July 2025 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 July 2025 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 July 2025.

Gun Deaths

We monitor FATAL GUN INCIDENTS in Great Britain and compile lists that summarise the available information. Our summaries for 2017 to 2025 are available at https://gun-control-network.org/news-analysis/

We are aware of three reports concerning gun deaths in July 2025:

• An inquest into the death of a woman at a property in Pulham Market, Norfolk has been opened and adjourned. The provisional cause of death was given as severe brain injury due to a gunshot wound. Police confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious.

• An inquest into the death of a man at a property in Exeter, Devon has been opened and adjourned. The man was found lying on the sofa with a shotgun in his hand. The coroner confirmed there were no suspicious circumstances.

• An inquest into the death of a woman at a property near Norton, Wiltshire has been opened and adjourned. Firearms officers safely recovered a gun found close to the woman’s body. Detectives confirmed that the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Inquests

We are aware of one inquest verdict in July 2025 relating to a gun death:

• The coroner at the inquest into the death of a teenage boy at his family’s holiday home near Sherborne, Dorset in April 2024 has recorded a verdict of suicide. The boy was found in the office where his father, a licensed gun owner, kept shotguns in cases. The inquest heard that the teenager, who struggled with ADHD, had been feeling anxious about his GCSEs and had recently broken up with his girlfriend. The coroner said she will be making a prevention of future death report, having concerns about possible gaps in the gun licence laws, including people keeping guns in second homes without the authorities knowing and a lack of consideration for the mental health of other people in the same household as a licence holder.

Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator

We are aware of one report in July 2025 that we believe to relate to the above:

• A man and a woman were treated in hospital for facial and head injuries after being assaulted with metal poles and a Taser in Penryn, Cornwall. Armed police officers subsequently arrested a man on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent. It is believed the suspect’s victims were known to him.

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

We are aware of three reports in July 2025 that we believe to relate to the above:

• See Inquests above — A teenage boy used his father’s licensed shotgun to take his own life at their holiday home in Dorset.

• Police officers attended a property in Hollingbourne, Kent to arrest a man on suspicion of assault. Armed police officers were deployed after the man refused to leave the house and officers’ body-worn cameras showed him wearing a gas mask and body armour while holding a chainsaw and suspected improvised explosive device or handmade firearm. After officers fired a baton round, the man took cover behind a hedge. After refusing orders to put down the chainsaw, a second baton round was discharged. The man was shot in the abdomen with a conventional police firearm as he moved towards the officers. He was treated in hospital for potentially life-changing injuries. The chainsaw was recovered and the device made safe by a bomb squad. A spokesperson from the Independent Office for Police Conduct said, “Police shootings are fortunately rare. However, given a man has been injured after being shot by police, our role is to independently investigate all of the circumstances surrounding this incident including the actions and decisions taken by the police. Based on our analysis of evidence gathered to date, no police officer is under investigation for either misconduct or criminality – they are being treated as witnesses. We appreciate that the community will want answers quickly, and our investigators are working hard to establish the facts and piece together what occurred. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.”

• 25 air rifles, air rifle pellets and other items have been stolen from a shooting ground near Falmer, East Sussex. The owner said that the thieves had driven through a hedgerow and cut down two barbed wire fences to access the property. No arrests have yet been reported.

We are aware of at least one report in July 2025 involving the use of a police Taser:

• Police officers tasered and arrested a man after his car came off the road and got stuck in a ditch near Llandrindod Wells, Powys. The man pushed an officer and tried to grab his personal protection equipment before being detained. The man had fled from the scene of a minor collision shortly before.

Animal Death and Injury

We are aware of at least six reports in July 2025 of animal cruelty and/or death involving a gun:

• A cat lost the use of one of her legs after being shot with an air rifle in Mosterton, Dorset. The RSPCA has appealed for information. Anyone caught deliberately using an airgun to injure an animal can face up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine if found guilty under the Animal Welfare Act.

• A cat has died after being shot in the head with an air rifle in Stockton, Co. Durham. The pet underwent a two-hour operation during which vets attempted to remove the pellet from his brain but, when this failed, he was put to sleep. Police have been informed.

