April 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 April 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 April 2025.

Figure 1: April 2025 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 three reports concerning gun deaths in April 2025:

• Armed police officers responded following reports of a man carrying a firearm at the railway station in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The man was shot in the abdomen when he moved “at speed” towards the officers while holding a knife. Despite efforts to save him, the man died at the scene. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the incident.

• A man died at the scene after being shot with a shotgun, fired through a downstairs window of his home in Stanley, Co. Durham. One man has since been charged with murder, while a second man was arrested for the same offence. Another man and woman were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

• Two women were treated in hospital for serious injuries following an attack involving a crossbow and a firearm in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The male suspect, who is believed to have shot himself in the head with an air weapon, was arrested at the scene. He has since died from his wounds. Prior to the attack, the man allegedly posted a “hate-filled online manifesto” describing planned violence against several groups of people as “terrorism, revenge and misogynic rage”. He also admitted exploring far right ideas. Counter-terrorism police believe the man was acting on his own.

Inquests

We are not aware of any reports of inquests in April 2025 relating to gun deaths.

Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator

We are aware of two reports in April 2025 that we believe to relate to the above:

• A 35-year-old man has been jailed for sixteen months after pleading guilty to stalking, having an air pistol and an air rifle illegally, possessing cannabis and possessing tramadol. In January 2024, police officers observing the man saw him throw a bag into the River Ouse in Selby, North Yorkshire. The bag contained an air pistol, an air rifle, cannabis and tramadol, while officers also discovered ammunition at his home address. The man was prohibited from possessing firearms of any kind after a recently-served prison sentence. The court heard that he had also threatened to shoot an ex-partner, as well as her mother.

• A man has been found guilty of engaging in a course of conduct that was abusive of his partner and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by shouting, swearing and struggling with police officers. In July 2020, a neighbour alerted police after hearing the man screaming and shouting at his partner in their flat in Polwarth, Scottish Borders. Police officers used a battering ram to gain entry after the man refused to open the door to them. The man who had locked his partner inside the flat, was found to have pointed an air rifle at her head, repeatedly assaulted her, constantly monitored her movements, dictated what food she could eat and forced her to perform sex acts on demand. The woman was so scared that she held one officer’s hand through the letterbox as she waited for police to gain entry to her home. Sentencing has been deferred for the preparation of a criminal justice social work report and a psychiatric assessment.

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

We are aware of at least two reports in April 2025 that we believe to relate to the above:

• See Gun Deaths above — Armed police officers fatally shot a man reported to have been carrying a gun in Buckinghamshire.

• Armed police officers and negotiators were deployed after mention of a firearm during a welfare check on a man at a property in Portishead, Somerset. A police firearm was discharged during the incident, after which the man was treated in hospital for a hand injury. He has since been arrested on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

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

• A 31-year-old man from Grays, Essex has been jailed for 36 months after admitting assault of a police officer, assault causing actual bodily harm and possession of a firearm (Taser) with intent to cause fear of violence. In February 2025, a police officer apprehended the man after he assaulted his brother. As he struggled with the officer, he took the officer’s Taser from its holster. The officer quickly regained possession of the weapon and arrested the man, who was wanted on recall to prison at the time.

Animal Death and Injury

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

• The RSPCA appealed for information after the body of a buzzard was found by a member of the public in Four Ashes, The bird had suffered pellet wounds to its wing, body and head. The charity has received reports of a second buzzard being killed in the same area but no body has been found.

• Four alpacas died and one was injured after they were shot in a field at a smallholding in East Hatley, Cambridgeshire. On the same night, a sheep was killed by a dog. No arrests have yet been reported.

• A cat has been put to sleep after being badly injured in an airgun attack in West Malling, Kent. The cat had been shot by three pellets, leading to bleeding and partial paralysis. The incident has been reported to police.

• Following reports of a firearm being used to kill pigeons in Eastrea, Cambridgeshire, the bodies of two birds were found. Police have appealed for information.

• An injured stray cat, taken in by an RSPCA centre in Martlesham, Suffolk, was found to have been shot with a suspected BB gun. X-rays revealed that pellets had lodged in his chest and legs.

• A kitten suffered a broken leg after being shot with an air gun in Soham, Cambridgeshire. After vets operated and removed the pellet, the kitten was taken in by an RSPCA foster carer.

