of at least two reports in November 2024 involving the use of a police Taser including:

• It has emerged that a man fell off a garage and suffered life-changing injuries after being tasered by a police officer in Woodford, East London in April 2022. The officer has since been charged with assault occasioning grievous bodily harm. A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police said that any misconduct matters will be considered following the court process.

Animal Death and Injury

We are aware of at least five reports in November 2024 of animal cruelty and/or death involving a gun:

• A pony at a petting farm in Bournemouth, Dorset suffered a fracture after being shot in the leg with a suspected BB gun. The pony is being treated with antibiotics and painkillers, but there is a chance he may have to be put to sleep. Rural crime police officers are investigating.

• A buzzard, found dead next to a grouse moor in Strathbraan, Perthshire, had been shot in the leg with a shotgun. A post-mortem examination revealed that the bird had died slowly from the wound and a secondary infection. The incident comes six months after the introduction of new legislation intended to tackle raptor persecution in Scotland. A spokesperson from the League against Cruel Sports said, “Why would anyone shoot a buzzard – unless it was someone who was trying to make sure there would be more grouse to shoot for so-called sport? The new laws were supposed to stop this kind of wanton cruelty, but this case just goes to show that the killing goes on. Our worry is that this cruelty will continue as long as buzzards, hen harriers and golden eagles are seen as a threat to the shooting industry, rather than the magnificent creatures that they are.”

• It has emerged that a cat was shot in the chest with an air rifle in Great Snoring, Norfolk in October 2024. The cat, who “dragged himself home” after being missing for twelve hours, is recovering from his wounds.

• A dog, found dead in a field in Owston Ferry, Lincolnshire, is believed to have been shot with a suspected air rifle. A post-mortem is being carried out to confirm the cause of death and recover the pellet. Police have been informed.

• A 28-year-old man has been handed a twelve-month community order, with a fifteen-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a six-month alcohol treatment requirement, after pleading guilty to possessing an air weapon in a public park and killing a tawny owl and a wood pigeon. In July 2024, the man shot the birds in Alkincoats Park in Colne, Lancashire, later dumping them in his wheelie bin. Police arrested him after receiving a tip-off from someone who said that the man regularly shot at wild birds.

Imitation, Airsoft, airguns and BB guns do not currently require a licence in England or Wales. These guns are responsible for many gun injuries to both humans and animals.

N.B. Since January 2017, airgun owners in Scotland have been required to have a licence, and airgun crime in Scotland has decreased by one third.

Gun Control Network, The RSPCA, Cats Protection, other organisations and individuals are calling for similar legislation in England and Wales after 300,000+ members of the public petitioned in favour of airgun licensing.

The previous Government’s Response to a further Consultation, sent predominantly to shooting organisations but not to women’s organisations or those supporting victims of domestic violence, concluded not to license airguns in England and Wales.

Border Force and National Crime Agency

We are aware of at least one report in November 2024 relating to the above:

• National Crime Agency officers, supported by armed officers, arrested a man in Berinsfield, Oxfordshire on suspicion of firearms offences. The suspect remains in custody.

Sentences and Convictions

We are aware of at least 42 reports in November 2024 of sentences and convictions for gun crime, including:

• A 36-year-old man has been jailed for four years and eight months after admitting assaulting a store worker while brandishing an imitation firearm. In June 2024, the man wielded a realistic Airsoft gun while demanding money from a staff member at a post office in Dunfermline, Fife. When the woman refused, he jumped over the counter and “seized her body”. Her colleagues managed to disarm the assailant and restrain him until police arrived. The court heard that the man had attempted the robbery to pay off drug dealers who had allegedly threatened to kneecap him.

• A 42-year-old man, a 53-year-old man and a 45-year-old man have each been jailed for ten years and nine months, with three years on extended licence, after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent. In May 2024, the three men drove around Grangetown, North Yorkshire looking for their target before one of them shot him in the back with a .22 long-barrelled rifle. The victim suffered two shattered ribs, a punctured lung and extreme blood loss. Shortly afterwards, armed police found an iPhone “smouldering” in a fire in the garden of the 52-year old’s home, while his baseball cap, found nearby, revealed gunshot residue. The victim refused to cooperate with police investigating the shooting and it has never been discovered which of the three men shot him, nor where they obtained and disposed of the firearm used.

