September 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 September 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 September 2024.

Figure 1: September 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 https://gun-control-network.org/news-analysis/

We are aware of four reports in September 2024 concerning six gun deaths:

• Emergency services responding to reports of shots fired in a residential street in Kilburn, North London found a man with gunshot wounds. Despite first aid being given, he died at the scene. Police have appealed for information but no arrests have yet been made.

• After his mother, brother and sister were found dead at their flat in Luton, Bedfordshire, a teenage male was charged with three counts of murder, purchasing or acquiring a shotgun without holding a certificate, possession of a shotgun and possession of a bladed article (kitchen knife), in a public place. He has been remanded in custody until trial.

• An 8-year-old boy was rushed to hospital after being shot in the head on farmland in Warcop, Cumbria. He died overnight from his injuries. The boy had reportedly been hunting rabbits with a man when the incident occurred. A firearm was recovered at the scene and the man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

• A man has died after being shot in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire. Police officers responding to reports of gunshots found the victim seriously injured. He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterwards. No arrests have yet been made.

Inquests

We are not aware of any reports of inquest verdicts in September 2024 relating to gun deaths.

Armed Domestic Violence and/or Victim Known to Perpetrator

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

• See Gun Deaths above — A teenager has been charged with three counts of murder and other charges after his mother, brother and sister were found shot dead in their flat in Bedfordshire.

• See Gun Deaths above — An 8-year-old boy has died after being shot while hunting rabbits in Cumbria. A man has been arrested.

• A 23-year-old man has been jailed for 28 years after being found guilty of attempted murder. In May 2023, after an argument with a friend, the man forced his victim to get into a car at gunpoint. He then drove him to Shoeburyness, Essex before shooting him in the leg. The victim has since undergone four operations and suffers ongoing pain.

• It has emerged that police officers and a bomb disposal team were deployed in May 2023 following reports of a disturbance at a pub in Mosspaul, Scottish Borders. A man has since been charged with brandishing a firearm and acting in an aggressive and intimidating manner towards his wife He was also accused of threatening to shoot police and kissing one male officer on the cheek.

• A 44-year-old man has been jailed for 32 months after pleading guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent and to the possession of a firearm with intent. In March 2024, he shot his partner in the head with an airgun following a row at their home in Hartlepool, Co. Durham. The victim was treated in hospital, where it was decided that it was safer to leave a pellet lodged in his skull than to remove it. The court heard that the perpetrator suffered with poor mental health and drug addiction and that his victim had asked the judge to give him a lenient sentence. The judge, however, said that the law did not permit him to suspend the prison term.

• It has emerged that, in February 2023, a woman fatally shot her partner at their home in Galashiels, Scottish Borders with what police described as an air rifle. When officers arrived at the property, she told them she had fired an Airsoft pistol at him. The woman has since pleaded not guilty to culpable homicide, attempting to pervert the course of justice by hiding the rifle under a sofa and culpably and recklessly discharging the weapon towards a fence. A trial date has been set for May 2025.

• A 36-year-old man has been handed a suspended 20-month prison term with five rehabilitation days and a requirement to enrol on an alcohol treatment programme after admitting possession of an imitation firearm with an intent to cause fear of violence. Earlier this year, after getting into a row with a woman outside the block of flats where he lived in Leeds, West Yorkshire, the man pulled an imitation gun (a cigarette lighter) and pretended to cock the weapon, scaring the woman and others standing nearby. The man’s wife took the lighter from him after he fell over, intoxicated. The court heard that the man, an alcoholic, deeply regretted his actions, while the judge said, “You are a good tenant, good neighbour and help others less fortunate than you are. You obviously have alcohol issues but you continue to work hard. I accept it was out of character.”

• A 44-year-old man has been jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary, three counts of fraud and two counts of possession of an imitation firearm. In March 2024, the man “stormed” into a neighbour’s home in Barnsley, South Yorkshire holding a BB gun and demanding money. He then grabbed her bag and pushed her, causing her to hit her back on a table. He also pointed the gun at his victim’s grandson as he was leaving the property, threatening to shoot him. The perpetrator was identified from CCTV captured at a shop where he later used the victim’s bank card.

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

We are aware of at least four reports in September 2024 that we believe to relate to the above:

• In May 2022, police officers removed two licensed bold-action rifles and a quantity of ammunition from a man’s home in Ulverston, Cumbria after finding them insecure within the property. One of the rifles had two rounds of ammunition in its magazine and, as such, “was ready to use so that anyone entering the property would have had immediate access to a loaded rifle”. The man was charged with five offences under the Firearms Act in relation to a failure to comply with proper storage arrangements and requirements. After admitting to three of the offences, the man appealed to the court to have his firearms certificates returned to him. The court, however, upheld the decision to revoke his certificates and awarded Cumbria Constabulary £22,000 in costs.

