July 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 July 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 July 2026.

Figure 1:  July 2026 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 July 2026:

• A man died at the scene after being shot at a traveller’s site in Calcutt, Wiltshire. A man and woman have since been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and assisting an offender.

• A man who was shot in the head in Bradford, West Yorkshire earlier this month has died from his injuries. Police officers have since arrested nine people in connection with the attack, one being charged with attempted murder.

Inquests

We are aware of two reports in July 2026 of inquests relating to gun deaths:

• An inquest into the death of a man at his home in Lower Gresham, Norfolk in March this year has been opened and adjourned. Provisional cause of death was given as a shotgun injury.

• The coroner at the inquest into the death of a teenage boy in September 2017 has recorded a verdict of unlawful killing. After the youth was shot in a drive-by attack at a playground in Forest Gate, East London, his attacker fled in a stolen car. No one has ever been prosecuted for what the coroner described as a “cowardly assassination”.

Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator

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

• A 50-year-old man from Upwell, Norfolk has been jailed for two years and four months after admitting engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour in an intimate relationship. After splitting up with his partner in March 2025, the man became increasingly threatening and violent towards her. Despite a ban, he repeatedly turned up at her house, accused her of having a relationship with another man and bombarded her with threatening calls and messages. In December that year, he left two blank ammunition rounds in an envelope addressed to her and her new partner on the doorstep of her home, an act described as “intimidating and disturbing” by an investigating detective.

• A 40-year-old man from March, Cambridgeshire has been jailed for 24 years after being found guilty of attempted murder. After his partner ended their relationship in September 2025, the man attacked her in her sleep. He used a Taser to burn her back and stabbed her repeatedly before fleeing the scene. The victim told responding police officers that he had said he would rather kill her than let her leave. The man dialled 999 and admitted the attack later the same day and armed police officers were called in to arrest him. The ensuing investigation revealed that he had been monitoring the woman’s phone and social media, and had installed cameras and voice-recording devices in a former home. He also controlled her medication and had over-medicated her, leaving her constantly tired.

• A 34-year-old man has been jailed for 22 years after being convicted of manslaughter. In April 2021, the victim got into a row with someone after trying to sell a stolen quad bike at an industrial unit in Birmingham, West Midlands. He returned half an hour later wearing a ballistic vest and armed with a machine gun. As he approached the unit, he was shot with what is believed to have been a submachine gun. Neither weapon has ever been recovered. Prior to the fatal shooting, the 34-year-old and another man disconnected the site’s CCTV system and, following the attack, falsely reported the incident to emergency services and misled officers about the circumstances. The defendant was one of around a dozen people present at the site at the time and, although not believed to be the gunman, the only person held responsible for the death. He was arrested after spending two years on the run.

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

We are aware of four reports in July 2026 that we believe to relate to the above:

• It has emerged that, in May this year, police officers used PAVA spray on a man who had been drinking and behaving aggressively before trying to board a flight at Newcastle Airport in Woolsington, Tyne & Wear. The man was arrested at the scene and has since been fined for being drunk and disorderly.

• Police officers responded following reports of threatening behaviour at an address in Newport, South Wales. After the man involved was seen holding a crossbow, an armed police officer shot him. The man was given first aid at the scene before being taken to hospital. His condition was later described as stable. The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

• Following a review by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), it has been decided that no charges will be brought against a farmer who fatally shot one man and injured another at his farm in Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire in May 2024. A CPS spokesperson said, “This decision has been made in accordance with our statutory legal test as prosecutors and the law surrounding the householder’s rights to defend themself.” The victims were shot following reports of a break-in at the remote farm.

• A 20-year-old man, a 27-year-old man and a 21-year-old man have been jailed for thirteen-and-a-half years, eighteen years and twelve-and-a-half-years, respectively, after being convicted of attempted GBH with intent, possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life and burglary offences. In April 2025, the three men armed themselves with a stolen shotgun and lay in wait for a van in Cray’s Hill, Essex. One of them fired at the vehicle as it passed, narrowly missing the driver. The attack was planned as part of a feud between two groups. It was subsequently revealed that two of the men had stolen four shotguns, including the one used, a month previously.

We are aware of at least three reports in July 2026 involving the use of a police Taser, including:

• Police officers responding to reports of criminal damage at council offices in Collindale, North London were confronted by a woman who reportedly discharged a gun in their direction. The woman was tasered and arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and possession of an imitation firearm. No one was injured.

• It has emerged that, in March 2026, police officers received a concern for welfare report regarding a woman in Elgin, Moray. When they called to her home, the woman appeared at a window acting aggressively and brandishing a knife. After she later held the knife to her own throat, the officers forced entry and instructed her to drop it. When she refused, she was tasered. The woman was taken to hospital where she continued to act aggressively.

• Police officers stopped a driver who was not wearing a seat belt in Brentwood, Essex. After they drug-swiped him, the man reportedly tried to run away and get back into his car. After he was tasered for resisting arrest, the officers found 20 wraps of cocaine hidden in his underwear.

