July 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 July 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 July 2024.

Figure 1: July 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 www.gun-control-network.org

We are aware of five reports in July 2024 concerning gun deaths:

• One man died and another was injured after they were shot in Walsall, West Midlands. Two men and one teenage boy have since been arrested on suspicion of murder.

• A man died in hospital after being shot multiple times in Southwark, Central London. Police have appealed for information. No arrests have yet been reported.

• A man died after being shot on a street in Kirkby, Merseyside in what police believe was a targeted attack. A revolver and ammunition were found on wasteland nearby. A man has since been arrested on suspicion of murder.

• A teenage boy died at the scene after being shot during a family fun day at a park in Ladbroke Grove, North London. Witnesses said that a man allegedly fired a shot into the air before fatally shooting his victim. Four men have since been arrested on suspicion of murder.

• A man has died after being shot in a field on his farm in Scarisbrick, Lancashire. Emergency service personnel gave first aid but were unable to save the victim. A shotgun was recovered at the scene and a man has since been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Inquests

We are aware of two reports in July 2024 concerning the verdicts of inquests relating to four gun deaths:

• The coroner at the inquest into the death of a man in Sheppey, Kent has concluded that he was unlawfully killed. The man’s body was found at a chalet park in June last year. He had been fatally shot in the chest with a pistol. A man, subsequently charged with his murder, died in his cell before trial.

• The coroner at the inquest into the deaths of three people, fatally shot in Epsom, Surrey in February 2023, has concluded that a man killed his wife and daughter “without lawful reason” with his licensed shotgun, before shooting himself in the head. The woman died of shotgun wounds to the chest and abdomen, while the child was shot in the head. All three were found dead by the woman’s sister and her husband shortly afterwards. The man had been in contact with Surrey Police just days before the shootings in order to register a change of address for his gun licence. The force referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to this contact but a spokesperson from that organisation said that no investigation was required in relation to the communication.

Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator

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

• See Inquests above — A licensed gun owner fatally shot his wife and child in Epsom, Surrey before taking his own life with his shotgun.

• It has emerged that a man allegedly threatened a woman with deactivated copies of an AK47 and an M16 assault rifle in Carmarthen, Carmarthenshire in February 2023. He has since been charged with sending communications conveying a threatening message and using the firearms to make threats.

• Following reports that two men with guns tried to enter the property of someone known to them in Plympton, Devon, police officers stopped two cars and seized an air pistol, cash and suspected Class A drugs. Two suspects were arrested for drug and driving offences, while one was further arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and possession of an imitation firearm in a public place.

• A 21-year-old man has been handed a suspended six-month prison term and ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days after pleading guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In May 2024, the man answered the door of his flat in Felinfach, Powys with a black airsoft gun in his hand when his neighbour called to complain about loud music. After pointing the gun at the woman and her baby, the man removed the magazine and told her it was fake. The neighbour, who had recorded the incident on her phone, alerted police and the man was arrested shortly afterwards.

• A 46-year-old man has been jailed for seven years and two months after pleading guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm and grievous bodily harm. In January 2024, police officers responding to reports of an altercation inside an address in Southampton, Hampshire found blood and pellet marks at the property. A woman, who had suffered a serious arm injury, was found nearby. The man was arrested and, two days later, police recovered the gun believed to have been used in the incident. The victim has since undergone nine operations on her arm and has been left with life-changing injuries.

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

We are aware of at least one report in July 2024, concerning three deaths, that we believe to relate to the above:

• See Inquests above — A licensed gun owner fatally shot his wife and child in Epsom, Surrey before taking his own life with his shotgun.

We are aware of at least three reports in July 2024 involving the use of police Tasers including:

• It has emerged that, in February 2023, a police officer tasered a 73-year-old woman in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde. Police officers attended the woman’s home in response to a report that her daughter had threatened her while in possession of a knife. She was tasered as her daughter was being arrested and “suffered significant injury”. The incident has been reported to the Police Investigation and Review Commissioner.

• A man, who allegedly tried to steal items from a shop in Manchester, reportedly pointed an imitation firearm at responding police officers. A Taser was deployed during the man’s arrest on suspicion of robbery, firearm offences and for being wanted on recall to prison.

• Armed police officers, responding to reports of an altercation between members of the public at Manchester Airport, used incapacitant spray and Tasers on a number of males after some of the officers were assaulted and “punched to the ground”. Four men were arrested at the scene for affray and assault on emergency service workers. One police officer was suspended after video footage emerged of him kicking and stamping on the head of a man being restrained on the floor. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the incident.

Animal Death and Injury

We are aware of at least seven reports in July 2024 of animal cruelty and/or death involving a gun, including:

• The bodies of a tawny owl and a wood pigeon, that had been shot with an airgun, were found in a bin in Colne, Lancashire. A man has since been charged with killing a wild bird, causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and possessing an air weapon in a public place.

• A cat was put to sleep after being shot with a pellet gun and being savaged by a dog in Eynesford, Kent. He was first shot and then attacked by a dog as he made his way home. X-rays revealed he had suffered a crushed sternum and that a pellet had gone through his abdomen.

• A cat is recovering at home after being shot with an air rifle in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire. The cat required surgery to remove a pellet from his lung. The shooting has been reported to the police and the RSPCA and the pet’s owners have offered a £500 reward to encourage anyone who might know something to come forward with information to help find the culprit.

• Four cygnets have been killed by a pellet gun or catapult on a canal in Walsall, West Midlands.

