March 2026 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 March 2026 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 March 2026.

Figure 1:  2026 March incident reports by type

Gun Death

We monitor FATAL GUN INCIDENTS in Great Britain and compile lists that summarise the available information. Our summaries for 2017 to 2026 are available at https://gun-control-network.org/news-analysis/

We are aware of two reports concerning gun deaths in March 2026:

• A man has died after being shot at a property in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire. Police officers recovered a shotgun at the scene. A man has since been charged with murder, assault by beating of an emergency worker and a public order offence.

• A man was pronounced dead at the scene after being shot while sitting in a car in Camden, London. It is thought that the killer left on a bike after the attack. No arrests have yet been made.

Inquests

We are not aware of any reports in March 2026 of inquests relating to gun deaths.

Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator

We are aware of three reports in March 2026 that we believe to relate to the above:

• After being found guilty of offences, two men have been jailed for nine-and-a-half years: a 59-year-old, for robbery and possessing a weapon for the discharge of an electrical incapacitation device and, a 36-year-old, for robbery and possession of a firearm while committing a schedule 1 offence. In June 2025, the older man broke into a home in Carlisle, Cumbria while armed with what looked like a black handgun. When a woman awoke and saw him standing in the doorway of her bedroom, he demanded money, threatened to shoot her and held the weapon to her head. Following a struggle, the victim opened her safe. While the man was stealing jewellery and phones, the victim left the property and locked him in. He managed to escape, however, and fled in a taxi. After the taxi company identified him, police officers arrested him at his home address, where items linking him to the robbery were found. The younger man, who was the victim’s partner at the time of the offence, was found to have left the property minutes before the break-in. Messages on his phone implicated him in the planning of the robbery.

• Police officers responded following reports that a man had threatened a woman with a gun in Stoke, Staffordshire before fleeing in a van. The officers stopped the vehicle and recovered an air rifle. The man, who was known to the woman, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

• A teenage girl was treated in hospital after being shot in the legs at a property in Liverpool, Merseyside. Police believe the shooting was a targeted attack, carried out by someone known to the victim. No arrests have yet been reported.

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

We are aware of eight reports in March 2026 that we believe to relate to the above:

• A 60-year-old man from Bristol has been handed a suspended six-month prison term and fined £1,000 after being found guilty of fraud and producing a false certificate with a view to purchasing a firearm. Despite being a firearms certificate holder, the man used a fraudulent Registered Firearms Dealer certificate to try to buy a .233 cabilbre rifle from a genuine dealer in February 2024. The seller noticed discrepancies on the certificate and alerted police. The 60-year-old was arrested and forced to surrender any firearms he owned.

• A 47-year-old man has been conditionally discharged for twelve months and ordered to pay £1,000 in costs after pleading guilty to four counts of possession of ammunition without a certificate. In June 2025, the man lost his firearms dealer licence following concerns about security measures at his business, Gunshop UK, in Cwmbran, South Wales. Two months later he found 2,500 rounds of ammunition of various calibres in a locked safe at his former business premises. The court heard that he logged and bagged the ammunition but “forgot to hand it in to police in a timely fashion”. Officers recovered the rounds when they returned to the unit.

• After armed police officers responded to reports of a disorder involving a person with a knife in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, one officer fired a single shot. The shot was not directed at anyone and no one was injured. A police spokesperson said an investigation has been opened into the “circumstances that led to the firearm being discharged” and Dyfed-Powys Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

• Armed police officers were deployed following reports of a man with a suspected handgun at a flat in Yeovil, Somerset. While they tried to engage with the suspect, one officer fired a shot. No one was injured. The officers subsequently recovered a weapon from inside the property and arrested the man on suspicion of possession of a firearm.

• It has emerged that a police officer reportedly administered PAVA incapacitant spray against a man in Wolverhampton, West Midlands in August 2025. The officer has since been charged with assault following an investigation into whether he used excessive force. He allegedly punched the man in the head during his arrest and sprayed PAVA into his face at close range while he was restrained in a cell. The officer was also charged in relation to an allegation that he recorded footage from a police body-worn video onto his mobile phone without policing purpose. 

• An antique pistol was stolen during a break-in at a man’s home in Warrington, Cheshire. A man and a woman have since been arrested on suspicion of burglary.

• An air rifle and gardening equipment were stolen during a burglary at a property in Kyre, Worcestershire. Police have appealed for information.