• A 29-year-old man has been fined £750 and ordered to pay costs after pleading guilty to failing to comply with the condition of a firearm certificate. Police discovered that the weapons and ammunition were not being stored securely at his home in Hereford, Herefordshire. The firearms included two air guns, a semi-automatic shotgun, a bolt action rifle and a bolt action air rifle with a moderator and a scope. The guns will be destroyed but his firearms certificate was not revoked by the magistrate. 

• Two legally-held shotguns, an air rifle and garden tools were stolen from a property in Shootash, Hampshire. Police have appealed for information.

• A 37-year-old man has been jailed for 22 months after pleading guilty to burglary and three counts of possessing a firearm without a certificate. In March 2024, a police officer responded to an intruder alarm at a firearms store in Doncaster, South Yorkshire and found the man outside holding three firearms. The man claimed to have found the guns in the car park but a hole in the premises’ roof and a saw found nearby “suggested otherwise”.

We are aware of at least four reports in September 2024 involving the use of a police Taser:

• Following reports of men damaging property in Worthing, West Sussex, police officers arrested two male suspects. One of the men was tasered after he failed to comply with instructions. One of three dogs at the scene was subdued with a Taser after it became aggressive and threatening towards the officers.

• A 28-year-old man has been made the subject of a hospital order after he took a Taser from a police officer during an alteration in Darlington, Co Durham.

• Police attending a property in Huntley, Aberdeenshire in relation to an ongoing enquiry, tasered and arrested a teenage boy after he allegedly assaulted two officers.

• An inquiry by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has ruled that a police officer, who held a Taser to the neck of a 16-year-old boy in September 2020, committed gross misconduct. After two officers investigating a report of a boy carrying a samurai sword stopped a group of teenagers in Greenwich, South London, one of the youths began walking away. The officers drew their Tasers and handcuffed him, before one of them held his Taser against the boy’s neck. The IOPC found that the officer’s action was not necessary, reasonable or proportionate and that he had breached standards of professional behaviour relating to use of force and authority, respect and courtesy. The investigation did not, however, find that his actions were racially motivated. The victim, who said he had feared for his life, has since struggled with his mental health and feels scared whenever he sees a police car.

Animal Death and Injury

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

• Three horses have been shot and injured in a field in Bletchingley, Surrey. The horses have been attacked on four occasions with a suspected Airsoft gun over the last two weeks, with one mare shot between the eyes. Police have been informed.

• Residents in Chesterfield, Derbyshire have reported finding dead and injured birds, one of which was found to have two wounds suspected of being caused by a BB gun.

• A rescue cat is recovering from surgery after an air gun pellet was found lodged in its gum. The cat, who is believed to have been shot some time ago, was treated at a Cats Protection centre in, Norfolk. He has since been adopted by a new owner.

• A cat has had a leg amputated after being shot with an air rifle in Somerton, Somerset. The incident has been reported to police and the RSPCA.

• A fox is being treated for a serious head injury after being shot with a pellet gun in Orpington, Greater London. Shooting wildlife with a pellet gun is illegal under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and can lead to prosecution.

• A cat is recovering from a serious shoulder injury after being shot with a suspected air rifle in North Wootton, Norfolk.

• A cat has died after being shot with a pellet gun in Rugeley, Staffordshire. A second cat was injured after being similarly attacked. 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.

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 not aware of any reports in September 2024 relating to the above.

Sentences and Convictions

We are aware of at least 44 reports in September 2024 of sentences and convictions for gun crime, including:

• Appeal judges have more than doubled a sentence handed to a 35-year-old man earlier this year. After police officers stopped a car in Glasgow, Scotland in April 2021, the man pointed a gun at one of them. The vehicle, which had false number plates, was later found burnt out. The man was linked to the car through fingerprints and CCTV footage from a petrol station. He was jailed for 40 months earlier this year after being found guilty of having a firearm or imitation gun with intent to cause the officer to believe violence would be used against him. Appeal judges have now jailed him for ten years after considering the man’s previous convictions which included “recklessly discharging a 12-bore shotgun” through the living room window of a house in the city.

• A 20-year-old man has been jailed for nineteen years after being found guilty of manslaughter, wounding with intent and having an article with a blade or a point. In December 2023, the man and an accomplice visited a drug den in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, where the man shot another man in the chest. The victim, found dead an hour later, had also suffered serious knife wounds to his head and hands. The court heard that the perpetrator had been managing a drugs line in the area and had gone to the address anticipating “some kind of trouble.” He and his accomplice took knives with them but the gun used in the shooting was already at the property. The accomplice, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a three-year sentence after being convicted of wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article.