• A wildlife rescue centre in Sompting, West Sussex raised concerns after three herring gulls were brought in over a period of six weeks, all suffering from air rifle injuries. One of the gulls was put to sleep due to the severity of its wounds. A spokesperson from the centre said, “It is important for the public to be aware that under UK law, it is illegal to harm or kill these birds without a specific license. Beyond that, the use of air rifles in such a manner also carries serious legal implications. The discharge of pellets beyond the confines of the property where they were fired is considered a firearms offence, highlighting the gravity of these actions.”

• A post-mortem examination revealed that a sparrowhawk, found dead in Inverness, Scottish Highlands, had been shot with a shotgun. All wild birds are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Anyone found to have killed or injured a bird of prey faces an unlimited fine or even jail.

• Police have received multiple reports of people hunting deer with guns and dogs in the area of Teignbridge, Devon. Neighbourhood officers are planning targeted patrols to catch potential poachers. A police spokesperson said, “Poaching doesn’t just harm our deer population through unethical and unregulated killing, it creates safety risks to the public, particularly when unlicensed firearms are involved, and raises concerns about potentially contaminated venison entering the food chain.”

• A 28-year-old man has been made subject to 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 park and killing a tawny owl and a wood pigeon. He was also fined £40 with £85 costs and a £114 victim surcharge. In March 2024, a member of the public reported seeing someone dumping the birds in a wheelie bin in Colne, Lancashire. The court heard that the man had used an air rifle to shoot the wild birds in a local park while under the influence of alcohol.

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 April 2025 relating to the above:

• A 39-year-old man from Thirsk, North Yorkshire has been jailed for 26 years and four months after pleading guilty to breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order, intentionally assisting or encouraging an offence contrary to section 44 of the Serious Crime Act and six charges of conspiracy to supply Class A & B drugs. Within weeks of being released on licence from prison in March 2020, the man breached a Serious Crime Prevention Order by obtaining an encrypted “Encrochat” phone, which he used to try to sell drugs and firearms, including assault rifles and submachine guns, to criminal associates. French law enforcement infiltrated the Encrochat platform in 2020 and shared the information revealed with the National Crime Agency UK police forces.

Sentences and Convictions

We are aware of at least 23 reports in April 2025 of sentences and convictions for gun crime, including:

• A 35-year-old woman has been jailed for five years after admitting possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of ammunition with intent to endanger life. Co-defendants, males aged 29 and 30, received nineteen years, four months and twelve years, respectively, after being convicted of the same charges as well as drugs offences. As part of an investigation into a drug line run by an organised crime group, police officers identified the 29-year-old man as the primary controller with the 30-year-old man also involved. In April 2024, officers searched addresses in Moss Side, Manchester, believed to have been used as safe houses. They recovered heroin, crack cocaine and several mobile phones. The following month, officers arrested the woman at her home after finding a handgun and ammunition at the property. DNA from the two co-defendants was found on the trigger, while forensic testing revealed that the gun had been used in four firearms discharges in Greater Manchester, including one fatal shooting in 2012. The court heard that the woman had been acting under the direction of others who had “exploited her vulnerabilities”.

• Six gang members have been jailed for a total of 41-and-a-half years after being convicted of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life or to cause fear of violence. In November 2023, some of the gang members met a man who had arranged to buy phones from them in Aveley, Essex. One gang member, who was armed with a handgun, struck the man and the group stole £4,000 from him. A 19-year-old man was arrested the following day in possession of a knife. His phone revealed footage of the group handling firearms and referring to its criminal use; in particular, two shootings in London in October and November 2023 that resulted in one man suffering an arm injury. The 19-year-old has now been jailed for four years. Following an investigation, five other gang members were arrested over the coming months: A 23-year-old received four and a half years; a 28-year-old was jailed for five years; a second 23-year-old was handed a four-year term; a 22-year-old received fifteen years and a further 19-year-old received nine years. Following sentencing a police spokesperson said, “The WoolyOs boasted about their criminal activity and came to Essex to commit further crime. They carried firearms and even filmed themselves doing so. They tried to glamourise their lifestyle, but it’s a lifestyle that has caught up with them. These convictions show that carrying guns comes with punishment.”