• A 32-year-old man has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to possession of a Class C drug, breaching a restraining order and six counts of burglary. In August 2025, police officers recovered a stolen shotgun at a property inLeicester, Leicestershire. DNA from the weapon was linked to the 32-year-old and, after his arrest in November the same year, he was identified as a suspect for six other burglaries in the area.

We are aware of at least one report in March 2026 involving the use of a police Taser. 

Animal Death and Injury

We are aware of at least eight reports in March 2026 of animal cruelty and/or death involving a gun:

• A cat died after being shot with a pellet gun in Rushden, Northamptonshire. Police have been informed but no suspect has been identified.

• An RSPCA spokesperson appealed for information following reports of several cats being shot at with an air weapon in Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire. One cat was killed, while three others suffered injuries.

• A bird was put to sleep after being shot with a suspected air rifle in Poole, Dorset. A man has since been arrested in connection with reports relating to an air rifle being fired in the area on dates close to the incident.

• Two cats belonging to the same owner have been shot with an airgun in Birkenhead, Merseyside. After X-rays revealed that a pellet had ruptured the stomach of one cat, she was put to sleep. The other cat is being treated for an ear injury. A spokesperson from the RSPCA appealed for information, adding, “The RSPCA receives hundreds of calls to investigate airgun shootings every year and sadly cats and wildlife are usually the animals most often affected… The animal charity is calling for stricter regulations around owning an airgun in both England and Wales. Better education, basic safety training for owners and a thorough explanation of the law could help protect countless animals from these horrible attacks in the future…”

• A cat underwent surgery to remove a pellet after being shot in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. The cat lost an eye last year following an assumed traffic accident. However, the latest X-rays revealed she had, in fact, been shot and left with a pellet inside her eye socket. Police have appealed for information.

• A 56-year-old man has been handed a suspended twelve-month prison term and ordered to pay compensation after admitting shooting two cats in Winnersh, Berkshire. The cats’ owners were on holiday in the summer of 2025 when a friend called to tell them that one of the cats had been found collapsed under a bush. An air weapon pellet had “destroyed” one of his kidneys, resulting in emergency care and a vet bill of £18,000. The family’s other cat had previously suffered “unexplained puncture wounds” and had been left with two embedded pellets.

• A swan is recovering at a wildlife treatment centre after being shot with an air weapon in Woodbridge, Suffolk. A member of the public alerted the RSPCA after finding the swan unable to stand or walk. The bird’s wound was swollen and infected and she had been left unable to feed. The RSPCA is calling for tighter controls on air weapons.

• A peahen was killed when three men allegedly shot an air rifle into bushes on private land in Gazeley, West Suffolk. Police have appealed for information.

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.

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 one report in March 2026 relating to the above:

• A 47-year-old man has been jailed for five years after admitting possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of prohibited ammunition without the correct certificates. Following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation, officers searched the man’s home in Warwick, Warwickshire and recovered a viable and loaded Czech-manufactured pistol, rounds of live ammunition, gun components, tools to manufacture live ammunition, military survival guidebooks, crossbows and knives. The court heard that the man came to the attention of the NCA after he made 227 separate online orders for items that could be used to manufacture live ammunition. He told investigators that he wanted to learn how to make ammunition in the event of civil unrest or the UK being invaded by a foreign state.

Sentences and Convictions

We are aware of at least 40 reports in March 2026 of sentences and convictions for gun crime, including:

• A 19-year-old has been jailed for four years after pleading guilty to possession of ammunition without a certificate and five counts of possession of a firearm without a certificate and being found guilty of eight counts of making explosive substances for unlawful purposes. In October 2024, police officers called to his home in Wandsworth, South London following reports that he had squirted antibacterial cleaner at a family member before trying to attack them with a homemade sword. The officers searched his bedroom and recovered seven improvised explosive devices, five firearms and ammunition. The court heard that the man’s phone revealed an obsession with weapons and firearms, with evidence that he had spent hundreds of hours watching videos on how to make shotgun shells at home and build homemade weapons. The searches were paired with repeated purchases of steel balls and potassium made on a relative’s credit card. He also sent videos to a friend of a gun he had made from wooden panels and iron pipes. This gun was later confirmed to be functioning and at risk of causing serious harm. He was previously arrested at age 14 for possession of 55 rounds of ammunition, some of which he had attempted to adapt by inserting nails within the cartridges. That case was discontinued due to a lack of evidence.

