Real Progress on reducing violent crime:

The need for stricter gun control

 

 

Green Party press office briefing

 

 

October 2004

 

Camilla Drejer

 

Green Party press office, 020 7561 0282, press@greenparty.org.uk

 

 

"Homicide rates tend to be related to firearm ownership levels. Everything else being equal, a reduction in the percentage of households owning firearms should occasion a drop in the homicide rate.”

Evidence to the Cullen Inquiry 1996: Thomas Gabor, Professor of Criminology - University of Ottawa

 

 

Definitions

 

The Firearms Acts define a “firearm” as a “lethal barrelled weapon” capable of discharging any shot, bullet or other missile. The possession of firearms, their parts, and ammunition in England, Scotland and Wales is regulated by the Firearms Acts 1968-97 (Northern Ireland has its own firearms laws). Use of a firearm in the UK requires the possession of a firearms certificate. Children as young 17 can apply for a certificate from a local police force.

 

Firearms are categorised and subject to controls reflecting an assessment of a gun’s “dangerousness” based on a variety of factors, including rate of fire, ease of concealment, speed of reload and ease and accuracy of aim.

 

Prohibited weapons are the most dangerous types of weapons and subject to the most rigorous controls. The Secretary of State’s authority is required to possess them and right of possession is only granted people with a “legitimate need”. Such prohibited weapons include handguns, machine guns, most self-loading rifles, short-barrelled “assault shot guns”, gas and pepper sprays and stun guns.

 

Guns held on firearms certificates issued by the police where the police are satisfied that individuals are fit to possess the guns without being a danger to the public, have a “good reason” for possessing each gun, and are not subject to a statutory prohibition. This category includes most hunting and target-shooting rifles, high-powered air rifles, long-barrelled pump-action and self-loading shot guns with large magazines, and muzzle-loading pistols.


The Statistics

 

Gun crime tends to be concentrated in a small number of urban areas. Nearly two-thirds of firearms offences (excluding air weapons) occur in just three metropolitan police force areas: London, Greater Manchester and West Midlands.

 

The overall level of gun crime in the UK is relatively low – less than half of 1 percent of all crime recorded by the police. Overall, firearms (including air weapons) were used in 0.41% of all recorded crimes. The proportion excluding air weapons was 0.17% [1].

 

In spite of this relatively low proportion of firearms-related crime, we have experienced a steady, and unacceptable, increase in gun crime over recent years. Indeed, on the first day of the Green Party’s autumn conference in 2004, BBC Radio 5 news reported expectations that the Home Office would announce a 3% increase in gun crime.

 

Home Office figures showed that firearm offences in England and Wales have risen from 13,874 in 1998-99 to 24,070 in 2002-3. Provisional data on the latest trends in gun crime show that the total number of firearm offences in 2002/03 (excluding offences involving air weapons) increased by 3%. This compares with a 35% increase in 2001-2.

 

Firearms, other than air weapons, were reported to have been used in 10,248 recorded crimes in 2002-3. This was a 2% increase over the previous year, following a much larger increase of 34% in the previous year [2].

 

There were 68 homicides involving firearms in 2003-4, 12 fewer (15%) than the previous year. Eight% of all homicides in 2003-4 involved firearms [3].

 

Firearms were used in 24,070 recorded crimes in England and Wales in 2002-3, an increase of 7% compared with 2001-2. Just over half (57%) of these offences involved air weapons, with 76% of air weapon offences being crimes of criminal damage, that is crimes against property only [4].

Commenting on rising gun crime in the UK, Assistant Inspector of Constabulary Tim Hollis was adamant that "There is statistical evidence that firearms incidents are increasing, and we should not be complacent".

The most reliable data indicate that from country to country the rate of gun violence correlates with the level of gun ownership. In 2000 UK Home Office statistics calculated the firearms homicide rate per 100,000 population at  0.12.. The US Bureau of Justice, by contrast, reported a rate of 3.6 firearms homicides per 100,000 population in the US [5].

As of January 2004, UK firearms legislation has been tightened. The Criminal Justice Act, for example, introduced a new mandatory minimum sentence of five years for people convicted of possessing an illegal firearm. In addition, a 2004 ban on self-contained cartridge weapons applies to any air rifle, air gun or air pistol that uses, or is designed or adapted for use with, a self-contained gas cartridge system. However, it does not apply to weapons that use a CO2 bulb system because CO2 bulbs do not contain a projectile and are therefore not self-contained.