• Four men involved in a plan to supply a converted blank-firing gun have been sentenced after admitting firearms offences. A 30-year-old man and his 36-year-old brother were jailed for ten years, eight months and seven years, four months, respectively, while a third man received six years and a fourth was handed six years, nine months. One of the men arranged a deal in which the two brothers sold a Turkish-made converted blank-firing pistol to the other man in Liverpool, Merseyside in May 2024. A courier (jailed earlier this year), took the gun away after the sale and was stopped shortly afterwards in a taxi. Specialist officers recovered the gun, with its serial number removed, along with eleven rounds of live ammunition. The gun was later test fired successfully.

• A 30-year-old man has been jailed for 35 years after being convicted of conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of points and blades and two counts of attempted murder. His 26-year-old brother was sentenced last year to 34 years for the same offences. In November 2021, the two men ambushed a man outside a nightclub in Brent, West London before stabbing him and shooting him in the left shoulder. One of them then shot at a second man who was attempting to hide in a car. The bullet went through his left hand and into his chest. Both victims were treated in hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

• A 30-year-old man has been jailed for ten months after pleading guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and assault by beating. In September 2023, the man made an offensive gesture and spat at a woman motorist through the open window of her car following a road dispute in Stoke, Staffordshire. He went on to point what looked like a black handgun at her before the vehicle he was in drove away. Police were alerted and firearms officers stopped the fleeing car shortly afterwards. A BB gun and a tub of BB pellets were recovered from the vehicle. In an impact statement, the woman described feeling petrified and fearing for her life.

• A 33-year-old man has been jailed for eight years and three months after admitting importing lethal-purpose firearms and possessing a 3D printed firearm. In July 2024, eight revolvers were seized after the man’s car was stopped at the Port of Dover, He claimed to believe that the prohibited weapons, brought into the country from Belgium, were antiques. During the subsequent search of his home, a not-fully-viable 3d-printed firearm was recovered.

• A 19-year-old man has been sent to a young offenders’ institution for four years and nine months after admitting manufacturing a part/component of a firearm. In April this year, firearms officers supported the search of the man’s home in Newport, South Wales from where gas masks, night vision goggles, a 3D printer, two laptops, six plastic rails, 3D-printed meal barrels, bullets and firearm components of an FGC-9 were seized. Nazi posters, gun magazines, cannabis, Airsoft guns, knives, ingredients to create explosives and target sheets were also found at the property, while a sticker on a wall referenced the man who created the FGC-9 pistol to evade European firearms law. The man’s phone also revealed racist and far-right political messages.

• Four men have been jailed for the murder of a teenage boy and the attempted murder of a man. The court heard that the attack came after the perpetrators argued with their victim about being filmed inside a music studio in Tottenham, North London. When the teenager left the studio, one of the men shot him and fired at his friend, while a second man struck him with a large machete. The friend escaped, unharmed. The jury concluded that two men, one with a hidden sword, the other carrying a knife, assisted and/or encouraged the other two to carry out the fatal attack. All four men were jailed for life, with a total of 79 years.

• A man has been jailed for twelve years, with a four-year extended licence, after pleading guilty to robbery, possessing an imitation firearm at the time of committing a specified offence and attempting to make use of an imitation firearm with intent. In July 2024, the man pointed a black gun at a cashier in a supermarket in Manchester and ordered her to empty the tills. He fled with £300 and some cigarettes after showing her bullets in his shirt pocket and telling her that he would shoot her if she called the police. One of the women’s colleagues had pressed a silent alarm and police officers confronted the man shortly afterwards. After he pointed the gun at one of the officers, he was tasered. When this failed, one officer hit the man and grabbed the firearm from his hand. The weapon was found to be a toy gun. The cashier and the police officer targeted both received counselling following their ordeal.

• It has emerged that, in May 2023, a teenage boy shot a blank-firing handgun five times at two people in their front garden in Dunfermline, Fife. Days later, he pointed a gun at a man and pulled the trigger four or five times. On this occasion, the unconcerned victim told the boy, “It’s a plastic gun.” Police officers responded and detained the teenager, recovering a blank-firing pistol nearby. Ammunition for the pistol was found in the boy’s bedroom. The teenager went on to threaten a man with a machete three months later. In July this year, the youth, who is too young to be named, was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a two-year offender supervision.

• A 27-year-old man and a 33-year-old man have been jailed for 56 months and 46 months, respectively, for attempted robbery, with the younger man’s sentence also including time for possessing an imitation firearm while committing a Schedule 1 offence. In February 2024, the two men threatened a woman with an imitation gun on a street in Fawley, Hampshire, threatening to “batter her” if she didn’t hand over some money. The weapon was subsequently recovered from the older man’s home address.