• Three boys were placed under supervision for eighteen months after two of them admitted unlawful possession of an imitation firearm, while the third admitted demanding money from a shop worker and committing a breach of the peace. In October 2024, the youths armed themselves with a replica gun and demanded cash from a shop employee in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. Armed police officers responded and arrested all three youths soon afterwards. The weapon used was found in a garden and identified as an imitation pistol.

• A 31-year-old has been jailed for 26 months after threatening to shoot a taxi driver inRenfrew, Renfrewshire. In December 2025, the man pointed an airsoft pistol at a taxi driver’s face after being told his dog wasn’t allowed in the vehicle. He also verbally abused the driver and threatened to shoot him. When firearms officers later attended an address to arrest the suspect, he “remained within the property and failed to engage with officers”. Several hours later, the officers forced entry and arrested him. The firearm was found in the back garden. The court heard that the man had been “high” on Valium at the time of the incident.

• A 36-year-old man and a 31-year-old man have been jailed for nine years and six years, respectively, after pleading guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm and drug offences, with the older man further admitting manufacturing a prohibited firearm. Following a dispute among members of motorcycle groups, a police investigation revealed that the older man, the leader of his group, and responsible for discipline and access to weapons, had “orchestrated” the manufacture of 3D-printed guns on printers seized from properties in Manchesterand Exmouth. His DNA was found on the trigger and operational parts of a prohibited revolver and he appeared in videos assembling gun components. He was also linked to ammunition and a traditional .38 calibre revolver. His accomplice was linked to the traditional revolver and ammunition seized in Exmouth, while his DNA was found on the trigger of a .38 Special revolver. The DNA of a third defendant was recovered from a 3D-printed firearm seized in Manchester. He was jailed for 27 months after admitting criminal damage and cultivation of cannabis.

• A 24-year-old man and a 20-year-old man have been jailed for 30 years and 28 years respectively, after being found guilty of attempted murder and conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life. In March 2025, the two men approached a car in Bradford, West Yorkshire before the older man shot the male occupant twice in the face with a sawn-off shotgun and the younger man stabbed him. The victim suffered injuries to his face, right arm and back, but chose not to assist police with their enquiries. The weapons used have not been recovered. On sentencing, the judge said, “Guns kill and maim, terrorise and intimidate, and deterrence, punishment and protection of the public will always be principle matters in the forefront of the court’s mind when sentencing such offenders.”

• A 41-year-old man has been jailed for sixteen months after admitting having eight knives, two samurai swords, an air pistol in a public place and an air rifle without a certificate, as well as possession and distribution of indecent images of children and taking or permitting to be taking indecent images of children. In July 2025, the man left air pistols and knives at various locations in Glasgow, Scotland. A member of the public alerted police after seeing the man leave one gun on the steps to the Royal Concert Hall. Five days later, the suspect was arrested after leaving a Samurai sword, a rusted metal sword and three knives on a bench in the city, as well as another Samurai sword outside a fast-food shop. An air rifle was seized from his home address and child pornography was found on his mobile phone.

• A 73-year-old man has been handed a suspended nine-month prison term and a five-year restraining order after admitting possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In April 2025, the man fired an air pistol towards a group of women and girls after their dog fouled near his home in Hull, East Yorkshire. The women cleaned up after the dog but, as they walked away, they saw a pellet hit a garage shutter across the road from them. The man’s claim that he had fired the gun five times while degassing the weapon was not accepted.

• A 34-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman have been jailed for fourteen and thirteen years, respectively, after being found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. CCTV footage captured the pair arriving onto the driveway of an occupied home in Stockton, Co. Durham in June 2025. After they went around the side of the property, a bang could be heard as a slam gun was discharged. More footage taken later the same day showed the male suspect carrying the firearm. They were arrested shortly afterwards.

• A 23-year-old man and a 46-year-old man have each been jailed for 30 years after being convicted of attempted murder and possession of a firearm. In October 2024, they shot and stabbed a man on a street in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, causing serious chest and leg wounds. Following the attack, police officers found the gun and blood-stained clothing in a rabbit hutch at the older man’s home. Analysis showed that the blood was that of the victim and the homeowner, while the younger man was linked to the attack by CCTV and mobile phone evidence.

• A 48-year-old man has been jailed for five years after admitting thirteen charges under firearms legislation. In August 2025, police officers searching the man’s home in Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire found bullets, a WW1-era bolt action rifle and five handguns. The court heard that the weapons, which the man said had been left to him by his father, were stored in insecure conditions.

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: March 2026 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** certain 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; certain top venting 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.