• A homeowner rescued a gull after it fell from the sky in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. The bird was taken to an RSPCA wildlife hospital, where it underwent surgery to remove a pellet from its shoulder. With the organisation preparing for “a spike of animal cruelty this summer”, a spokesperson from the RSPCA said, “We continue to call for tighter controls on air weapons. This, along with better education and explanation of the law when buying an airgun, and requirements that everyone must receive basic safety training before being allowed to walk out of the shop could help relieve the problem.”

• A cat is recovering at home after being shot in the leg with an airgun in Hinckley, Leicestershire. The RSPCA has appealed for information.

• Staff at an RSPCA wildlife hospital confirmed that a pigeon, found injured along the sea front in Southend, Essex last month, had been shot with an airgun. Vets could not ascertain the cause of death of a number of dead birds found at the same time, as they had decomposed. All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is illegal – except under licence – to take, injure or kill them.

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

Border Force and National Crime Agency

We are aware of two reports in July 2024 relating to the above:

• Border Force officers discovered 72 gun components hidden in the fuel tank and under the bonnet of a car shipped from Pakistan to the UK via London Gateway port near Corringham, Essex. The parts included top slides and barrels for handguns A man has since been charged with the attempted importation of firearms.

• A 36-year-old man has been fined £120 and ordered to pay costs after pleading guilty to possessing ballistic darts and importing a prohibited weapon, namely a stun gun. After a package, addressed to the man and containing a USB stun gun, was intercepted by Border Force officials in September 2023, police officers searched his home in Weymouth, Dorset and found “numerous weapons on clear display”. The court heard that the man, who lives on his own, has a condition similar to autism and had suffered a brain injury. He bought weapons online after becoming fascinated with Samurais and wasn’t aware some were illegal to possess at home.

Sentences and Convictions

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

• A 23-year-old man and a 22-year-old man have each been jailed for five years after admitting possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition without firearm certification. In March 2023, police officers raided the younger man’s parents’ flat in Hackney, London and recovered a pistol, 22 bulleted cartridges and two knives from the underground communal carpark. The older man’s DNA was found on the gun slide while his phone revealed a photograph of the weapon. The court heard that the older man was a senior gang member and that he was “provided with a firearm and ammunition to protect himself”. On sentencing, the judge said that the older man had a “high profile” due to his career in drill rap and his “unfortunate life history”. His father was shot dead by a police officer in 2011.

• A 22-year-old man has been jailed for eighteen months after pleading guilty to five contraventions of the Terrorism Act 2000 and possession of a Taser device. In July 2021, police officers searching a property in Ardentinny, Argyl & Bute recovered a Taser, a video of a terrorist act and extremist material including instructions on how to construct explosive devices. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said “A team of officers worked consistently to build a clear picture of [he man’s] activities and crimes. The evidence uncovered clearly showed his extreme right-wing ideology and terrorist intentions. He now faces the consequences of the serious nature of his crimes.”

• A 34-year-old man has been sentenced after pleading guilty to two counts of possessing a bladed article in public and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In January 2024, the man was seen “playing” with a serrated kitchen knife at the A&E department of a hospital in Bradford, West Yorkshire. He told his arresting officers that he had gone to the hospital to get help and would have harmed himself if doctors had not aided him. The following month, a woman saw him holding what looked like a pistol as he crossed a road in the city. Armed police officers responded and found him carrying a gas-powered pellet handgun, pellets and a knife. He said he was carrying the knife for self-protection and that he had the other weapons because he wanted to be arrested as he had nowhere to live. The court heard that the man had “a long connection with mental health services” and that “excessive drug use was thought to have played a role in his behaviour”.

• A 44-year-old man has been jailed for four years and eight months for attempted robbery and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear. In May 2024, the man threatened staff with an imitation gun at a jewellery shop in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent before demanding cash from the till. After staff members stood up to him and police arrived to arrest him, he apologised for his actions. The court heard that he had attempted to rob the shop after his drug dealers threatened to stab him over drug debts. In an impact statement, one of his victims described how the incident made her feel nervous and anxious, leaving her unable to return to work.

• A 23-year-old man has been handed a suspended ten-month prison term and ordered to pay costs and complete 100 hours of unpaid work and a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement. In June 2024, the man dialled 999 and threatened to harm himself and others, and to shoot responding police officers. He gave himself up “with a minimum of fuss” when armed officers went to his home in Newport, South Wales. A BB gun and pellets were found during a search of the property. The court heard that the man had recently separated from his partner and had been drinking heavily on the night of the incident.

• A 28-year-old man has been fined £120 and ordered to pay costs after pleading guilty to possession of a BB gun while prohibited. After receiving a tip-off, police officers searched the man’s home in Snodland, Kent in April 2024 and found a Swiss Arms, stainless steel, semi-automatic air pistol. Tests showed the weapon met the threshold for a firearm. The court heard that he bought the gun for target shooting, not having been told that he was prohibited from owning such a weapon for five years after receiving a suspended sentence for possession of a knife in 2023. The gun will be destroyed.

• A 28-year-old has been jailed for nine years and two months after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In December 2023, he was caught on CCTV firing a shotgun on a street in Birmingham, West Midlands. The shooting came as part of a wider disorder that erupted after a number of cars collided in the area. Armed police officers responded and he was found in some bushes in a nearby garden. The shotgun was found in the undergrowth where he had been hiding and a used shell was recovered from the scene of the shooting. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said, “Guns have no place on the streets of the West Midlands. This sentencing sends out a clear message that we are committed to removing guns from our communities.

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 2024 reports by weapon type

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.