Over 60% of Guns used in UK Femicides were Licensed, New Data Reveals

New analysis reveals that more than 60% of women killed by firearms in the UK over the past five years were shot by men with licensed guns.

This unsettling data, based on research by the UK’s Gun Control Network (GCN) on femicide between 2019 and 2024, highlights the lethal risk posed to women when licensed guns are kept in homes, with many of these weapons licensed for leisure purposes rather than being necessary for work.

The findings add weight to growing calls for stricter gun control laws, particularly around licensing and guns stored in homes.

Statistics at a Glance:

• Of 23 gun femicide victims where the legal status of the gun was known, 14 were killed with licensed firearms (61%)
• 21.5% of all gun homicides from November 2019 to October 2024 involved female victims
• In total, there were 32 female gun homicide victims:

• • 14 were killed by legally-owned firearms
  • 9 were killed by illegally-held firearms
  • 9 were killed by unknown status firearms (so excluded)

These incidents of femicide include tragic cases of murder-suicides, where women, and sometimes children, were shot by partners wielding legally-owned guns in homes. Wendy Morris was killed in her Dorset home by her husband, a licensed gun owner, who then turned the gun on himself. Emma Pattison and 7-year-old Lettie Pattison were shot by George Pattison, a licensed gun owner, who then turned the gun on himself in a double murder-suicide at their home in the grounds of Epsom College.

These cases underscore the inadequacy of existing licensing laws and echo recommendations for “root and branch” reforms of the UK’s firearm regulations, most recently emphasised in a coroner’s report following the 2021 Plymouth mass shooting. In this tragic incident, the perpetrator’s shotgun—initially seized after violent incidents—was later returned, leading to a mass shooting that took five lives, including that of his mother.

A Risk in the Home:

Homes where guns may be used for coercive control or as tools of fatal violence, become dangerous when firearms are present. In over 60% of cases where women were killed by firearms, the guns were licensed. These tragedies reveal the failure of current firearms licensing and the danger of keeping guns in homes.

Legislative Call to Action:

Advocates are calling for stronger licensing protocols and legislation that would require guns for leisure purposes to be securely stored at clubs or shooting ranges rather than in homes. Recent Home Office data confirms that 88% of gun owners use their weapons solely for sport or leisure. Limiting firearm access in the home could protect women from becoming victims of domestic abuse involving guns.

Quotes:

“The tragic loss of life among women at the hands of licensed firearm owners is unacceptable. A home should be a sanctuary, not a place of potential fatality due to legal loopholes around gun storage,” said Gill Marshall-Andrews, Chair of the Gun Control Network.

Further Information:

A series of case studies on domestic gun violence (available here https://gun-control-network.org/domesticviolencecases/) illustrates the need for a re-evaluation of firearm laws to prioritise the safety of women and children in their own homes.

About the Gun Control Network:

The Gun Control Network is a leading UK organisation dedicated to reducing gun violence through advocacy, research and legislative change. The organisation works to bring greater awareness to the dangers of gun access in homes and promotes policies aimed at reducing firearm-related harm.