• A seagull suffered a large wound after being shot with an air weapon in a residential area of Llandudno, Conwy earlier this month. A police spokesperson said, “All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Additionally, officers are concerned about an air weapon being used in a residential area, which could have injured members of the public or family pets as well.”

• A severely injured pigeon was put to sleep after it was shot with an air weapon in Leicester, Leicestershire. An RSPCA spokesperson appealed for information, adding that the organisation receives nearly 1,000 calls a year about air weapons being used to target animals.

• A cat suffered a serious facial injury after being shot with an air rifle in Bolton-by-Bowland, West Yorkshire. The pet, facing a number of operations, is expected to survive. Police have appealed for information.

• A cat is recovering from surgery to have a pellet removed after being shot with an air weapon in Herne Bay, Kent. The incident has been reported to police.

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 July 2025 relating to the above:

• Armed National Crime Agency officers searched a property in Birmingham, West Midlands and discovered a viable handgun and quantity of ammunition. A man and woman were subsequently charged with possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition without the relevant certificates.

Sentences and Convictions

We are aware of at least 30 reports in July 2025 of sentences and convictions for gun crime, including:

• A 33-year-old woman has been handed an eighteen-month community order and ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation days after admitting possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In March 2025, armed police officers were deployed after she threatened a woman with an imitation handgun in Ventnor, Isle of Wight. The 33-year-old was found carrying the weapon.

• Two men, both aged 21, have been sentenced in connection with a series of BB gun attacks in Ryde, Isle of Wight. While they drove around the town in August 2022, an assault rifle-style BB gun was fired from their car at members of the public. One man suffered an injury after being shot in the head. The first man admitted possession of four knives in public and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, while the second man admitted possession of a Class B drug and was found guilty of the second charge.

• A 24-year-old man has been jailed for a minimum term of fourteen years after being convicted of rape and possession of an imitation firearm, and admitting possession of an imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence, rape of a girl under 13 and assault of a girl under 13 by penetration. In October 2024, the man threatened a woman with an imitation gun in Southall, West London while attempting to rape her. The incident was linked to a second attack on a teenage girl in Hayes End.

• A 43-year-old man has been jailed for twelve years and eight months for possession of a firearm without a certificate, possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate, two counts each of possession of a firearm of length less than 30cm/60cm and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place, drug offences and possession of criminal property. After patrol officers arrested the man for being concerned in the supply of cannabis in March 2025, three viable firearms, a silencer, 10kg of Class A & B drugs and more than £30,000 in cash were recovered from a property in Liverpool, Merseyside. The man’s sentence comes as a result of a major operation designed to interrupt County Lines drug gangs, safeguard vulnerable individuals and intercept weapons, drugs and illicit cash.

•  23-year-old man has been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to being in possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In November 2024, the man and an accomplice cycled up to a mosque in Liverpool, Merseyside, before the 23-year-old ran towards two men. After they escaped inside, their pursuer pulled what appeared to be a gun before walking away. The firearm has not been recovered. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said, “This was a serious offence that caused a lot of concern in the community at the time… To the untrained eye, an imitation firearm can cause fear and harm to people who wouldn’t know the difference between them or a more dangerous weapon if confronted with one.”

• A 22-year-old man and a 21-year-old man have been jailed for 20 years after being found guilty of attempted murder and arson. A 22-year-old co-defendant received 22 years after being found guilty of attempted murder and admitting arson and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. In May 2025, the three men carried out a planned attack at a family home in Birmingham, West Midlands. Three shots were fired at windows of the property, causing one occupant injuries from broken glass. A brick was thrown at the windscreen of a nearby car before the offenders drove away, later burning their getaway vehicle to destroy evidence. CCTV and mobile phone evidence placed the men at the scene.

• A 39-year-old man has been jailed for six years, with a further two years under supervision, after admitting assault and robbery. In September 2024, he forced his way into a property in Stirling, Central Scotland and grabbed a woman by the neck before pushing an Airsoft gun into her side and demanding money. After a delivery driver responded to the woman’s screams, her assailant pointed the gun at him and other witnesses before fleeing. The assailant was arrested after being tracked through descriptions of his appearance and CCTV footage.