Animal Death and Injury

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

• A swan was put to sleep after being shot several times in the head and neck with an air rifle in Barrow, Cumbria. Police are investigating.

• Police officers responded following reports of teenagers shooting birds with an air rifle and catapults at a cemetery in Darlington, Durham. An investigation has been opened.

• A Savannah cat has been found with gunshot injuries in Bramerton, Norfolk. The cat, a hybrid breed between a serval, a wild African cat and a domestic cat, escaped its home in May this year. It was found with a broken paw and a gash to its chest, with metal fragments left in the wound. The cat’s paw was amputated due to the extent of the injury.

• A pigeon was wounded after being shot with an air rifle in Lowestoft, East Sussex. Following treatment from a vet, the bird was released back into the wild. Police have appealed for information with a spokesperson reminding the public that the birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

• X-rays revealed that a kitten, found “covered in blood” in the garden of its home in Lincoln, Lincolnshire last month, had been shot in the face with a suspected air weapon. The cat is recovering at home after having the pellet removed from its jaw. Police have been informed.

• A cat, homed at an animal rescue centre in Billingsley, Shropshire, turned up with a large, infected wound after being missing for two days. X-rays revealed his leg had been shattered by a rifle bullet. The cat who had lost so much blood that a vet was “astonished” he was still alive, will have the leg amputated after being stabilised. Police have been informed.

• A cat has been put to sleep after being seriously injured with an air weapon in Wigan, Greater Manchester. An RSPCA spokesperson appealed for information, adding, “The RSPCA continues to call for tighter controls on air weapons. This, along with better education and explanation of the law when buying an air gun, and requirements that everyone must receive basic safety training before being allowed to walk out of the shop could help relieve the problem.”

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 at least two reports in July 2026 relating to the above:

• A 41-year-old man has been jailed for fourteen years after pleading guilty to drug offences and being convicted of three counts of conspiracy to sell or transfer a prohibited weapon, conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited ammunition and conspiracy to conceal, convert or transfer criminal property. During a National Crime Agency investigation into the criminal communication network, Encrochat, messages revealed that the man had “controlled the acquisition of significant quantities of cocaine ketamine, cannabis and hash” and had been involved in moving two firearms, ammunition and a silencer. Two drug couriers, from Wokingham and Bracknell, Berkshire, were sentenced alongside him.

• A 57-year-old man has been jailed for twelve years after being convicted of smuggling firearms and ammunition. In February 2026, Border Force officers stopped the man’s vehicle as it arrived at the docks in Dover, Kent and discovered 54 handguns and 764 rounds of 9mm bullets hidden in tyres. He was also found to have two knives.

Sentences and Convictions

We are aware of at least 42 reports in July 2026 of sentences and convictions for gun crime, including:

• A 66-year-old man has been jailed for six-and-a-half ears after admitting possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of ammunition without a certificate and possession of cocaine with intent to supply. In April 2026 police officers searching the man’s home in Netherton, Merseyside found a self-loading pistol and ammunition in the oven. The gun’s serial number had been removed. The officers also recovered a quantity of cocaine at the property. The court heard that the man borrowed money from a drug dealer after his benefits were delayed. After paying back half the amount, he was attacked by a gang of men and, feeling “powerless to stop them”, was persuaded to store the gun and drugs. On sentencing, the judge said, “Those that harbour drugs and, more seriously still, lethal firearms and viable ammunition lend support to serious organised crime. Sometimes, vulnerable people such as yourself are pressed into service. Nonetheless, those who engage in this activity, whether by pressure or otherwise, lend support to organised crime and thereby commit very serious offences.”

• A 25-year-old man has been jailed for at least 35 years after being found guilty of murder and attempted murder. In July 2024, he fatally shot a teenage boy at a children’s play area in Ladbroke Grove, North London. He also chased and tried to shoot a man, fleeting after his gun jammed. After he was arrested over a year later, the man’s phone revealed a video of him apparently rapping about the firearm jamming. On sentencing, the judge said that the man failed to provide any explanation or motive for “such extreme and gratuitous public violence” and failed to demonstrate “even a flicker of remorse”.

• A 23-year-old man has been jailed for eighteen-and-a-half years, with an additional four years on licence, after admitting wounding with intent and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. In February 2025, he fired a shotgun at a man on a street in Liverpool, Merseyside. The victim, who “dragged himself” home, has since undergone several operations and been left with hundreds of shotgun pellets lodged in his legs. During the ensuing investigation, police officers found CCTV recordings of the defendant retrieving the shotgun from a carrier bag in a pub carpark before showing it to three friends. The court heard that the attack came following “petty, tit-for-tat retaliation” between opposing gangs, but that the victim, who suffers “ongoing physical and psychological harm”, had nothing to do with any criminal group.