• A 19-year-old man has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 28 years, after being found guilty of murder and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. In March 2024, the man used a handgun to shoot his victim in the throat at point-blank range outside a nightclub in Catford, South London. The victim died at the scene. Police arrested the 19-year-old after tracking the scooter he used in the attack. The firearm used has never been recovered but a salvaged bullet and casing were said to be typical of a self-loading pistol. Footage of the 19-year-old carrying a gun consistent with that description was caught on CCTV days before the murder. The court heard that there was no link between the two men and that the defendant had likely been “acting under the direction of others.”

• A 63-year-old man has been jailed for a minimum term of 22 years after pleading guilty to murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice. In August, the man, a member of an organised crime group, used a shotgun to shoot a man in the chest in Glasgow, Scotland. The victim died two days later after open heart surgery. The court heard that the shooting was part of an ongoing feud between two gangs and that McNee had brandished the shotgun at several youths before firing at the victim. A 25-year-old co-defendant, who drove the perpetrator to the scene in the belief that the gun would only be used as a threat, was sentenced to 54 months in prison after admitting having a firearm on the day and location of the murder and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

• Three men have been jailed for their involvement in a violent attack during which a teenager was shot and stabbed. Two 18-year-olds received nineteen years for attempted murder, possession of a firearm with intent and possession of a knife, while a third 18-year-old was jailed for nine years for the last two charges and possession of a knife. In May 2024, the three youths chased a teenager out cycling in Dagenham, East London. After he fell off his bike, one of the assailants shot him in the back at point-blank range with a sawn-off shotgun and another stabbed him with a machete. The victim needed several surgeries for severe injuries. Police arrested all three perpetrators later the same month.

• QinetiQ Ltd, the multinational defence technology company that runs the West Wales MoD range in Pendine, Carmarthenshire, has been fined £800,000 after pleading guilty to breaching Section 2 (1) of the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974. The fine came after a civilian weapons testing expert was paralysed below the shoulders after being shot by a 5.56mm bullet fired from a gun 570 metres away. The man had been checking the impact of bullets on a metal target during a NATO ammunition quality assurance trial in March 2021 when the accident occurred and had been standing in front of the target when the bullet was fired. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found QinetiQ Limited had failed to adequately risk assess the trial activity and did not have adequate precautions in place to ensure that no one was near the target when the rounds were fired. An HSE spokesperson said, “His life and those of his wife and two children have been devastated by the severe injuries he has suffered. Simple and inexpensive steps could have been taken which would have prevented this incident.”

• A 68-year-old man has been handed a suspended thirteen-month jail term with a six-month electronically monitored curfew between 8pm and 7am after pleading guilty to possession of an imitation forearm with intent to cause fear. In February 2024, the man’s friends called emergency services to his caravan in Strelley, Nottinghamshire, believing he had taken an overdose of prescribed medicine. When responding ambulance service personnel called a doctor to assess the situation, the man “became enraged” and pointed a loaded air pistol at them. One of the man’s friends managed to disarm him. The offender, who has cancer, arthritis, diabetes, depression and is an alcoholic, told the judge that he was “ashamed” and “sorry I caused those women what I did”. In an impact statement, one of the victims said that she is now nervous about being in confined spaces, while her colleague said she had believed the gun was real and had feared for their lives.

• A 21-year-old man has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, while a 20-year-old co-defendant received eight years and nine months for the transfer of a firearm, possession without a certificate, possession of ammunition and conversion of a firearm. In March 2024, the 20-year-old bought a blank-firing handgun. Five months later, police officers searched his home and recovered ammunition, hand tools and a barrel, which was later confirmed to be from the same make of pistol. Phone evidence revealed that he had been in conversation with the co-defendant about sourcing a firearm to shoot another person. Armed police officers then arrested the 21-year-old man at his home in Oldham, Greater Manchester before finding a black handgun and ammunition at the rear of the property. The court heard that the younger man had previously bought seventeen blank-firing guns. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said, “The investigation revealed their sinister plot to use a converted firearm against another individual – a stark reminder of how dangerous these weapons are. This converted firearm could have caused serious injury or could have killed someone which was precisely what these offenders were planning.”

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: April 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 proposed 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.