• Two men, both aged 33, have been jailed for sixteen years, two months and nine years, eight months, respectively, after being convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and drug offences. The two men were members of an organised crime gang based in Warrington, Cheshire that used the encrypted criminal messaging network, EncroChat, to arrange the supply of drugs, control viable firearms and plan shootings of rivals. EncroChat data revealed the group had turned over £328,230 and were involved in the supply of around 115kg of cannabis, almost 11kg of cocaine and more than 63kg of amphetamine. Including the two 33-year-olds, seven gang members received a total of more than 55 years in prison.

• An 18-year-old has been jailed for six years after admitting a breach of the peace and a charge under the Terrorism Act. In July 2023, police opened an investigation after a photograph of the man, dressed in combat gear and holding an imitation firearm while on school grounds, appeared on social media. Athough the clothes and prop gun were from a drama class video, the image caused “widespread panic” among pupils and parents. The court heard that the man, who had spent more than 1,000 hours in contact with the pro-Nazi online Discord group, had been radicalised and held racist and pro-Nazi views. He “idolised” the 1999 Columbine High School shooters and repeatedly mentioned carrying out a deadly attack, referred to as “Doomsday”, at his secondary school in Edinburgh, Scotland. Despite being referred to the UK anti-terrorism Prevent programme, he increasingly saw himself as a “warrior” and had created “visceral and graphic plans” about which pupils and teachers he would kill. The Defence argued that the man’s behaviour was driven more by his autism than extremist ideology, while the judge, agreeing he was a vulnerable person, said, “It is at least arguable you were progressing towards the brink of committing a mass school shooting and becoming radicalised, the statement of intent could not have been clearer.”

• A 25-year-old man has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to two offences of robbery. His 46-year-old co-defendant previously received seven-and-a-half years, with a further three years on licence, for the same offence as well as dangerous driving. In October 2024, the 25-year-old invited the co-defendant to join him in a plan to rob sex workers. Posing as a customer, the older man entered a woman’s flat in Maidstone, Kent, where he pointed a BB gun at her head before letting the other man into the property. The two men then demanded money before fleeing with an iPhone, photo ID and three rings. Three hours later, the two men forced their way into a hotel room after arranging to meet another woman. One man covered the woman’s eyes and held “a hard object” to her head saying, “Give me all your money. If you don’t you’ll be in trouble with the gun”. The two men stole two phones before leaving. Police were alerted after the second robbery. On sentencing, the judge said he had taken account of the younger man’s mental health vulnerabilities, including susceptibility to grooming and above average compliance. He also noted that the defendants had chosen their victims in the expectation they would not report being robbed.

• Four men have been sentenced for their involvement in a violent assault on a man in October 2024. The four approached their victim as he was walking near his home in Gorton, Manchester. As their victim tried to escape over a fence, two assailants attacked him with a machete, while another fired a shotgun at his leg. After the group fled, the victim managed to drag himself home. He suffered such serious damage to his leg that it was amputated, and he has been left with a severely injured hand. On sentencing, the judge described the attack as “brutal, pitiless and extremely violent”, adding that the defendants had shown “considerable and careful planning and preparation”. The four have been sentenced to a total of 102 years for attempted murder, possession of an offensive weapon with intent to endanger life and having a bladed article. In a personal statement, the victim said, “These are life changing injuries and I have had to change practically every aspect of my life … I had just started my life, it shouldn’t be filled with uncertainty, it should be filled with endless opportunities. I feel afraid to walk out the door, I am worried about the people causing me further harm. I feel heartbroken and worthless, I have suicidal thoughts, sleepless nights and flashbacks. I have constant mental and emotional distress. I am seeing a counsellor to help me cope.”

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.

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

Figure 2: July 2025 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 airgun 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. Gun Control Network and others welcome the increase in Firearms Licence fees to ‘Full Cost Recovery’ in the interests of public safety. The under-resourced licensing procedure has consistently failed to protect the public from licensed gun-owning perpetrators and women are particularly at risk of domestic violence involving licensed gun owners. Any number of shotguns can be held on one certificate, which lasts for five years.

The Home Office continues to fail to publish data regarding the number of Licensed Gun Owners/Dealers/Legal Guns and Ammunition involved in non-fatal crime. Similarly, the status of guns used in suicides is not necessarily recorded at Inquests.

Guns that are prohibited: Handguns (revolvers, pistols etc.); 3D guns, Olympic starting pistols; Tasers; blank firers; 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.