• Two eighteen-year-old men have been jailed for life after being found guilty of murder and possessing a self-loading pistol with intent to endanger life. In June 2025, the two men chased their victim on an electric bike in Enfield, North London before one shot him in the head and chest with a self-loading pistol. The teenage male victim managed to crawl into a garden but died later in hospital. The shooting, part of an ongoing feud between rival gangs, came after the victim made comments online implying one of his attackers didn’t have enough money to buy data for his phone. After the two offenders tried to escape to France, one was arrested on board the Eurostar as it was due to leave London, while the other was arrested in Paris and later extradited.

• A 61-year-old man has been jailed for life after being convicted of murder and pleading guilty to possession of a sawn-off shotgun, production of cannabis, supplying cannabis, possession of incapacitant spray and abstraction of electricity. In September 2025, three men broke into the man’s cannabis farm in Hemsworth, West Yorkshire armed with a pickaxe handle and an imitation handgun. As one man entered the property holding the replica gun, the 61-year-old shot him in the chest with a sawn-off shotgun. He then sent a picture of the fatally-wounded man to his brother, saying he looked ”dead as a post”, before calling emergency services to report shooting an intruder. Responding armed police officers found the victim unconscious and, despite emergency first aid, he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. The shotgun used, as well as machetes, a Samurai sword, a butterfly knife and knuckledusters, were recovered from the property.

• A 27-year-old man has been jailed for five years and three months, with an additional three years on licence, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of ammunition without a certificate. In January 2023, the man fired four shots at an occupied house in Halifax, West Yorkshire, hitting two ground floor windows. The man fled to the US following the attack but was extradited and charged in April this year.

• A 25-year-old man has been jailed for eleven years after admitting assisting an offender, possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of ammunition, two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. In March 2025, the defendant’s brother fired six shots from a handgun towards three men on a street near a primary school in Wolverhampton, West Midlands. One man died after being shot in the head. Police officers found the gun used in the 25-year-old’s car the day after he helped his brother escape the country by air. On sentencing, the judge said that while there was “no suggestion” the defendant was involved in the attack, he had gone to “great lengths” to assist the offender who remains at large.

• A 47-year-old man, a member of an Albanian organised crime group, has been jailed for twelve-and-a-half years after admitting possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of a firearm. In February 2026, specialist officers searched the man’s flat in Colindale, North London and recovered around £1.5m worth of cocaine, more than £40k in cash, fake IDs and a loaded semi-automatic handgun.

• A 20-year-old man and a 19-year-old man have been jailed for eleven years and seven years, respectively, for their involvement in the violent blackmail of several people in November 2025. The two men, with accomplices, held partygoers at a gathering in Leicester, Leicestershire at knifepoint and stole designer clothes and an iPhone from them. They also forced them to dance while being filmed for a TikTok video. The 20-year-old then demanded each victim transfer him £1,000 before whipping some of them with a belt. Those that failed to transfer money were told to meet him at a student accommodation block later the same day. When they arrived, the 19-year-old forced them to perform exercises before punching them, while the other man whipped them, shot them in the head with a BB gun, waxed their faces and threatened to chop off their dreadlocks if they failed to pay him. Videos of the attacks were then posted online. The 20-year-old was found guilty of four counts of robbery, ten counts of blackmail and one count of causing actual bodily harm (ABH). He also pleaded guilty to a further count of causing ABH. The younger man was found guilty of nine counts of blackmail, four counts of robbery and two counts of causing ABH.

• A 19-year-old Norwegian national, has pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of firearms and ammunition, and been convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. In March 2025, armed police officers arrested the man at a hotel in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire and recovered a semi-automatic pistol, a revolver and nineteen bullets from a bag found under his bed. An investigation revealed that the man had been tasked to carry out a shooting in the UK by a crime group linked to conducting criminal activity for the Iranian regime. Messages found on his phone revealed exact instructions where to pick up the gun and suggested he would be paid 25k Euro for the hit. Following sentencing, a Counter Terrorism Policing spokesperson said, “This investigation highlights the importance of the strong links with our international law enforcement partners to counter the very real threat of criminal organisations across European borders … Our investigation, which remains ongoing, has also resulted in two lethal weapons and ammunition being taken out of criminal hands and off the streets of the UK which has undoubtedly made the public safer.”

• A 45-year-old man has been ordered to pay £197 to a court, including a £32 victim surcharge and costs of £85, after admitting possessing an unloaded air weapon in a public place. Police officers found a CO2-powered gun in the man’s car while investigating an unrelated incident in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex. Magistrates ordered the destruction of the weapon.

• A 35-year-old man has been jailed for five years after admitting manufacturing component parts of a prohibited weapon. In February 2024, police officers searched the man’s home in Welshpool, Powys and recovered components linked to a semi-automatic pistol, including an upper receiver, lower receiver, barrel retainer and bold housing. An investigation revealed that the man had bought a 3D printer, specialist materials and equipment before downloading manuals and plans for a number of firearms. Officers also recovered cartridge casings at the property. The court ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the weapon components and equipment.

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 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.