 


Replica guns and government proposals

 

The last few years have seen an increase in the criminal use of imitation and replica guns in crime. Research strongly indicates that the gun manufacturers are behind the growing replica market. Many of these guns are exact replicas made under licences issued by major gun manufacturers.

 

An imitation firearm is defined as anything which has the appearance of being a firearm whether or not it is capable of discharging a shot, bullet or other missile.

 

Imitations are freely available without licence and have proved attractive to those who may not have the resources, or may not want to possess real guns. Such replicas are as frightening to confront as real guns, and their criminal and irresponsible use presents particular problems for the police.

 

The number of recorded crimes involving imitation weapons has tripled from 566 in 1998-9 to 1,815 in 2002-3 [6]. Nonetheless, the government has ruled out a wholesale ban on imitation firearms, claiming it is too difficult to find a legal definition for replicas.

 

The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 made it illegal to possess an imitation firearm in public and the Act recognises that “for a number of years there has been a steady rise in the misuse of air weapons and imitation firearms” [7]. Nonetheless, the escalation of replica gun-related crime demonstrates that short of a total ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of replica weapons the problem cannot be adequately addressed.

A recent Home Office Consultation Paper, published in May this year clearly states the Government’s position on replica guns a follows: "It has proved difficult to find a workable legal definition of an imitation firearm and we do not believe that the level of effort required by agencies to administer additional restrictions is offset by public safety gains." [8].

Commenting on this Home Office minister Caroline Flint said: "I can't envisage a wholesale ban on imitation and replica firearms".

A detective from Operation Trident, Scotland Yard's special taskforce which tackles gun crime within the black community said: "These guns can be bought perfectly legally but they can be converted using tools you can buy at a DIY shop. We have been trying for years to get them banned." A Scotland Yard spokesperson added to this that 70% of firearms offences investigated by Operation Trident involved replica guns which had been converted to fire live ammunition.

 

 

Guns and sport

 

Existing GP policy on Crime prevention stipulates that:

 

“CJ500 (ii) There will be a complete ban on the holding of firearms (including air rifles/pistols) on domestic premises except in cases where the firearms have been permanently disabled. Firearms for sporting use will be required to be confined to licensed gun club premises or licensed retailers. Firearms for agricultural use will be required to be stored at local police stations or other officially-sanctioned secure sites. There will be a requirement for firearms and ammunition to be stored separately under secure conditions and for all such sites to be subject to regular checks. No other private use of firearms will be permitted.”

 

 

 

 


References:

 

[1] National Statistics, January 2004, p.25, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb0104.pdf

 

[2] National Statistics, January 2004, p.25, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb0104.pdf

 

[3] Home Office, “Home Office Statistical Bulletin”, July 2004, p. 79, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1004.pdf

 

[4] National Statistics, January 2004, p. 26, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb0104.pdf

 

[5] Home Office, “Controls on Firearms”, May 2004, p. 26, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/controls_on_firearms.pdf

 

[6] National Statistics, January 2004, p. 25, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb0104.pdf

 

[7] Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs2/hoc0104.html

 

[8] Home Office, May 2004, “Controls on Firearms a Consultation Paper”, p. 11, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/controls_on_firearms.pdf

 

 

Resources:

 

Home Office, January 2003, “Crime in England and Wales 2001/2002: Supplementary Volume”, via; http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb103.pdf.

 

Home Office, January 2004, Crime Reduction & Community Safety Group Public Order And Crime Issues Unit, “Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003: Firearms”, via; http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs2/hoc0104.html.

 

National Statistics, January 2004, “Crime in England and Wales 2002/2003: Supplementary Volume 1: Homicide and Gun Crime”, via; http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb0104.pdf.

 

HMIC Thematic Inspection into The Criminal Use of Firearms, “Guns, Community and Police”, via; http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/hmic/gcpmain.pdf.

 

Home Office, “Home Office Statistical Bulleting: Crime in England and Wales 2003/4”, January 2004, via; http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1004.pdf.

 

Home Office, May 2004, “Controls on Firearms – A Consultation Paper”, via: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/controls_on_firearms.pdf.

 

ENDS