• 23-year-old twin brothers have been jailed for life to serve a minimum of eighteen years and eight months, after being found guilty of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. In May 2022, the two men approached a bus stop in Birkenhead, Merseyside on e-bikes before one of them fired a gun six times, hitting a teenage boy once in the leg. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said, “This was an indiscriminate and reckless use of a gun which could have had even more serious or even fatal consequences and it is right they should be behind bars where they can no longer cause fear or harm in the community. I hope these sentences show that the possession and use of firearms is taken exceptionally seriously, and we will take any necessary action to put those responsible before the courts.”

• A 22-year-old man has been jailed for life, to serve a minimum of sixteen years, after being found guilty of manslaughter. In April 2023, he fatally shot a man in the chest with a shotgun in Mitcham, South London. The man claimed he had only pointed the gun at the victim as a prank and that it went off without him pulling the trigger. The court heard, however, that the shooting was a revenge attack carried out after a friend of the perpetrator was stabbed. Two men found in possession of the shotgun used in the shooting have also been sentenced: one jailed for seven years and the other handed an eighteen-month youth rehabilitation order after both were found guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

• A 23-year-old man has been jailed for three years and nine months after pleading guilty to robbery and possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In June 2024, the man threatened a worker with what looked like a handgun at a petrol station in Rhostyllen, North Wales. He fired the gun off to one side before stealing tobacco, e-cigarettes and money from the till.

• A 25-year-old man has been jailed for twelve years after being found guilty of the supply and possession of Class A drugs, and possession of two firearms and live ammunition. As part of an operation designed to dismantle drug supply networks, police officers searched the man’s home in Croydon, South London and recovered several phones used in the supply of drugs, crack cocaine and heroin worth £14,000, a sawn-off shotgun, a rifle and more than 200 rounds of live ammunition. Two accomplices were sentenced alongside him for drug offences.

• A 37-year-old man has been jailed for six years and eight months after pleading guilty to firearms offences, In January 2024, police officers recovered a gun and fifteen rounds of ammunition from a bedroom cupboard at the man’s home in Paisley, Renfrewshire. The firearm was found to be a converted pistol, initially designed to discharge blanks, such as flares, but now capable of firing 9mm bullets. The original model and serial marking had been removed by milling. The man’s DNA was found on the grip, the trigger and the magazine release catch.

• A 20-year-old man has been handed an eighteen-month community order and rehabilitation activity after pleading guilty to possession of a blade and possession of an imitation firearm. In March 2024, police officers stopped the man in Eling, Hampshire and found him carrying a knife and a BB gun. The court heard that the man, who has ADHD, learning difficulties and autism, had also been wearing a balaclava. He said this was because he had been feeling unwell and wanted to cover his face, “as a hangover from Covid times”. He said he had forgotten he had the knife and had been taking the gun to show a friend.

• A 20-year-old man has been jailed for 21 years for two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to commit murder and attempted murder. His 19-year-old co-defendant received fourteen years for possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to commit murder. In February 2023, the two men drove to Hackney, North London where they shot at a car they mistakenly believed belonged to a rival gang. The vehicle was occupied by a 13-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl, neither of whom was injured. In August the same year, the 20-year-old man was involved in a second shooting during which a victim sustained a gunshot injury to the arm. Following sentencing, a police spokesperson said, “Following an extensive investigation, officers have taken two extremely dangerous men off the streets. Our teams also recovered the firearm used in the shooting in Hackney. Forensic work carried out on the gun revealed it was also used in 11 previous firearm discharges in London. This vital work has no doubt had a significant impact in safeguarding our local community and securing justice for the victims of these two men’s crimes.”

• A 26-year-old man has been jailed for fifteen years after being found guilty of two counts of rape, possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence, intentional strangulation, assault and stalking involving fear of violence. After stalking a woman for several months, the man lured her to his flat in Tuxford, Nottinghamshire in May 2023 by posing as someone else. He then held an imitation gun to her head and in her mouth before raping her. He was arrested months later after the victim told police of her ordeal. The court heard that the man had installed a spyware app on his victim’s phone and tracked her movements via a device he’d placed in her car. He also filmed himself attacking her.  He has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and handed a restraining order forbidding any future contact with his victim.

• A 22-year-old man has been jailed for 30 years after being found guilty of attempted murder and pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. In April 2023, the man drove a stolen car to a location in Birmingham, West Midlands before a second occupant fired nine bullets at another car with a submachine gun. The male victim, who was hit in the leg and abdomen, managed to drive himself to hospital, later saying he believed he had been going to die. He has been left with ongoing pain and mental health issues. No motive for the attack has been uncovered and it is not known whether the victim was the intended target. The perpetrator and his accomplice fled to Pakistan following the attack but the 22-year-old was arrested upon his return some months later. A 20-year-old who collected the two men after the shooting and helped them dispose of evidence, was found guilty of assisting an offender and sentenced to four-and-a-half years.

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: September 2024 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 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.