• A 20-year-old man from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire has been handed a twelve-month community order with 25 rehabilitation activity days and a ten-year-restraining order after admitting possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In December 2022, the man made a video call to a woman, during which he brandished a BB gun and threatened to shoot her. On sentencing, the judge told him that his victim could not have known the firearm was imitation and that “her terror was very real”.

• A 25-year-old man, of no fixed address, has been jailed for fourteen years and eight months after pleading guilty to drug offences and two counts each of possession of a firearm without a certificate and possession of ammunition. In August 2023, following an investigation into a drugs line operated by the suspect, police officers searched a property frequented by him in Woolwich, London and recovered two live firearms and ammunition. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said, “This was an extremely complex case, [the man] tried his best to evade police detection, utilising multiple mobile phones and using others to do his bidding. But, after working tirelessly, and closely with the Metropolitan Police we were able to ensure [the man] and two extremely dangerous firearms are off the streets.”

• A 50-year-old man from Edinburgh, Scotland, has been jailed for five years after pleading guilty to attempting to acquire and possess a firearm. In June 2023, US law enforcement intercepted a package addressed to the man’s former partner that contained a viable handgun. The man’s phone revealed that he had searched on the web for firearms, paid for the weapon via an app and enquired about the availability of a further handgun. The court heard that he had told his ex-partner that he wanted to get a weapon to “keep her safe” while he was working offshore.

Many incidents involve the use of airguns*, Airsoft, imitation and BB guns, which do not require a licence and may not contain ammunition but are used by perpetrators to capitalise on the fear of victims who believe they are about to be shot. Traumatised victims are often unable to identify the weapons used. It is extremely difficult to distinguish between imitation and live-firing guns unless the weapons are fired and/or recovered, and, for this reason, guns involved in incidents frequently remain unidentified.

Shotguns and rifles can be legally held by those granted a licence. Ultimately, legally-obtained guns in every country tend to find their way into the wrong hands, whether through theft, corrupt gun dealers, and/or the failure of the licensing procedure to identify legal gun owners who pose a risk to themselves and/or others. See Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator above — A licensed gun owner fatally shot his brother-in-law and attempted to murder a further two victims with his gun.

Please see the endnote for further explanation of gun types and current legal status.

Figure 2: November 2024 Weapon types recorded in firearm incidents

Notes

See Gun incidents in Great Britain page for details of incidents involving these gun types.

Guns that do not require a licence: Airguns* (so-called ‘low-powered’); Airsoft; ball-bearing; imitation; paintball; antique; deactivated; bolt guns** and starting pistols/blank firers. These guns are cheap, accessible and available to buy on impulse. Moreover, lack of secure storage requirements enables theft. Many are capable of being converted into more powerful weapons. Guns deactivated to early specifications are capable of reactivation and recent, more rigorous specifications are not retrospective.

There is no legal definition of ‘antique’ and, although possession of antique guns is prohibited to those having served or received a criminal sentence, it is unclear how this is administered during sales and transfers.

Airsoft guns are exempt from the terms of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 and are ‘self-regulated’ by the Airsoft industry. The Home Office fails to collect data on the proliferation of Airsoft skirmishing sites.

• *From January 2017 air gun owners in Scotland have required a licence.
• ** A ‘slaughter licence’ is required for a bolt gun.

Guns that require a licence: Airguns in Scotland; shotguns; rifles; police firearms/ Tasers.

The inadequate licensing procedure is subsidised by taxpayers to the tune of £20 million a year. Any number of shotguns can be held on one certificate, which lasts for five years. The licensing procedure consistently fails to protect the public from licensed gun-owning perpetrators and women are particularly at risk of domestic violence involving licensed gun owners. The Home Office fails to publish data regarding the number of Licensed Gun Owners/Dealers/Legal Guns and Ammunition involved in non-fatal crime. The status of guns used in suicides is not recorded at inquests.

Guns that are prohibited: Handguns (revolvers, pistols etc.); Olympic starting pistols; Tasers; submachine guns; and ‘other’ weapons (pepper spray/CS Gas; home-made guns and explosive devices). Certain handguns are exempt from prohibition. Handgun, Taser and pepper spray use is authorised for police, but there are concerns regarding fatalities and Taser training.

Imitation/Airsoft guns are available without background checks. Crimes reported in the media as involving handguns are likely to involve imitations, airsoft, air pistols or other guns that look like handguns, resulting in misleadingly-inflated reports of handgun crime.